Start your own vinyl record collection in 3 easy steps

Collecting vinyl albums can be a fun and creative hobby for anyone trying to stay warm and indoors this winter. Vinyl albums go great with any décor, they can be a very rewarding investment and a record spinning while sipping a margarita on a cool afternoon—well that’s just plain awesome. Starting your own vinyl record collection is easy, fun and could even be rewarding.

DECK THE HALLS

If you have a lot of wall space, you can turn your guest room or office into a Hip-Hop hall-of-fame. If you’re living it up in a studio or one bedroom apartment, then chances are you don’t have room for that kind of mega-sized collections. Start small and devote a corner in your dining room or living room to your musical collection. Vinyl albums can also look pretty dope when you sit them in a magazine rack or stack them on a bookshelf. Be careful putting your rare albums (or any of them for that matter) in the bathroom or kitchen. Moisture causes a lot of damage to the sleeves and you don’t want that!

THINK LIKE AN INVESTOR

While you’re building up your collection, be on the prowl for deals and potentially lucrative investments. You can find a lot mint and used vinyl albums on Amazon and MusicDirect.com. Some vinyl records value at little to nothing and others can be pretty expensive. Brand new pressings of Classic Hip-Hop albums like OutKast’s Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik sold for more than $500 after  the duo reunited for SXSW and a host of other music festivals a few years back. As similar projects reach their 20th anniversaries, the demand and price for vinyl albums like these will likely continue to rise.

Also, do some research and see if you have a record store in your local area. While these are few and far between, it’s a great way to find rare vinyl, meet other collectors and even sell back records you no longer want.

JUST CHILL

While selling vinyl records can be rewarding, it’s always a good idea to simply buy things you’ll like. There’s no real reason for a Hip-Hop head to buy $6,000 worth of rare vinyl from famous country singers. Regardless of the resale value, you want to start a record collection that is just as valuable to you as it would be to a potential buyer.

With that being said, don’t go just out and purchase records for sale. Pick up something that is going to give you that calm feeling when you’ve just spent two hours in traffic in 18-degree weather.

Whether it’s Boney James and a glass of Chardonnay or Hennessey and The Low End Theory

You’ll find comfort, style and maybe even wealth in starting your own vinyl collection—aside from the fact that it just makes you cool. So what kind of vinyl albums are you thinking about collecting? Or, if you’ve already started, share some of your collection and discovery tips with us.

ALREADY A COLLECTOR? What are some of your greatest discoveries while digging in the crates? Any suggestions you can give to someone new to vinyl collecting?