I suppose I would call myself a "record collector," I mean I have a ridiculous amount of records, and am constantly on the search for more and more. However, with the internet, it seems like it doesn't take much effort to accumulate an "impressive" collection. I mean if I'm willing to pay infinite amounts, I can get the entire Dischord collection, or whatever extremely scarce KBD record is hyped up right now. You can easily acquire these record if you have the means, it's not a matter of trading and hunting anymore. With so many record stores closing down, it will soon be a thing of the past to go to a shop, and browse through tons of used vinyl, hoping to find that great score. Another byproduct of the record collecting culture is that now when people get that rare find, they run straight to ebay and triple their profit. It's also nice to just find a cheap record, and even though you don't know what it sounds like, you give it a chance. If all music shopping is done online, you'd have to know exactly what you want, and it kills the fun of browsing.
Another trend in record collecting seems to be collecting everything by one specific band. It seems like record labels are aware of this, and use it to their advantage so that people will buy 3 different versions of one record when it comes out. I mean I'd rather see a record label get money for their release than some lucky jerk on eBay. I just think that it's not necessary to press 10 different versions of a record just for collector value. I mean honestly I'd like to have a colored version than a black pressing, but if I don't get one, I'm fine with the other. I listen to all my records, and it just seems pointless to me for people to buy a record they already have, and never listen to it. The records they take off the market could be going to someone who's never heard the band before. I'd rather spend $200 on many records than on one really rare one I'll never listen to.
