Analog Online: How to Start Your Vinyl Record Collection

It’s fun to go crate digging for a rare vinyl record at a local music store, but not everyone has access to that kind of experience. Now, most people buy records online.

And make no mistake, people are buying vinyl records. For the first time since 1987, vinyl albums outsold CDs by units in the US in 2022: 41 million versus 33 million CDs, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. Taylor Swift’s Midnights led the way.

Looking to bulk up your record collection? We polled a few vinyl experts on how they buy records, what to look for, and some accessories that might may help if you're just getting started.

Where to Buy Vinyl Records Online

Where should you buy? “Vinyl best facilitates the most immersive listening experience and provides multi-sensory engagement, so it just makes sense that it pairs best with the music that you already love,” freelance music journalist Will Hodge tells me.

“You don’t have to own pristine copies of Sgt. Pepper’s or Ready to Die to have a ‘proper’ vinyl collection if you’re not a fan of The Beatles or Biggie," he adds.

Cameron Schaefer, CEO of Vinyl Me, Please agrees. “Make a list of some of your favorite albums of all time and buy at least 5-10 of them on vinyl. You'll likely find that vinyl has a way of bringing out details, even on albums you know well, that you may not have noticed before, whether sonically, or while perusing the album art, credits, or liner notes.”

There are plenty of traditional online retailers that sell vinyl records for different buyers. If you want to stick with what you find familiar, stores like Amazon, Best Buy, and Barnes & Noble have a wide selection of the latest albums and re-released classics.

For older or harder to find records, Discogs is the place to go. It has an open marketplace where people can sell their new or used records. You can also use it as a database to track your collection and discover new albums you might want.

For people who want to use vinyl records as a means of music discovery, online subscription services like Vinyl, Me Please and VNYL do a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of curation.

Nick Alt, founder of VNYL, uses the physical media as a way to escape the digital overload. “I'm a big fan of using vinyl as a way to discover new artists based on my tastes (hence, VNYL). In the age of Spotify, I hear so many things that are on a discovery or daily mix playlist, but I can't remember. By choosing to support the artist and own the vinyl, I get excited about listening to an album and an artist's vision for a collection of songs more than once."

As for vinyl discovery, "TikTok has quite the vinyl scene of people talking about/buying their records," Alt says. "There's also a new(er) platform called Whatnot that does live auctions. That's a fun experience that's a modern QVC for indie record stores and fresh vinyl collectors.”

What to Look Out for When Shopping

A fun element of vinyl records is that they can be made to be visually interesting with different colors. A lot of artists have taken to making several different variants for fans to collect. But should you buy a black record or one with different colors?

“Contrary to popular belief, color vinyl has existed for several decades, although it has become more popular in recent years as labels and artists look for ways to differentiate each pressing, often utilizing vinyl color as the basis for a limited-edition offering,” says Schaefer. 

“You often hear that color vinyl sounds bad, which is a misleading oversimplification,” Schaefer says. “I've listened to color vinyl that sounds as good or better than black vinyl as it was produced at a high-quality plant under the supervision of someone with experience. I rarely buy vinyl because of the color, unless it's an artist for whom I'm committed to owning their entire discography. On the other hand, I don't let color vinyl deter me from purchasing an album I love.”

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Beyond colors, there are plenty of other details that might be confusing, too. “The logistical elements that can feel overwhelming at first—'should I pay more for the 180g version? What’s special about an audiophile pressing? Does virgin vinyl matter? Is it gatefold or single-sleeve? What’s a tip-on jacket? Do any of the variant types affect playback?'" asks Hodge.

"Those are most often signs of a passionate and knowledgeable label that you can trust for a high-quality product,” he concludes. “So my advice is to actually seek out the labels that are doing the extra work and providing those extra details because more often than not, they are delivering an elevated experience in the finished product."

But there is something you should avoid. "Stay as far away from picture discs as you can! They almost exclusively sound like trash and most likely will ruin your needle," Hodge says.

Vinyl Accessories You Need

After you have a turntable and at least a few records, there are probably a few accessories you should consider as well. “To get that record bin flip experience at home, this record stand from Atocha is pricey, but super great. There are also a lot of Etsy sellers making some fun wall mount options that show off the album art in a cool vinyl wall,” suggests Alt.

“A simple anti-static brush is the first accessory I would buy after getting a proper turntable setup,” said Schaefer. “In terms of displaying records, at a minimum finding a record stand (there are tons out there) that allows you to easily display the record currently being played is another easy win, especially for times when you're playing records with friends or at a party and someone inevitably asks, ‘who is this?’”

According to Hodge, “Proper handling/storage is an incredibly important (and sometimes overlooked) element of collecting vinyl, so I can’t recommend the incredible Flipbin enough."