Collection habits

Do you have any specific collection habits - do you collect by year, by genre, by band?

I have been collecting by favorite genres and favorite bands but I recently noticed that for every year from about 1980 onward I have approx 30 albums per year. This makes it a bit difficult for me to sometimes create top 10 lists.

I am thinking of switching my collection habits to collecting by year. I'd like to have around 50 albums for each year.

Have you done this before? Do you recommend any particular sites that would be helpful in such a venture. I know rateyourmusic is one such resource, however I find the rating system a bit odd so I can't really form a very good impression on what stuff is worth checking out.

If it's a CD I want but don't have, and the price is right, I buy it.

I go for music first and bands second.

Never really focused on a particular year on purpose

If I don't have it on vinyl or cd already and see it on cassette at a thrift store/pawn shop/flea market/swap meet...I'll spend a buck on it. If it's has an interest to me.

Never focused on a particular year.

I do buy in "genre waves" and I think that depends on my mood.

Lately though, I've been more focused on perfecting my collection. Purging some and buying hardcopy of others. As one can see in the Music Haul thread, I've bought a lot of Pink Floyd lately. So, if it's there and the price is right, and it's on my list, I grab it.

Lately I have been buying a few albums missing from a particular artist, last month it was Rainbow, sometimes just randomly if the price is right.

I might get into a certain genre for a little bit (thrash, NWOBHM, garage rock, stoner, etc.) and purchase more of that type. I don't know that I make a conscience desicion to do so though. It just kinda happens that way.

Otherwise, I'm like the others here. If I want it and it's in my price range, I get it. The year of release has never been a concern of mine.

I go for the music I like first. I don't focus on a certain year.

Never really tried focusing on a particular year when collecting, but I would blind buy something if it came from a certain time-frame and looked like something I would like. Recently got a great record from the band Primal Scream based on the cover & back art/photo and the fact the year was 1986. Figured couldn't go too wrong from something that year.

I'd recommend youtubing certain years to find stuff. So many great hidden gems I've found that way.

i like so much different music I focus on getting stuff off my wantlist.

I think you'll find plenty of information to help you out here, Mr. Dee Rokett


http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/index.shtml

Fat Freddy wrote:

If it's a CD I want but don't have, and the price is right, I buy it.

This is me too.

I listen to practically every genre of music but strangely I only collect thrash, death and power metal CDs. Maybe it depends on the rarity for me or the force to listen to something that isn't available anywhere else than just by getting the record itself.

thrashidolatry wrote:

I listen to practically every genre of music but strangely I only collect thrash, death and power metal CDs. Maybe it depends on the rarity for me or the force to listen to something that isn't available anywhere else than just by getting the record itself.

I'm in a similar way. I listen to many more artists/genres than I feel compelled to collect.

Another thing I do is buy vinyl by an older band/artist rather than a cd version (if available) Come to think of it, vinyl is my first preference (if available) by any band, old or new

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

thrashidolatry wrote:

I listen to practically every genre of music but strangely I only collect thrash, death and power metal CDs. Maybe it depends on the rarity for me or the force to listen to something that isn't available anywhere else than just by getting the record itself.

I'm in a similar way. I listen to many more artists/genres than I feel compelled to collect.

X2.

I don't blind-buy anymore, except on the rarest of occassions.

I use Youtube as much as possible because, since The Recession (and the spiraling demise of CDS), re-sale value on Ebay has fallen and I want to make sure I really like an album first before I buy it.

scottmitchell74 wrote:

I don't blind-buy anymore, except on the rarest of occassions.

I use Youtube as much as possible because, since The Recession (and the spiraling demise of CDS), re-sale value on Ebay has fallen and I want to make sure I really like an album first before I buy it.

That's why I ended up getting Spotify, so I can sample albums before I buy them. I am not very concerned about the re-sale value of albums - I used to be for a while when due to very poor judgement on my behalf I sold some albums which, unfortunately, I cannot find at a decent price anymore or in some cases at all.

One collecting habit I have with buying albums is that if I like the band, and several of its albums, I will buy all or at least as many of their albums as possible. I recently did that with Brainstorm where I bought 4 of their albums spanning from the early 00s to their more recent releases.

i have been using my mp3 player more and it has been changing my thoughts on cds. Once I rip them i dont think i will use the cd again.

Once I started using my computer as the main component of my stereo system I knew the days were numbered for collecting CDs. It is just so much easier to manage a collection that way. If lossless files were easier to get I'd never buy another CD again. When I do buy a CD I rip it immediately then the disc goes on a shelf and never gets touched again. Same goes for bonus DVDs that come with many releases, those get copied to my external hard drive as a disc image file and then I use VLC to play them when the mood strikes.

My big fear with the computer and external HD set-up is crashes. I'm endlessly feeling the need to back stuff up. Which is good.

But I'm too in love with the actual physical product to ever just go the digital route. Besides I like knowing if needed I could sell off what I have.

jstate wrote:

But I'm too in love with the actual physical product to ever just go the digital route. Besides I like knowing if needed I could sell off what I have.

I dont think cds are selling all that well anyone - even the harder to find ones.

exact33 wrote:

jstate wrote:

But I'm too in love with the actual physical product to ever just go the digital route. Besides I like knowing if needed I could sell off what I have.

I dont think cds are selling all that well anyone - even the harder to find ones.

I think that this is true I bought Slayer - Show No Mercy/Haunting The Chapel (Metal Blade/Restless 1987) on CD today off Ebay it should be fairly rare and Slayer are one of the most collectible metal bands on the planet. I got it for £4 and was the only person to bid for it.

We are definitely in a buyers market now. But I still take the comfort and rationalization of being able to go down to my local Hastings and have them give me pennies on the dollar for my discs. Here's hoping it never comes to that.

exact33 wrote:

jstate wrote:

But I'm too in love with the actual physical product to ever just go the digital route. Besides I like knowing if needed I could sell off what I have.

I dont think cds are selling all that well anyone - even the harder to find ones.

I think that's a part of it, but I also think people have sort of forgotten about ebay. With everything becoming "Buy It Now", folks forget there is the auction portion too.

I've been scoring allot of stuff off there recently for cheap and many times, I'm the only bidder. And the view count is extremely low. Sure, part of it is the dying cd market, but I think folks are buying direct or going to Amazon. Noone seems to bid anymore.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

exact33 wrote:

jstate wrote:

But I'm too in love with the actual physical product to ever just go the digital route. Besides I like knowing if needed I could sell off what I have.

I dont think cds are selling all that well anyone - even the harder to find ones.

I think that's a part of it, but I also think people have sort of forgotten about ebay. With everything becoming "Buy It Now", folks forget there is the auction portion too.

I've been scoring allot of stuff off there recently for cheap and many times, I'm the only bidder. And the view count is extremely low. Sure, part of it is the dying cd market, but I think folks are buying direct or going to Amazon. Noone seems to bid anymore.

I have to agree with this, my personal buying habit is I go straight to Amazon and buy them directly from them but recently I scored a disc that cost tons on Amazon but was a bit cheaper on ebay and bought it from ebay, but that is not my usual buying habit.