Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two-part series on record collecting. Today’s part looks at what record collecting is and why people get into it. Thursday’s part will offer a guide to collecting in the Ames area.

Massive retail outlets and downloading – both legally and illegally – from the Internet have made acquiring music easier and easier over the years. Even so, some fans go to incredible lengths to track down and collect records, whether they’re old vinyl LPs or limited-edition CD singles.

Why go to all this trouble, when a few clicks could eliminate so much trouble?

“Downloading is sterile, and I think kids are starting to discover that,” said Tim Schloe, an independent record dealer from Minneapolis. “There’s something about having the physical product.”

Nate Niceswanger, owner of Zzz Records in Des Moines, agreed, saying he thought the two major attractions to collecting were fan devotion and the thrill of the hunt.

“One of the benefits to having a brick-and-mortar store is that people can come in and actually see the product,” Niceswanger said.

“They can hold it, they can look at it and make sure that it’s in good in condition, they can check the songs that are on it.”

Tim Franson, a dealer from Minneapolis, got into collecting vinyl because he enjoys the cover art on the 12″ record sleeves – he doesn’t actually listen to his records.

“Record collecting’s for you if you enjoy music and you enjoy learning about new bands,” said Greg Biggs, a record dealer from Clarksville, Tenn.

For the right kind of music fan, collecting offers an entire sub-hobby that can be as rewarding as the music itself.

However, Biggs – with more than 35 years of experience selling records across the country – sees this hobby dying soon.

He predicts today’s college students are the last new generation of collectors and that independent record stores and dealers will be gone within five years.

Biggs blames the decline of collecting mostly on a “generation gap,” both in fans and in the creators of music. With older fans mostly repurchasing older albums and filling in collections, and newer fans easily swayed by the convenience of CDs and downloads, many fans aren’t willing to put in the effort to collect seriously.

Furthermore, Biggs cites the fact that 20-year olds are still buying vinyl records from the ’60s and ’70s as evidence of changes in how music is made.

“’66 to ’72 was the most creative period in music history,” Biggs said. “Now, you have to know what will sell.”

So, for those who feel downloading an album is too easy, for those who have to have everything on vinyl, for those who care enough about a band to track down their rarities, and for those who can’t fully enjoy a record without having the physical object – the expense, time investment and effort of collecting are all worth it.

Media Blitz: What the different types offer

Vinyl

Vinyl records are easily the most heavily collected form of record. Many fans are attracted to it simply because of its mystique-the size and large cover art give an LP a physical presence other media just don’t have. Added to this is the hotly debated topic of sound quality-most fans will attest that although CDs and MP3s may be higher quality, vinyl records sound different. Whether they sound better is up to the fan to decide.

Schloe divides vinyl into two categories: records that are rare, unique or collectible, and records that are cheap and common.

Common records include most mainstream artists’ LPs from the ’60s and onward. Most artists that were popular in their time command prices from $4 to $12-frequently cheaper than purchasing the album new. The major determining factor in the overall price for a record (leaving out individual considerations such as condition and location) is simple supply and demand. Enormously popular records, including those by artists such as Elvis and The Beatles, usually sell fairly cheaply.

Niceswanger said this sometimes comes as a surprise to sellers who are trying to get high prices for such records, simply based on their age.

“They’re just not that rare,” he said. “Elvis sold over a hundred million records.”

Rare records include less popular artists, niche genres such as metal, electronica and punk, and all forms of limited pressings. These sorts of records are usually both lower in supply and more highly demanded, since they’re intended to attract devoted fans. Additionally, people tend to hold onto them once they have them, driving prices up further.

These rarer records are by no means only from older artists. Artists have always produced small-run and limited-edition records, sometimes adding unique touches that only work with vinyl. The White Stripes, considered the most collectible band in modern music by Record Collector magazine, pressed only 15 copies of the limited edition of their “Lafayette Blues” single, featuring hand-painted covers. Other vinyl-only touches include etchings on the records, colored vinyl, extras such as posters, large lyric sheets and sleeves with features such as folding panels.

CDs

Compact discs also see a lot of collecting, but acquiring them-even rare ones-is generally much easier than finding rare vinyl.

Part of this is simply because CDs haven’t been around as long. Although almost 25 years old, CDs have only been dominant for about 15 years. The trend of reissuing older records, usually remastered and with bonus tracks, makes reacquiring old records on CD easy.

CDs are rare for the same reasons as vinyl records. CD singles, which were a failed attempt to replace the 7″ vinyl single, EPs and nonalbum CDs like remix discs are comparatively hard to find. They are rarely reissued, and frequently provide the only way to acquire some of an artist’s work.

Unless they’re very rare, and the seller knows what he or she has, used CD prices generally don’t vary much from the $5 to $15 range, and are usually based on their original price.

Cassette tapes

Cassette tapes are far less heavily collected than either tapes or CDs. They’re difficult to work with, visually unappealing, and have basically been abandoned since the early ’90s.

This can actually be good news for the collector trying to find that rare album from a ’70s or ’80s artist, however.

Because the demand is generally so low for them, they are usually quite cheap. Even at record stores, used tapes usually sell for about $1 each, with very few exceptions based on artist. Further, because so few fans even look for tapes, collections are rarely very heavily picked-over, meaning the chances of finding a gem are rather high.

Unfortunately, the ease and low cost of acquisition are about all cassettes have going for them. Except for component tape decks, players are usually somewhat low-quality, and selecting individual songs is very difficult.

Formats

Vinyl

• LP (Long-Playing): The standard 12″ record and the typical format for a vinyl album. Holds about 50 minutes of audio. Usually recorded at 33 rpm. Almost universally packaged in a cardboard jacket with a paper liner.
• EP (Extended Play): A record that usually has between two to six songs on it. Usually recorded at the higher-quality 45 rpm, giving about 10 minutes per side.
• 7″ single: The dominant single format for a long time. Usually recorded at 45 rpm, holds only about 5 minutes per side-just enough for one song on each. Usually contained one popular track (the “A-side”) and one rare or non-album track (the “B-side.”) Also known as a “45.”
• 12″ single: Full-sized record used to record some longer singles and extended mixes. Sometimes it has two songs on a side, similar to a vinyl EP.
• Double and triple records: For much of music history, albums longer than about 50 minutes had to be pressed onto two records, giving rise to the term “double album” or “double LP.” This was usually noted in the description, and sales of the record counted double. Similarly, there are a few triple LPs and double EPs.
• Colored vinyl: Most record vinyl is black, but some records are issued in colored versions. The most common alternate color is red, but white, green, pink, yellow, clear and marbled vinyl records are all fairly common. Sometimes an album’s entire run is colored, other times only limited pressings are.
• Picture discs: Some records, almost always limited pressings, have no label in the center, instead having an image printed across the entire disc. These discs are frequently collectors’ items because of their visual attractiveness, and can command high prices.

CDs

• Standard CD: The vast majority of CDs, this is the 5″ plastic disc we’re all familiar with. Although these usually come in a plastic jewel case, a few have more unusual packaging, including cardboard Digipaks and cardboard and paper sleeves imitative of vinyl record packaging.
• 3″ CD: Very rare, these were sometimes used for short “bonus discs” included with other albums.
• CD Single: Intended to fill the same role as the 7″ vinyl single, it was unsuccessful. Generally still include just two tracks: a popular one and a B-side.
• Maxi-Single: A CD single with more than two tracks. Usually intended to promote a single song, the other tracks are usually alternate versions, remixes, other songs from the same album as the single, or B-sides. These are some of the most heavily sought-after CDs, as they are the most likely to contain tracks not found elsewhere in an artist’s catalog.
• EP: A short collection of songs, usually between 20 to 30 minutes in length. Sometimes hard to distinguish from a maxi-single. Usually priced similarly to an album.

Cassette Tapes

• Standard cassette: Two reels of magnetic tape contained in a plastic casing, cassettes can hold up to 120 minutes of audio. Packaging is almost always a plastic case with a cardboard insert; sometimes this folds out and contains lyrics or full liner notes. The cassette’s biggest advantage was portability, and listeners frequently copied their vinyl records to tapes for listening on the go.
• Cassette single: Also known as the “cassingle,” this was a short cassette, usually with one song on each side. Packaged simply in a cardboard sleeve, this format debuted in the late ’80s and was moderately popular until CDs replaced it in the early ’90s.