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Vinyl Starter Kit: The 10 Commandments of record collecting

So you’ve hunted down your tunes and used a little bit of creativity to Frankenstein an audio system, now, without further ado, I bestow upon thee 10 Commandments for record collecting!

 

1. Honour thy record brush, use it regularly

Your record brush should (and will be) your best friend. After spending a ton of money on the tunes and the player the least you can do is drop the 20-some-odd bones to get the proper maintenance tool.

 

2. While thy wax is spinning, the dust cover shall remain closed

Protecting your investment is the running theme here! Keeping the dust cover closed while your turntable is functioning protects the vulnerable wax and avoids the awful sound of that big, boxy piece of plastic crashing down.

 

3. While thy friends are drinking, thou shalt not let them touch thy’s stereo gear

If your head is spinning, records shouldn’t be. Spilt drinks, clumsy and aggressive behavior—these are all the ingredients you need for a disaster salad.

 

4. Remember your local record store, keep it holy

They may be grumpy but they sure are loveable! Supporting local businesses means supporting local families—’nuff said.

 

5. Thou shalt always covet thy friend’s collections

What’s the fun in collecting without a little competition? Besides, listening to the same records over and over can get monotonous. Swap some with your friends for a fresh sound.

 

6. Thou shalt not bear false witness of pressing information

Don’t lie. Why would you do that? You’re not going to impress anyone, and in the end you’ll probably get found out.

 

7. Thou shalt never throw away thy father’s equipment

Come ’onnnn! Hold onto the old gear. You never known when it might be worth something to you or someone else. Take it to that local record shop I won’t shut up about and they might be able to have it working like new!

 

8. Thou shalt return the record to its sleeve and proper position on the shelf when done

Common courtesy. Put your pal’s records back the way you found them, whether that’s sleeve openings facing one way alphabetically, or facing a different way, arranged in the order they were bought in.

 

9. Thou shalt drop the needle with care

The awful, terrible, unholy sound of the needle not finding the groove is punishment enough, and that’s not even taking into account the daggers from the eyes of everyone in earshot.

 

10. Every day is Record Store Day

You don’t need an organization and a dedicated day of the year to enjoy the nuances of analog music or support your community’s shops and bands—any day will do! Record collecting is putting the community and the physical joy back into buying and owning music, and it’s a channel that you can tune into 365 days a year.

 

Go forth and spread the good word!

 

Read more about picking a turntable or starting a record collection.