tidying up your collection?

[impulse manslaughter]

I'm of the view that the line between "collector" and hoarder is thinner than most might feel comfortable with.

I know hoarders and I know collectors. The most important difference is that a collector has a sense of 'curatorship'. The best record collections are usually not the largest.

[FallOfNature]

I keep only what I deem essential or what's in my current rotation. Most of my listening is done via headphones (spotify and bandcamp) or youtube anyway when working at home. It's mostly just the weekend I pull out the records and cds.

I used to have a bad completionist complex where I simply needed to have everything of artists I liked. Couldn't stand the clutter after time, or when it came to move. No use having 20 releases of an artist if I only listen to 4 of them.

[Human Larvae]

Many years ago I completely gave up the idea of collecting anything for the sake of completion. Too many genres I liked, too many labels releasing too many releases. So I decided just to pick what caught my attention, or what friends may have released. Due to lack of space, every few years I select what I know I will not listen to anymore and get rid of it. That used to be discogs (for 5€ if it was generic cd), and if that didn't work, trash can. Now that Discogs has shit the bed, not many options left...

[V.T.R]

My solution for trimmed collection has always been that I don't buy new shelves for records, because of the limited space and possibility that we need move to a new apartment/house anyways in the future. If shelves are too full, something must go before I buy anything new. Luckily I live in a city which have few recordshops and 2nd hand places that buys and trades records. I also donate lots of stuff to friends if I am sure it is something they really enjoy.

I have given up with completism and sold huge amounts of vinyl from my collection during the years and there is only ONE record I kind of regret selling even though I have that music on cd also... Best example could be band like Boris; I had almost everything they have done including "collectibles", different pressings, same album in cd and vinyl format. After a while I realised that I don't actually ever even listen to this band anymore. Now I have only one Boris album in my cd shelve hehe. No need to own any "classic album" for the sake of owning it.

Sometimes I have tried to reason do I really need even this amount of stuff (I don't have huge collection afterall) and the answer is: yes I do haha. I spend most of my time in home listening music or reading books and I still don't fully "trust" in all this streaming shit what is going on. It is lame when you absord yourself with piece of art and then the streaming service bugs and crashes or there are some problem with the internet connection etc.

I know hoarders and I know collectors. The most important difference is that a collector has a sense of 'curatorship'. The best record collections are usually not the largest.

Second that.

[JLIAT]

Collector or hoarder, well with me its been a case of not realizing until we have to move. One very difficult recent move began a year ago. (Moving house in a lockdown!!!!). First I had all the review copies from Vital. Decided to send these back to Frans, My Hermes fairly cheap. Then others to charity shop as well as books. We have lived for 9 months with most of our things in store, and really it seems not that much of a pain. Still unpacking boxes. And two boxes of old Vinyl – which again we never play. Might try to sell the Two Virgins and Life with the Lions. The rest isn't worth the bother?

My cousin died a few years back who was a hoarder, strange sorting through his stuff, (I was an executor of his will) postcards and letters from his youth, even books of stamps in 'old money', before decimalization. No end of batteries ?... A room of paperbacks...  holiday photographs... very poignant... 

[urall]

My solution for trimmed collection has always been that I don't buy new shelves for records, because of the limited space

this is my approach as well the last years.

I consciously stopped having FOMO and ordering impulsively, and the high vinyl prices also makes it easier to skip stuff.
My time is also limited these days to actually listen to physical stuff, and i still have a big 'unlistenend' pile so lately i really think about what i want to buy.`
i sold some black metal or older records lately which were obviously worth a bit of money and i didn't listen to them anymore. But i don't feel i want to go through much hassle to sell records which are not worth too much.

I'm thinking of selling most part of my 7" collection as they are in storage anyway and i stopped buying 7" for the most part with some exceptions.

There's a couple of people i know who literally sold out of their garage or attic and it was a succes.

[bogskaggmannen]

My time is also limited these days to actually listen to physical stuff

Everything too dusty i resell or trade after a while.

And two boxes of old Vinyl – which again we never play.

These days I don't even have time to listen to vinyl anymore

Now I realized that I don´t have that much time to listen to all the stuff I don´t know

Reading through all answers makes me feel a bit disillusioned. Many are writing about buying less, no time to listen, listening only to digital files, selling collections. I tend to think that it's due to aging listeners -> family life sucking the drains out. But on the other hand young people don't buy much physical either now? Not good having a vinyl mailorder these days, hah...

[Bloated Slutbag]

The most interesting thing for me in this thread is the degree to which the past tense dominates. Like every single poster is "moving on". Which is simply not how I feel (or have ever felt).

I will say. I tend to get very excited about particular artists. And then just try to get everything I can from said artists. Because I'd like nothing more than-

to listen to them, whenever I have the feel that I want to

[dot dot dot]

When I think about it, yes, I've got shitloads of shit. But so what. I just infinitely enjoy getting to know this or that artist over (usually) a course of several years. For better or for worse. I'm not in any hurry.

[Zeno Marx]

I tend to look at that as the differences between a hoarder, collector, and archivist.  Some would take issue with the label of the latter, but eh, that's not my problem.  Some would also see this as nothing more than semantics, but eh...  I've been all three.  To have access and to store, as in a library.  I haven't been able to quite shake that one yet, but that perspective has also functioned, in very small part, to keep interest.  Be it physical or digital, I've never noticed lessening interest.  But JLIAT's post reminded me of a 2-month backpacking trip when I didn't think about music even one time, and all my stuff that wasn't within eyesight evaporated from my memory until I was home and feeling its albatrossian weight again.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

The most interesting thing for me in this thread is the degree to which the past tense dominates. Like every single poster is "moving on". Which is simply not how I feel (or have ever felt).

I will say. I tend to get very excited about particular artists. And then just try to get everything I can from said artists. Because I'd like nothing more than-

to listen to them, whenever I have the feel that I want to

[dot dot dot]

When I think about it, yes, I've got shitloads of shit. But so what. I just infinitely enjoy getting to know this or that artist over (usually) a course of several years. For better or for worse. I'm not in any hurry.

I do listen probably as much as it is possible to listen. Morning might be checking masters, deciding releases etc. All day at work goes with cd/tape/LP's. Yet despite that, I tend to listen 1-3 albums still at the evening.
For big part, I am GLAD I did not get rid of stuff I thought were not very good, lets say back in 2000, 2010, 2015 even! Returning to some of the stuff clearly displays how they aged very well and are now better than ever.

It is due running label/shop/mailorder, that there is neverending stream of incoming stuff, but besides that, I do even buy things what I don't otherwise get. Only thing what is unavoidable obstacle, is that whatever is the size of shelves, rooms, house, storage... it eventually is filled. Nevertheless, I find myself often thinking where the hell are all my Crawl Unit stuff? Why I only have handful of Hands To? How come I ever thought one would not need all the 90's Merzbow CD albums?! I feel absolutely zero desire to get rid of stuff, for any other reason than fill the 5mm void it makes, with new - hopefully even better item.

I do see a lot of people "growing up" so to say. What growing up to me means, was mostly kicking TV out of living room. That seems kids stuff. I prefer listening noise records, like grownups. Not hiding in sad mancave, or feeling bad about cluttering house with obscenities, hah...

[impulse manslaughter]

family life sucking the drains out.

Not hiding in sad mancave, or feeling bad about cluttering house with obscenities, hah...

I live together with my girlfriend and my 2 sons. All my vinyl is in the living room on 6 meters of shelves. Cd's, tapes, books, fanzines and records with special packaging are in another room upstairs. I always have about 20 cd's laying around downstairs to listen to. When I'm at home there's usually a record or cd playing. We listen a lot to punk, metal, industrial, new wave, ambient, etc. My youngest son likes harsh noise as well but I play the extreme stuff mostly in my car or late at night when everybody is upstairs sleeping. My girlfriend doesn't mind the obscene stuff but when we have visitors she makes sure the porn and swastikas (just a few extreme sleeves in my collection) are out of sight. My oldest son started buying vinyl a few years ago when he was 11. He now has a a record player and a small collection of punk/hardcore records in his room. Mostly listens to Spotify on his phone though. I've been collecting music for 30 years and never slowed down. I check Discogs, eBay and sites of my favorite distributers almost every day. Absolutely not interested in downloading or streaming digital content. It does not satisfy me at all.

[PTM Jim]

At this point I basically have a cluttered library. The only reason I'd want to get rid of stuff is have that "All killer, no filler" kind of collection; because, let's face it, there is A LOT of filler.
I also don't see anything wrong with listening to something one time and shelving it. I think of it like going to a show. You enjoy it while you are there and it's over. Of course there are still plenty of items that get replays, just a lot that don't.
That and I'll never switch to a digital collection.

[Bloated Slutbag]

But on the other hand young people don't buy much physical either now?

We're at a point where persons who bother with physical media are mostly looked upon with bemusement, much like the regard no less bemusedly bestowed upon "special" persons with special interests. Chalk one more to the ever-lengthening list!

Though I could be bothered to take back the latter part of the principal, above, considering for instance the mainstreaming of "ambient qualities". Apparently, there's no accounting for taste, including and perhaps especially taste that is broadly shared.

[Andrew McIntosh]

We're at a point where persons who bother with physical media are mostly looked upon with bemusement, much like the regard no less bemusedly bestowed upon "special" persons with special interests. Chalk one more to the ever-lengthening list!

Lots of people who listen to music go for physical media. The mainstream music industry still has its annual "record store days". Loads of bands, from The Beatles to GWAR are still putting out box sets of stuff. People in different genres from hip-hop to experimental still love to produce tapes and vinyl at least. CDs are perhaps being looked down, I suppose because they're not analog/nostalgic/"authentic" enough, but they're still being manufactured and consumed.

Noise/etc is just a part of this marketplace. Nothing's "special" any more.

[Bloated Slutbag]

We're at a point where persons who bother with physical media are mostly looked upon with bemusement, much like the regard no less bemusedly bestowed upon "special" persons with special interests.

Lots of people who listen to music go for physical media

I'll concede I edited my original post from "I can see a point where...", but hyperbole aside I'm actually seeing that to a large extent from persons at a generational remove. Not special but on a precious curve. Shit can sneak up on people real quick.