Anybody still go to record shows?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by evillouie, Jun 12, 2017.

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  1. evillouie

    evillouie Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Toledo
    Hi all!

    Does anybody out there still go to record shows? I have to say I've done my share of crate digging over the years.

    But, I just went to one over the weekend and found that I need to broaden my horizons and go to some shows in nearby cities for some variety.

    The one I went to last Sunday was put on by the same people that put on every record show here in town. The same old dealers selling the same old records. Beat up old Elvis records that they want an arm & a leg for, and a lot of empty tables. I think I stayed at the show for 20 minutes, tops.

    It used to be, the old musty smell of the records filled the place and made me want to go crate digging even more. Now that the local record shows have come to this, I am starting to lose interest.

    What are everyone else's experiences?
     
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  2. seed_drill

    seed_drill Senior Member

    Location:
    Tryon, NC, USA
    I like to, but the annual show in Spartanburg conflicts with a bike event out of town, so I'm going to miss it. I barely got in for the final hour last year, but still made some hella cool purchases.
     
    McLover likes this.
  3. Guy E

    Guy E Senior Member

    Location:
    Antalya, Turkey
    I loved the WFMU Fair in NYC. As you say, the same old faces appear year after year and the days when I'd find rare George Jones singles for $1.29 are past. But it was always a fun event, and a social one. It's one of the things that I miss about NYC.
     
  4. Chemguy

    Chemguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Western Canada
    Of Course! Too much fun.
     
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  5. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Yes.
     
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  6. Aftermath

    Aftermath Senior Member

    Went to one yesterday.
     
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  7. Sean

    Sean Senior Member

    Location:
    Ottawa
    Yes.
     
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  8. Stan94

    Stan94 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Paris, France
    Yes. I attend Cidisc whenever I get the chance. Always the same dealers, overpriced beat-up records. Admission is now free which is a good thing.
     
  9. qwerty

    qwerty A resident of the SH_Forums.

    I attended one last year that was a part of a local Audio show, the first record fair I had attended since the 1980's. I didn't last very long. Lots of crates of LP's, with high prices. Sure, some interesting things. But interesting things at high prices no longer get me excited like they used to.

    Back in the day, a lot of interesting things didn't get to my country - there were very strong and very restrictive import limitations, and the local record companies weren't interested in much outside of the mainstream. Finding something rare was really something then, because you knew you weren't likely to be able to hear them again.

    Nowdays, so much previously rare and hard to find has been released on CD, and with the internet it's not hard to be able to find. And the new CD is a lot cheaper than the noisy LP at the record fair. And add to the equation that there are so many cheap CDs and LPs in charity shops and online, that my problem isn't how to add to my collection, my problem is how to keep it to a reasonable size!

    So I doubt that I will be making much effort to attend any record fairs.
     
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  10. teag

    teag Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colorado
    Not lately.
     
  11. PTgraphics

    PTgraphics Senior Member

    I go to the ones in and around Charlotte when I can. Unfortunately I see the same vendors at each show for the most part so it gets a little dull. I also hate to see vendors who don't price the merchandise and wing the prices when you show them what you want to buy. I don't go to those tables anymore at all. Overall though I have a good time. The pickings have gotten slim on what I can afford but it's good to see what people are trying to sell.

    Pat
     
  12. Thesmellofvinyl

    Thesmellofvinyl Senior Member

    Location:
    Cohoes, NY USA
    Yes, whenever possible.
     
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  13. Paully

    Paully De gustibus non est disputandum

    Location:
    Tennessee
    I went to my first one ever in Birmingham a few months ago and thought it was awesome. Great dealers who were fantastic to talk to, incredible selection, and records I was surprised to find. It was fantastic and I fully intend to go to the next one.

    Further, I think the dealers only brought decent stuff. I assume they don't bother to bring junk they know they gave no chance of selling as that just means they have to haul it home again. Truly, I saw no real drek.
     
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  14. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Yeah I go to the local ones. There are 4 a year that I got to. Two in the spring, two in the autumn. I like going and go for the early entry as well. There are times you get bummed out if there isn't much you want, but that's how it goes with used records. Sometimes they're where you are and sometimes they aren't.

    I also went to the WFMu fair in NYC and hope to go back again one day. That one was a lot of fun.
     
  15. mwheelerk

    mwheelerk Sorry, I can't talk now, I'm listening to music...

    Location:
    Gilbert Arizona
    As much as I have purchased music in my lifetime I've never been to a single record show. Can't really say why. I've never consciously made a choice to go or not to go. I guess I just never really had an interest.
     
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  16. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    I was going every month to the same one that's been the only alternative to Amazon for years. I finally stopped going once I realized how many I still haven't listened to. I'm now convinced that I've stared-at and flipped-through every Billy Joel disc in the tri-state area. Really, there was only one reason to go, and that was one single dealer who offered (horrors!) newer releases, and even some recently released (sacrilige!). When he stopped coming in, I was less and less motivated to drop by.

    There's nothing cooler than telling yourself, "Okay, just this one record show, then I'll have to order it through GEMM from Luxembourg or something"...and then you find that disc in a $3 box, right next to the Kansas and Dave Matthews Band. But, there's nothing sadder than realizing just how long you've been waiting for something cooler to be found there.
     
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  17. melstapler

    melstapler Reissue Activist

    Definitely. Although they seem to be getting smaller and are less common than they were 15 or 20 years ago, you can still find them if you know where to look. Another more recent trend I've noticed are the smaller-scale record swaps. There is a gentleman I know who organizes these at least twice a year and usually rents affordable meeting rooms or events centers located in some of the smaller hotels. Every participant pays $2 or $3 to enter and that cover charge pays for the rental fees.
     
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  18. Partyslammer

    Partyslammer Lord Of The New Church

    I go to the Buena Park show here in SoCal probably 6 times a year. I also hit up the odd show in LA and Long Beach. I blaze through most record shows pretty quickly as I'm not a big fan of digging through random boxes of unsorted crappy quality records but there's always a few sellers that have their stuff organized with quality albums.
     
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  19. I have not been to a show in decades. I stopped going after Bubba Clinton "stopped" the old grey market/bootleg types from Italy et al, which offered great choices on CD. Anyone remember back in 1993 or so when the big shows became smaller and smaller?
     
  20. greelywinger

    greelywinger Osmondia

    Location:
    Dayton, Ohio USA
    I still go to the occasional show, but the were not as interesting as pre-eBay.
    Sure I see a lot of the same dealers, but it's like visiting old friends.

    Darryl
     
  21. Wes_in_va

    Wes_in_va Trying to live up to my dog’s expectations

    Location:
    Southwest VA
    Oh heck yes I do.
    We have one coming up this weekend. It's put on by the same people as usually do it but in a new venue. I can't wait.
    Ive never made it to any shows away from home though I'd like to
     
  22. Holerbot6000

    Holerbot6000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    Unfortunately the shows around here tend to suck. The same weird guys flogging the same overpriced crap over and over again - nothing you couldn't get waaay cheaper on Discogs. I reckon when the Millenials get bored and start selling off their collections, things might get interesting again. Until then, Ho hum.
     
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  23. Scope J

    Scope J Senior Member

    Location:
    Michigan
    Sure do!
     
  24. Scope J

    Scope J Senior Member

    Location:
    Michigan
    Are you talking about Glass City?
     
  25. Remurmur

    Remurmur Music is THE BEST! -FZ

    Location:
    Ohio
    There is one here in my town that is organized by a local collectible records shop. They usually have 4 a year. And as others have mentioned, yes it seems to be a lot of the same dealers and some of the same beat up , over priced records.

    And...thanks to the new vinyl revival there are definitely less CD's (which are what I'm most interested in now days), there than there used to be, but last trip I found a few near mint deep catalog item CD's for as low as $3.00 each so it was still worth my while.
     
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2017
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