I've started developing a bit of an interest in collecting 7" vinyl of late. To be honest though, I find the whole scene quite confusing. I was hoping that maybe some of the old (or young but knowledgeable) hands here might be able to help shine some light on the subject...

The kind of things I'm wondering are:

  • How come there are so many 'promo', 'demo', 'radio station' versions of older singles, versus the original public releases.
  • Pricewise, how come these non-public releases are often cheaper than the originals?
  • What are the best resources for 7" discographies? Most general discography sites are quite light on 7" releases, indeed they're quite light on non-CD releases full-stop.
  • What are the best online shops for well described 7" releases?


It's be interesting to know who here collects 7" vinyl as well...