600 to 1000 I'm in that bracket (no idea how many exactly - vinyl and CD). I must admit that I do feel a little bewildered by my own collection now. It's just so big. I make a point of going to each shelf, cupboard, box as much as possible to actually listen to it all. It's a joy really because every single one of them is fantastic.
Well ... "some shelves" ... Let's just say average LP 150g. Plus a bit for "paperwork" and storage shelves/boxes. So 200Kg per 1,000 records? That's a tonne per 5,000 LPs. Let's say you might have 10,000 LPs equivalent inc. 7" Singles and CDs. That's 2 tonnes dead weight. Anyway ... a joke ... I hope!
For some artists, you need hundreds of albums to have a comprehensive overview of their career, when it comes to established genres you need thousands of albums to have a comprehensive overview and if you love music you will likely be interested in many different genres, if music is a passion and LPs or CDs are your way of consuming it I don't understand how you can put any arbitrary limit on their number let alone such tiny numbers, sure money and space are issues, but if you are smart and work at it collecting music is still a relatively cheap hobby. If you love an album then, assuming the artist released other similar albums of equal quality, why wouldn't you want to own all of those as well? Why would you buy "Off The Wall" and then decide that was sufficient Michael Jackson and not buy "Thriller" as well, own "Kind Of Blue", but not wish to explore Miles further, music is a journey each album should lead you onto many more albums. I own tens of thousands of albums, I've spent decades exploring them, but I know that I've barely scratched the surface of what's out there, and I look forward to buying thousands more, including music that doesn't yet exist.
There is truth in this. I have a huge collection of vinyl (& cds, sacds dvd-a's) and it is wonderful to be able to listen to whatever I want whenever I want. The sound of music is a huge source of pleasure for me. The right amount can depend upon the role a music collection plays in one's life. I can see that over the years I have attached myself to my collection and am now identified with it, by myself and others, and it has definitely been an addiction, a source of never ending ego fulfillment to largely fill a hole due to the absence of some other things in my life. As I move away from that way of feeling and thinking, I am trying to find the answer to the question of how much I really need, but am not yet willing to let any of it go. All that to say, ask yourself the question, What is my purpose associated with building this collection and what do I really need in order to truly satisfy that purpose?
Not sure why I vote 0-300, because I can never get enough of some things in life... Only you know how much is enough!
seen that a few times. Perhaps it they didn’t have the unit the wrong way round, it may not have fallen apart!
May 2021 we moved from Pennsylvania to southeastern North Carolina. We had a 3400 sq ft house and were moving into a 2200 sq ft house. 5 bedrooms to 3 and no basement. I decided to downsize my vinyl (and CD) collection. I kept just around 1200 LPs. I gave my oldest son around 700 LPs and begrudgingly sold off 1500 LPs. I kept about 2000 CDs but did get rid of at least that many if not more. Kept all of my 45's (around 700) and a few other odds and ends (CD singles, 12" singles, etc.) Do I have regrets, he'll yes. Most of the 1500 LPs I got rid of were digitized but I still wish I had most of them now. I have no regrets regarding the ones I gave my son. He's enjoying his instant '70's and '80's Classic Rock collection. I began buying and collecting vinyl in 1966. I have always enjoyed music starting with 45's when I was 11 years old followed by LPs, 8 track tapes, back to vinyl (I never did prerecorded cassettes) then CDs with a mix of CDs and vinyl today. Based on everything stated above, I am convinced you can never have enough music in your collection. LPs for sure because they are beautiful pieces of art but also CDs as well. And yes, my collection is once again growing here in NC. Slowly, but growing.
It all depends on YOU. Noone else can decide for you. We all have different needs. I know a guy who had 66000 LPs some 4 years ago, now he has 73000. So for him those 66K were not enough. For some 100 would be enough. It also depends on the space you have. It depends on how many styles of music you like. I have about 3000 and I think I don't need so much more. When you feel like you never get to listen to them, it's time to slow down. It's really nice to have phases of listening (some months of not buying anything new, but focusing on the things you have acquired earlier that maybe didn't get the attention or listening time directly after you bought it). I really enjoy to go back and discover things IN the collection. It's not always necessary to constantly hunt for new stuff.
I currently have approximately 800. Used to have a lot more. I found I was always going to my favourite ones. At age 74 now I have plenty, and have sold many over the last few years. My thinning out method is simple. As I flick through looking for one to play I see one and think " Am I ever going to put that on again, No, get rid of it" Problem is I still buy the occasion one.
For a start Lee Perry, John Williams, John Barry, Miles Davis, Ennio Morricone, Duke Ellington and numerous other Jazz musicians if you count non headline performances, artists like Ravi Shankar and Ella Fitzgerald if you count comps and that's assuming you only buy one pressing of each title and what kind of serious collector only buys one pressing?
Is this a vinyl only thread? If it is than the answer is zero. If you include CDs the number shoots up to around 7000
I don't count. I just like buying new stuff and I don't get rid of the old because after awhile it's new again.
Exactly I want it to be there. I listen to most of my music through my laptop but that does not mean I don't mean to listen to the physical copy.
the only reason I know is because I have my collection on Discogs - and the main driver was because I kept buying duplicates! Now at least I can check the database first before buying.
Regardless of format, your music library should increase by about one every day. I know mine does. And shall continue to for the foreseeable future.
