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6,100 plus or minus two and still growing, yet at a slower pace.
Maybe it doesn't really matter how much music you have if you've got those three great albums that do it for you every time, but some folks just can't stop collecting. How about you?
Although I do collect CD's I must say it has never been a 'special' event for me like the old days of perusing the vinyl bins at the local record shop. It's almost like comparing the purchase of a hard cover edition to a paperback book. The words maybe the same, but the presentation is lacking.
Although it become more difficult to locate vinyl I still prefer the sound to cd's. I do have about the same number of records as I do cd's and I do find myself playing cd's more frequently but its for background music. When I do my serious listening I always put on a record.
The problem with owning so many discs is that you either forget that you already have a copy, or you don't get to listen to them all as often as is needed to justify the purchase. I now find myself reading reviews on recordings as my best guide to buying. Auditioning is out---there are people who make a living from listening to recordings and offering a sometimes balanced opinion.
My 1500 LPs and CDs represent only one new acquisition a week during my 30 years of collection. It's not the music you have, but the music you do not yet have that preys on your mind. I carry a want list in my wallet; it is both sides of a sheet of paper in dual columns in tiny print. Everyone ought to have one.
I've always thought the requirement that Stereophile's writers have a recording collection worth more than their equipment was misguided. Why is that an indication of credibility? I'm a music lover and an audiophile, and my system is worth more than my 300-CD collection. But so what? I have very particular, peculiar tastes. It's hard to find the music I love, but it brings me a great deal of pleasure, even upon many repeated listenings. I wonder how those with 1000+ recordings ever get the time to revisit---and truly enjoy---most of their collection.
I didn't realize I was a collector until I saw I had a collection. That was some years ago before the fullness of collecting was upon me. I now have nearly 3000 LP's, over 400 '78's, only dozens of 45's and nearly 600 CD's. Not a huge collection, I know, but large enough to amaze the great unwashed.
I'm hoping to eventually reach a dynamic equilibrium in which, for every new recording I buy, one goes to the used-record store. But this desire is in conflict with my desire to not hear most recordings, even my favorites, very frequently. There are a few recordings I keep around that I don't seem to listen to more than once in a couple of years! Others get played at least once a month. It would be really interesting to see what the results for the recording industry would be if we had a system of "audio on demand," where you could download a recording from the Internet for one-time use for a small fee. I probably wouldn't even own recordings then; I would just end up listening to a much greater variety of artists.