5 Handy Tips For Starting A Vinyl Collection

Vinyls aren’t just a beautiful method for listening to music, they can also be used as stunning artwork around your home and a physical representation of your musical journey.

If you’re just starting your vinyl collection it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the vastness of this musical world.

To help you get started, we have a few tips for you to consider.

Make A List Of Your Favorite Albums

To get the ball rolling, think about your favorite albums or music. It might be hard to pin them all down, so don’t attempt to create a completed list – instead, we are aiming for inspiration. 

Modern artists still produce their music in vinyl form as the love for vinyl never really died out. Now it’s back in fashion, even lesser-known artists are using this vintage format.

So make a list of your favorite artists and songs. Keep going until you’ve filled a page or run out of ideas.

This is going to be your starting point.

Consider Your Storage

Do you want your storage to be on display, easy to find, or large enough to hold all the massive collections you have in mind? Consider the important aspects of your storage as well as the aesthetics.

As part of your storage considerations, you should think about how the collection should be categorized.

Simple categorization methods include genre, artists, and year.

If you enjoy your music based on your mood and the tones you want to listen to based on your mood, then pick a genre. If you want your albums to be easy to find rather than “re-exploring music when you want to listen”, then pick artists.

“Year” is a great option if you like your music to match your aesthetic of the day.

Use this concept to figure out how much room you’ll need, the type of storage you’ll need, and what areas of your collection which need expansion. For example, if you only have 3 records in Blues but 10 in Classical, then you may need to open your collection to more Blue creators.

Understand Value

Some vinyls are worth thousands, others are a dime a dozen. For example, there is a hidden value of 45 rpm records based on age, rarity, sealing, and signature.

Click on the link above to find out how to value these records.

To start your collection you should look at vintage shops, charity shops/thrift stores, and garage sales.

These are cheap areas where you will find lots of vinyls ready for purchase. It can be a lot of fun, searching through collections in these niche places, and hunting for the perfect record.

To know if you’ve picked a rare vinyl, search the record online and see how much it’s being sold for.

Buy A Cleaning Kit

Most vinyls are old, which isn’t an issue in itself, as long as you know how to maintain its quality. 

This means keeping the records upright instead of flat, cleaning them, and keeping them away from sunlight.

To clean your vinyls you need to buy a microfiber cloth and a vinyl spray cleaner. Then very lightly wipe the vinyl using the sprayed cloth. You need to be light so you don’t damage the ridges.

Ideally, you should clean your records both before and after usage. If you haven’t played them in a while, create a music day and go through your whole collection to make sure they are still in fine order.

Invest In A Good Turntable

Expensive turntables often have better sound quality. That’s because they use better quality materials to produce crisp and clear sound, and they will also keep your vinyls in good condition for longer.

Make sure to always read the reviews, as vinyl record enthusiasts will talk about the quality of sound and the risk of scratches with any turntable they buy.

If there are only a few negative points, it could be a bad batch. If there are multiple then the manufacturers may have made a bad quality machine – avoid it.

You should also consider the speaker quality. A bad bass will produce a droning sound, which distorts the clarity of the music. 

Mixed with a bad turntable and you could get screechy high notes and droned low notes.

Final Thoughts

Starting your vinyl collection might seem daunting, but we all start somewhere. The most important thing to do is buy a good turntable, and consider the type of music you want to invest in.

Build your collection slowly, and enjoy each record as they come.