buy & sel l
Renaissance Vinyl It’s the era of the iGeneration, the Digital Age, but vinyl sales are higher than they’ve been since CDs officially stole the spotlight in 1986, projected at 4.7 Million last year. Here’s what you need to know about this growing market. Catch you on the flip side.
By Michael and James Fry
T
hey say that everything moves in cycles. What used to be someone’s garage sale leftovers can become to- morrow’s hottest collectible. While
when you find a perfect copy of a well liked album such as The Eagles “Their Greatest Hits” only to find out later that it is one of the highest selling albums of all time with little more than $5 in value. Or you might unearth a fairly rare Beatles “All You Need Is Love” three-song Iranian EP that a dog chewed on; the teeth marks dropping its value to $12 instead of the $120 it might have brought. It’s only in the convergence of condition, interest and sup- ply that things really start getting exciting. A good example of a rare LP from a high interest artist would be Johnny Cash’s original self-titled debut on Sun Records. In very good condition it can sell for more than $150. To get you started we have compiled a short list of artists that carry a broad and steady interest in the record collecting community: Velvet Underground, Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan (mostly his albums from the 1960s), David Bowie, early Elvis Presley, John Coltrane, The Beatles (as a group as well as their solo work), Jimi Hen- drix, Pink Floyd, and The Rolling Stones. Be- yond this elementary list, the best way to get acquainted with what is desirable and valuable in the world of records is to study selling
we won’t say that iPods and iPhones are taking a backseat to vinyl, we will go on the record that records are making a significant comeback. Over the last decade CD sales have steadily declined while record sales are more than 10 times what they were in the 1990s. The growing popularity of vinyl, along with the explosion of digital media,
a true audiophile about the basis of vinyl’s superiority, they will tell you it all comes down to one thing—sound. The tracks on a record have not been compressed like other audio formats and, if played on a quality turntable, you will hear musical nuances that you will never catch on a CD or MP3. The growing interest in all things vinyl cre- ates new opportunities for resellers. As with all reselling activities, a little knowledge goes a long way toward making you profitable. When looking to enter the world of record buying- and-selling, there are three main factors driving value: condition, interest and supply. All three are important when on the hunt for valuable records. You might think you’ve hit the jackpot
has resulted in many musicians skipping CDs altogether when releasing new albums. National stores such as Barnes & Noble and Urban Out- fitters are following the trend by stocking both new and re-released classics on vinyl. At first glance it would seem strange to see the comeback of records in this digital age, with the ability to carry an entire music col- lection in your pocket. We would venture that it is this intangibility of digital media that is at least partially responsible for the recent rise of LPs. People enjoy putting their hands on a re- cord and watching it spin. Not to mention the fact that album art just isn’t the same on your mobile screen. But these reasons, while good, don’t get to the heart of the matter: If you ask
Don’t know if you’re getting your money’s worth? Having trouble pricing or finding a good deal on an item? Tell us about it at erin@vintagekcmag.com.
VintageKC / Spring 2013 6
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