HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

People have collected things for ever and I guess they always will. And I understand the allure of an item being rare, that is never going to fade but as a music lover my focus is on the music. RSD promo's with the variations of coloured vinyl, special this, limited that are not for me, they for collectors and yesterday I stumbled over an album by Aaliyah called I care 4 U. It was released in 2003 after her death at the age of 22 in a light aircraft crash. The album to my ears is a decent modern cross over album influenced by R&B & hip hop etc.
My preference is vinyl so off I went to discogs and woah ~ there's only 5 listed worldwide and from memory they range from circa £500 to £900. eBay has a few with the same price profile however the CDs of the same album start at £3.50 including free postage.
At this point I am left completely baffled as to why even the most dedicated collector would pay the difference. It's impossible not conclude record collectors focus is not the music but something I don't comprehend. I wouldn't knock anyone for collecting "stuff" each to their own. Here's a taste of what your £3.50 or >£500 gets you.

To some people £900 isn't a lot of money.

You could get 5 fuses for that...

For some the need to 'possess' a thing can outweigh common sense, regardless of what the thing actually is, or it's real value. Though in this case I guess the real value is what some people are prepared to pay for it. I would suspect that here we are in the territory of the super diehard fan who wants to have every piece of this artists output, uber completists maybe?

Yesterday Matthew I was a Factory completist,
But tonight Matthew I'm gonna be with Jesus,
You come on like a dream, Julian Bream, lips like David Vine,
When a sneeze doesn't come,
I look up to the sun, and I praise him for making it shine,
Yesterday Matthew I was a Factory completist,
But tonight Matthew I'm gonna be with Jesus, be with Jesus...

https://halfmanhalfbiscuit.uk/voyage-to ... ith-jesus/

savvypaul wrote: ↑Tue Jul 27, 2021 11:07 am You could get 5 fuses for that...

Or four years subscription to a high res streaming platform.

To me, when I was a record collector, and more especially when was buying guitars - 33 at the last count - a major part of the attraction was finding them at as far below the "going" price as I could.

slinger wrote: ↑Tue Jul 27, 2021 12:09 pm To me, a major part of the attraction was finding them at as far below the "going" price as I could.

Now that I do get, if you build up your knowledge year on year and have an opportunity to benefit from it then why not ? On a lighter note, I think the album is a good buy at £3.50

PS it's impossible not to like HMHB lyrics.

I seem to remember about a record collector who needed more space so he sold his hi-fi system.

slinger wrote: ↑Tue Jul 27, 2021 12:09 pm To me, when I was a record collector, and more especially when was buying guitars - 33 at the last count - a major part of the attraction was finding them at as far below the "going" price as I could.

I can identify with that (fortunately or otherwise!).