YYZumbi Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 Should I give up on collecting vinyl records and instead just listen to digital files?... I just got home 3 different vinyl records from 3 different online stores (one of them is from the Rhino store, all the way in USA, and the other 2 is from 2 different swedish online stores), and all three of them was damaged in different ways! The first one had light scratches on the records, and this was the second time I got it, it was a replacement... The second one was a bit warped. The third one, the one from Rhino was was worst... The album cover, all 4 corners was bent or smashed, it was light scratches on the first record (was a double record) and it was also warped!... The quality of vinyl records is just getting worse and worse, and still we pay more and more for them! I remember when I started collecting vinyl records 15 years ago, I did not had this bad luck then... So like I said.... should I just give up on collecting vinyl records? Maybe sell all my records and buy something nice? And then just listen to digital files.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RushFanForever Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 If Neil Young's Pono Music Portable Music Player hadn't been discontinued, you would've had high-resolution audio. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entre_Perpetuo Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 No don't give up! I'm so sorry you've been having really bad luck with damaged records and sleeves recently. It sounds to me like the thing to do is start looking for more consistently trustworthy store online, or to just keep to in person shopping if possible. Have you used Discogs? They have tons of different stores and some of them maintain five star customer ratings after hundreds and hundreds of sales. They know how to package and ship records to ensure the least possibility of damage. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J2112YYZ Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 I guess it depends on your financial situation. If you don't think vinyl is worth it anymore then digital is the way to go. My monthly subscription to Spotify gives me everything I could ever want to listen to whether it's music or podcasts. But that money doesn't really support the artists. So, I still end up buying CDs even though I don't listen to them too often anymore just so the musicians get some kind of support from me. You can still do both though. Vinyl for when you're just relaxing at home and digital for when you're out somewhere and get in the mood to hear something. There's certainty a way to balance between the two formats. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fordgalaxy Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 I found vinyl to be more trouble that it was worth. You have to have room for them, keep them clean, maintain your cartridge and turntable and so on. If most of your buying options are mail order, it's not worth the time, imo. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YYZumbi Posted August 19, 2021 Author Share Posted August 19, 2021 No don't give up! I'm so sorry you've been having really bad luck with damaged records and sleeves recently. It sounds to me like the thing to do is start looking for more consistently trustworthy store online, or to just keep to in person shopping if possible. Have you used Discogs? They have tons of different stores and some of them maintain five star customer ratings after hundreds and hundreds of sales. They know how to package and ship records to ensure the least possibility of damage. The thing is, I buy brand new records that is still sealed, so I do not think its problem with the stores. It is problem with the quality control in the plants... And yes, ofcourse I know what discogs is, I have bought records from there lots of times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YYZumbi Posted August 19, 2021 Author Share Posted August 19, 2021 I found vinyl to be more trouble that it was worth. You have to have room for them, keep them clean, maintain your cartridge and turntable and so on. If most of your buying options are mail order, it's not worth the time, imo. I enjoy all that, I think its part of collecting. And I still have lots of room for them. The thing that annoys me is when I buy brand new records still sealed, and when I open them, 9 out of 10 they are damaged! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YYZumbi Posted August 19, 2021 Author Share Posted August 19, 2021 I guess it depends on your financial situation. If you don't think vinyl is worth it anymore then digital is the way to go. My monthly subscription to Spotify gives me everything I could ever want to listen to whether it's music or podcasts. But that money doesn't really support the artists. So, I still end up buying CDs even though I don't listen to them too often anymore just so the musicians get some kind of support from me. You can still do both though. Vinyl for when you're just relaxing at home and digital for when you're out somewhere and get in the mood to hear something. There's certainty a way to balance between the two formats. It is not the money that is the problem here (even tho I don´t really have much money...), the problem is when buying records, they are these days damaged in some way most of the time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YYZumbi Posted August 19, 2021 Author Share Posted August 19, 2021 If Neil Young's Pono Music Portable Music Player hadn't been discontinued, you would've had high-resolution audio. ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entre_Perpetuo Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 No don't give up! I'm so sorry you've been having really bad luck with damaged records and sleeves recently. It sounds to me like the thing to do is start looking for more consistently trustworthy store online, or to just keep to in person shopping if possible. Have you used Discogs? They have tons of different stores and some of them maintain five star customer ratings after hundreds and hundreds of sales. They know how to package and ship records to ensure the least possibility of damage. The thing is, I buy brand new records that is still sealed, so I do not think its problem with the stores. It is problem with the quality control in the plants... And yes, ofcourse I know what discogs is, I have bought records from there lots of times. Depending on what the damage is I think it can happen to the record after its been sealed and while it's being shipped. Delivery people get lazy, don't see they need to treat something as fragile and just toss it around. Cracks happen. Or they leave things out in the sun for too long at a weird angle. Warping happens. They even bend the sleeve corners and possibly the record inside, all without ever taking off the shrink wrap. Not to say nothing comes out of the pressing plants that's bad quality, it certainly does, but at the rate of bad products you're getting I'm wondering if shipping might be the real culprit for a lot of it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J2112YYZ Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 I guess it depends on your financial situation. If you don't think vinyl is worth it anymore then digital is the way to go. My monthly subscription to Spotify gives me everything I could ever want to listen to whether it's music or podcasts. But that money doesn't really support the artists. So, I still end up buying CDs even though I don't listen to them too often anymore just so the musicians get some kind of support from me. You can still do both though. Vinyl for when you're just relaxing at home and digital for when you're out somewhere and get in the mood to hear something. There's certainty a way to balance between the two formats. It is not the money that is the problem here (even tho I don´t really have much money...), the problem is when buying records, they are these days damaged in some way most of the time! If this happens a lot then it does become a money issue because you are not getting what you paid for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entre_Perpetuo Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 If Neil Young's Pono Music Portable Music Player hadn't been discontinued, you would've had high-resolution audio. ??? It was a new kind of digital music player (like an iPod) and digital music store (like iTunes) that Neil Young designed and promoted probably around ten years ago now. The player was yellow and triangular, which wouldn't sit very well in your pocket. Aside from the difficulty of getting anyone to break away from iTunes at the time (and shortly before streaming took over), I honestly think the triangular design is what held a lot of people back. Not comfortable. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fordgalaxy Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 If Neil Young's Pono Music Portable Music Player hadn't been discontinued, you would've had high-resolution audio. ??? It was a new kind of digital music player (like an iPod) and digital music store (like iTunes) that Neil Young designed and promoted probably around ten years ago now. The player was yellow and triangular, which wouldn't sit very well in your pocket. Aside from the difficulty of getting anyone to break away from iTunes at the time (and shortly before streaming took over), I honestly think the triangular design is what held a lot of people back. Not comfortable. is that a Pono in your pocket or are happy to see me? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nova Carmina Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 The troubles you're having are just baked into the idea of vinyl -- it's too fragile. That's why it was such a good idea to move away from vinyl records in the first place -- delicate, easy to damage, not portable. Sure, they sound warm and full, and the pops, buzz, and imperfections may be part of the charm, but is it worth the rest of it? The sleeves are/were nice because the art was so visible, but do many artists bother with intricate covers much anymore? I dunno; I hate ever advising a person to give up on something, but I don't drink the vinyl Kool-Aid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invisible airwave Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 (edited) No I'm more picky that I usually am since getting into vinyl 5 1/2 years ago and only blind buy for bargain sidewalk sales at local shops. I tend to focus on albums I never tire of and, what everyone should consider when buying, production and mixing qualities. Lately, I've just been purchasing every time there's a RSD event. Last one I got was The Hurting by Tears For Fears. Edited August 19, 2021 by invisible airwave 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toymaker Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 Zumbi, do you have any good local record shops? Are you buying online only because that's the only option? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueschica Posted August 20, 2021 Share Posted August 20, 2021 (edited) Zumbi, You are the last person I thought would write this, it's a surprise! The condition issue sounds really frustrating though. It's really what works for you best. I am more of a vinyl person but that's because they sound better to me. I grew up in the vinyl Era and the albums I love sound best to me on vinyl, but that's just me. Digital is alright but not my favorite. I agree with EP, I love Discogs! I have been rebuying my favorites there since we lost all our vinyl in a flood years ago. Thought CDs were better at the time so we used the insurance money for them at the time. Live and learn. :lol: Edited August 20, 2021 by blueschica 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurabw Posted August 20, 2021 Share Posted August 20, 2021 (edited) Stick with it! I just bought a record player this summer and have been buying used vinyl and thus far have lucked out with quality. It's so fun. All the stuff my dad played when I was growing up and then sold at garage sales (d'oh), I think I've bought it all back, lol. Edited August 20, 2021 by Laurabw 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
78jazz Posted August 20, 2021 Share Posted August 20, 2021 The troubles you're having are just baked into the idea of vinyl -- it's too fragile. That's why it was such a good idea to move away from vinyl records in the first place -- delicate, easy to damage, not portable. Sure, they sound warm and full, and the pops, buzz, and imperfections may be part of the charm, but is it worth the rest of it? The sleeves are/were nice because the art was so visible, but do many artists bother with intricate covers much anymore? I dunno; I hate ever advising a person to give up on something, but I don't drink the vinyl Kool-Aid. Correct. I do have a little bit of vinyl, but I have also been culling it to see what needs to go. I do not like the results I am running into. Your post is part of the reason I never quite understood its resurgence. Then again, I still use and burn CDs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nova Carmina Posted August 20, 2021 Share Posted August 20, 2021 Then again, I still use and burn CDs. Ha! Same . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YYZumbi Posted August 20, 2021 Author Share Posted August 20, 2021 Zumbi, do you have any good local record shops? Are you buying online only because that's the only option? I have one good local record store. But its only open the hours I am working. So hard for me to go there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YYZumbi Posted August 20, 2021 Author Share Posted August 20, 2021 Zumbi, You are the last person I thought would write this, it's a surprise! The condition issue sounds really frustrating though. It's really what works for you best. I am more of a vinyl person but that's because they sound better to me. I grew up in the vinyl Era and the albums I love sound best to me on vinyl, but that's just me. Digital is alright but not my favorite. I agree with EP, I love Discogs! I have been rebuying my favorites there since we lost all our vinyl in a flood years ago. Thought CDs were better at the time so we used the insurance money for them at the time. Live and learn. :lol: I know...its a surprise to me as well. I will probably not stop collecting. I was in a bad mood yesterday evening when I started this thread. I was just pissed that all the records I had been waiting for for a long time was damaged in different ways. Like I said on my first post in this thread, I have been collecting for more than 15 years, so no, I wont stop collecting. I just wish it was better quality control on the new released records.. And I am not a fan of digital either. I prefer the sound of vinyl records much more! Also, I am sorry that you lost your records! That must have hurt! I don't know what I would do if all my records got destroyed/lost! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YYZumbi Posted August 20, 2021 Author Share Posted August 20, 2021 Stick with it! I just bought a record player this summer and have been buying used vinyl and thus far have lucked out with quality. It's so fun. All the stuff my dad played when I was growing up and then sold at garage sales (d'oh), I think I've bought it all back, lol. Well welcome to the world of vinyl record collection then! Let me know if you need any help! Just send a private message if you got questions! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurabw Posted August 21, 2021 Share Posted August 21, 2021 Stick with it! I just bought a record player this summer and have been buying used vinyl and thus far have lucked out with quality. It's so fun. All the stuff my dad played when I was growing up and then sold at garage sales (d'oh), I think I've bought it all back, lol. Well welcome to the world of vinyl record collection then! Let me know if you need any help! Just send a private message if you got questions! thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invisible airwave Posted August 21, 2021 Share Posted August 21, 2021 (edited) Then again, I still use and burn CDs. Ha! Same . . . I did that a lot when I got into :rush: at a library in Rancho Cucamonga that had a great selection. One of them was Signals. I burned a lot of Neil Young, Dylan, Prince and Rolling Stones before Spotify took over. Didn’t hurt it was near my college after I got back after a hiatus in my late 20s. Edited August 21, 2021 by invisible airwave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now