The new generation of vinyl collecting

Record collecting is a part of being a DJ right? At least it was… maybe it still is. Sort of.

There’s now a new generation of DJs out there who have only ever known mp3’s or CDs. They have never been digging in the dusty back room of a record shop, hunting for rare shaped picture disks, that japanese import that only had 200 pressings, finding a copy with the poster still inside, every release on a long forgotten label or just buying a random record because it had a funny name or striking cover. They will also never know the pain of moving house when you own a ton of vinyl or the cost of transporting a flight case of records on an aeroplane.

The biggest selling 12″ vinyl record in the last 14 years is the control vinyl for Serato Scratch Live. A record that plays a control signal, a tone, a “beeeeeep”! Not only is this testament to how many Scratch Live users there are around the world but also that those users have started to collect the increasingly varying colours and designs that are being pressed.

In response to this Serato have pressed loads of colours, picture disks, 7 inches, 10 inches, etc… Some are widely available, some are hard to find, some are promotional items given to sponsored Serato Artists and some are test pressings or factory pressing mistakes. In the last year i’ve seen crazy bidding wars on Ebay for colours such as the promotional white pairs. Over $400 for a pair!?! Sorry, but that just doesn’t compute with me…. that is like a months rent on my flat… on a pair of records… with a “beeeeep” on it.

I have been collecting proper records for about 20 years and have a few treasured ones including my prized copy of the Animal House soundtrack signed by the main cast including my hero, the late, John Belushi. To me that is priceless but in auction terms my most valuable records are some of the coloured vinyl i have been kindly given as gifts by Rane and Serato. The most valuable of which are my 4 pairs of whites, 7 inches, various picture disks and a very limited pair of marble ones i was given at the BPM exhibition this weekend with this post-it note attached

There are a growing number of people who have taken collecting control vinyls to dizzying heights of obsession and cost. You can read more about their collections on the Serato forum thread on the subject.

Im going to focus my efforts on continuing to collect soundtracks and spoken word vinyl i think… All the while hanging onto these control vinyls incase i ever get the urge to match my vinyl with my outfit.

Cheeba