Page 9 - The Edge: Issue 7

“I enjoy listening to records because it makes listening to music more of an experience”
- Cody Taylor, 12
fortunes on these rare records. Although most vinyl sales predominantly come from brick and mortar stores, the bidding battles of record collectors for valuable records often occur on the online marketplace. Collectors can determine the value of these records using a grading system that takes into account the condition of the sleeve and the record.
“I like to keep some of my albums sealed because it makes them worth more. A scratch on the record or any damage on the cover will make it lose its value,” Glover said.
Certain aspects of specific records can drastically increase the value, including having the original inner sleeves or having the full size posters that came with early issues of classic albums. Albums in their original shrink wrap with the old price tag will go for hundreds more than opened copies, as collectors seek out to find the limited number of original sealed albums that still exist today. These collectables are what attract many to search for gems and rarities.
In recent years, certain albums have been sold on sites like eBay and Discogs for unbelievable amounts, such as an early copy of the The Beatles’ Yesterday and Today album with the uncensored butcher cover, which went for an incredible $125,000. Other notable gems include the 1st acetate press of the Velvet Underground’s first album and an original banned copy of the Sex Pistols single, “God Save The Queen,” which both sold for around $20,000 in the last decade.
Today, it seems that the vinyl record hobby is continuing to grow each year as more young people engage in record collecting. Many are introduced by inheriting their parents’ or grandparents’ collection, but others are slowly discovering it online; collecting is something that is being shared by millions on social media. While some may think that listening to vinyl records in today’s digital world is technological regression, many see it as a step forward in music listening as fans turn back in time to experience music as it was originally intended.
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Timeline of Music Formats
1900’s - An early phonograph circa 1900 featured as the trademark logo for record label RCA Victor
1940’s - The ten-inch shellac record was one of the earliest formats of recorded music that was introduced in the late 40s
1950’s - Singles were an inexpensive and conveniment method of music playback that became popular world wide in the early 50s
1960’s - The LP format rose to popularity in the early 60s as full lenght albums were being produced by artists
1980’s - CDs were a large portion of music sales in the 80s and 90s due to its easy playback and long lasting durability
2000’s - Popular streaming services such as spotify are the dominant music format in today’s digital world