There are two distinct kinds of record collectors,the listeners as i call them and the collectors as with coin,stamps or any other medium of colectibillity.First off let me clarify that i am a listener and lover of music.I do not collect for value,and only keep records that i will listen to again and enjoy no matter what the price guide says.And in most cases not regarding condition.I am also a seller of exclusively vinyl as oposed to the compact disc,one of the most ill concieved inventions having to do with music that i can think of.But that would be a separate guide.Also the superiority of vinyl to disc has been sufficently covered time and again.

  First lets do a small breakdown of the differences between the two..

THE COLLECTOR: A buyer of vinyl records as an investment.The records in question are cataloged stored and do not again see the light of day,unless bragging to a friend or for resale and profit.In either case not to be listened to in fear of damage to the investment.

THE LISTENER: A lover of music and a fan of the groups in which they buy.With the intention of listening to time and again the music that they love causing wear to the beloved piece decreasing it's value.Also less peculiar about  initial condition knowing it will be used as entertainment and not an investment.

  As we roll on toward the second decade of the new millenium collectable vinyl is becoming harder to find due to the hoarding of albums.As a seller i am constantly faced with the challenge of finding good quality pieces for resale.And as a listener it is becoming harder to find some of the more elusive music that i listen to.Mainly 60's acid rock and 50's jazz.Both highly collectible genres(thank god for reissues).

   I understand the mentallity of the collector and sell to many time and again.But would much rather sell to a listener who will enjoy the album(s) and derive continued enjoyment from the product that i have sent them.This brings more gratification to me as a whole.The listener is also less particular about condition,although i have strict guidelines about the quality of vinyl i sell.They are not detered by a little surface noise or a few imperfections to a cover.I had recently recieved my first negative feedback out of more than 1500 positive from a guy who had purchased a rolling stones record which was clearly stated to be in vg condition.Either he had no comprehention of grading scales,or thought that very good meant very good.Which we all know does not.This experience has slightly soured me toward the unknoweledgeable collector who has not researched thier investment trade first.And i can imagine is equally frustrating for them as well.

   As vinyl becomes more collectible and more price guides and literature are printed atesting this i also find it harder at garage sales and estate sales to buy the more common pieces that people enjoy,as the people selling believe they are sitting on goldmines.Which 9 times out of 10 is not the case.Where once you could pick up zeppelin and floyd records for a quarter to a dollar sellers are now expecting big money for easy listening and classical records because of reading an article or talking to friends.This trend is spurred on by the collector and has ill effects on the listener or music lover.I do not dispute a love of music by the collector.Or else why not collect baseball cards or stamps,inanimate objects of display and not pleasure or entertainment.You also have the inbetweens who have two copies of a particular album one for listening and one for investment.

   Also the price guides them selves written by record collectors are way off balance.If any one out there can find me a place to sell a near mint Andy Williams album for thirty dollars please contact me i have several.I as most people concerning price guides have read the entire front portion and introductions and realize that the prices are suggested retail prices and not actual worth.Which is clearly stated in the opening pages of goldmine price guides.But alot of people just go straight to the near mint prices at the right side of the listing and asume that is what there records are worth without furtur study or investigation,thus making my job more complicated.As i stated i sell to both collectors and listeners and base my prices on condition and rarity and what i feel will be a fair price.The only thing i use the price guide for is to look up dates or to find out which pressing it is.

   Record collecting is not new and has been going on well before the invent of the compact disc and even cassette tapes.In the old days of collecting people went after rare pieces of recorded music which had never hit the main stream thus making it rare.As with pop music throughout the ages the good or misunderstood music was often overlooked in favor of a more commercial sound making the later more rare and so more collectible to the people who could distinguish between the two factions and were in search of a more mature music.These more obscure pieces were listened to and enjoyed repeatedly without thought of profit or gain in most cases. In the early part of the 1970's a few select individuals saw an opportunity to capitalize on the more rare of these albums and began hoarding the most sought after pieces placing them on the ground floor of a new venture and making it harder for the listener to obtain these pieces.Often using thier records more as a museum exhibit than a testimony to good overlooked music.In turn robbing the general masses of any chance of hearing these wonderful groups without paying dearly.

    Many of the more obscure artists have been placed in compilations or collections on cassette or compact disc.But as with most music afficianado's and audiophiles  I would much rather have the album which generates a more intimate sound and is closer to the feel of the actual music that had been recorded,crackles,pops and all.So in short a plea to all of you collectors and hoarders,let the little guy have some.Start weeding out your doubles and triples and spread some of that forgotten music around.On the up side for the investor this will generate a renewed intrest in the artists who had origionally made the music making it more sought after and increasing the value to the existing copies.And to the listener more accessible.Or so I would think.Either way everybody wins.

   In closing let me state that although this article may have seemed a bit one sided from my perspective.I would just like to get some of the more obscure gems spead around to renew interest and give people a chance to hear something they would not otherwise be exposed to.Because let's face it the new music is not that great.

   Thank you for your time and consideration,

                                                    Scott