It's a good questions these days - I only feel I need to own an album if I really love it or I collect a particular artists work, I'll happily stream casual stuff and outtakes etc. I own around 500 albums.
That's part of the same process I've always used to find new music. Find out that someone I know and like is involved in a record -- including producers, like right now I'll listen to anything that Dan Carey's name is on -- and I'll give it a spin. Plus ever since I was a kid, I've also followed labels that I knew were doing interesting things. Starting when I was like 12 years old, I realized that if something was on Sire, it was probably interesting. That usually worked (it's how I learned about everyone from The Undertones to Aztec Camera to Madonna), although sometimes it didn't. (I remember a 1984 EP by an L.A. guy named Tim Scott that I've kept for decades just as a reminder that not all '80s synth pop is listenable.) Later, I applied the same logic to smaller labels like 4AD, Creation, Sarah, etc. and was more often rewarded than not. Even today, I always want to know when something new is coming out on labels like Captured Tracks, Slumberland, Trouble In Mind, etc. What I'm saying is that it's not like the rest of us are just blindly putting on random things in the hopes something will click. Hell, I've been doing this for coming up on 50 years: by now, I can usually tell from the cover if something's not up my alley.
It's not that complicated. Start with your life expectancy (err on the high side) and determine how many years you have left to live. Multiply by the number of days in a year. Multiply by how many albums you listen to in a day (err on the high side). Assume you will never listen to the same album twice and buy accordingly. Take out second mortgage on house.
I don’t know that I could put a number on the ideal number of LPs. There are too many variables related to which artists, genres, etc. you’re into. But my ideal situation - not that I’ve actually achieved it myself - would be to not have more LPs than I have shelf space. I went beyond my shelving limits during the pandemic, and I now have a couple hundred records in storage boxes. I tend to forget about the ones I can’t see and don’t listen to them as a result. So I’m trying to get back down to the confines of my shelves, which will probably put me around 750-800 LPs.
I currently have around 900 LP's. So 900. 900 is the answer. ....but now then, there are also my CD's ...
I was looking at my record collection recently, and was comparing its size to when I first started collecting records, some 40 years ago. Throughout my childhood and you adult life, I always had about 2 crates, or maybe less than 100 records. Many were culled over the years to make room for new ones. Now I have about 900 LPs. I am happy to have them, but I am actually thinking about downsizing, at least until that 6LP set of PJ Harvey demos shows up
For some today, people can't understand how we ever found anything without the internet, or algorithms giving us tips. But back in the day there was always more than I could afford to buy. A great mabel for me was Island, who did everything from Prog to Reggae. They were always doing great stuff. Record stores were great places where the owners knew who you are and recommended stuff, and of course nights staying in to listen to music was a norm for my circle. It used to be great to sit with your mates listening to stuff, talking about the music. Fun days.
Well I have culled my collection once before (30+ years ago now) and ended missing some things later. I am pretty sure I have bought almost all of it back by now! That being said I am looking at culling it again. This time it will be a targeted culling where the last time it was sell just to get rid of things whether I really liked them or not. That being said there are many times I just can't seem to resist something I get my eye on and really want or something I really like that is released in a different mix or potentially even a remastering than I had before. So even a culling most likely will not lead to a net negative. Possibly a disease. Just when I think I'm under control something else just seems to dangle in front of me that I acquire. I look at it like this there are probably items in my collection I will never listen again before I die. However, I like to have the library. Not a hoarders pile of junk but a nice organized library that I can easily find and listen to when and if I want to. So as long as I can keep the collection at that level and its not overruning anything else in the I'm good. Your description of trying to decide what to listen to makes me laugh. I remember doing the same thing 7 or 8 years ago (when my collection was a lot smaller) and telling my first wife I didn't have anything to listen to. She rolled her eyes and was like give me a break. I think what I was really saying is I didn't have anything new to listen to lol.
I'm in the 0-300 range. I only keep LPs in the collection that will actually get used often. I'm one of those people who believes that if you go years without using it you don't need it.
I'm trying to limits my purchases to only LPs I know I will want to listen to repeadedly. Anything not fulfilling that criteria gets dumped. Unfortunately I have broad taste... Space is becoming a problem.
All these guys with huge collections or aspirations for huge collections and all we mainly talk about around here is Beatles, Floyd, Dylan and Zep.
As someone who estimates that he has around 25,000 LP’s, I can say that’s definitely too many. just one more. im not really buying new records. I have no space anymore. Just an occasional 5.1, quad sacd, or box set with 5.1. The older I get, the more I just listen to the stuff I bought as a teenager. I play my Kiss and REO albums as much now as I did when I was 10. I’m pretty much done with new music. There are literally no holy grail Lp’s left on my list. probably 10,000 should be the max.
1230th LP arrived in the mail today. Put it on after an unexpectedly irritating afternoon at work, and felt a wave of happiness. And looking forward to checking the new arrivals to the local used bins this weekends too. But I’ve started looking at used CDs more lately as well, since they’re practically giving them away. Afraid I might regret not picking up more CDs if/when streaming prices jump.
From what you are saying you are a collector first and a listener second. It is quite simple impossible for you to listen to such a great number of records more then once. Maybe not even once?
yes this can be an issue. I have some items in my collection I haven't listened to yet. Some that I have had for several years even and not listened to. I would say that is probably about 20 releases total (between CD and vinyl and some are boxsets with quite a bit in them). With that being said there are many items in my collection I have listened to over and over again. Some items maybe even bordering on 50 times listened to I would say. My collection is about 300LPs, about 350 CDs about 30 CD and vinyl boxsets, 50 or so 45s and about 30 Laserdiscs. Plus a ton of homemade CDs from DLs and a smattering of cassettes and a few Reel to Reels as well as several Blu Rays and SACDs. I like to be relatively format agnostic,
