I've been collecting music since 2020, both physically and digitally. While my digital collection is very vast, I'm still quite proud of what I've managed to nab and own physically.
You can check out my collection more in-depth on my Discogs profile. I have every record, tape, and even some digital (Bandcamp) releases logged on there! The only thing I'm missing is a tape by IDHAZ, which to my memory is not on the site.
Digital files are more convenient to me personally, as my physical media tends to be quite old, and I can't listen to it on-the-go. In order to save my wallet, I usually hold off on buying physical media unless I can't find what I'm looking for online.
I have somewhat mediocre tools to help me rip audio, so I'll use those to digitize whatever music I have and post it for the world. I figure that poor quality is better than nothing at all, and do plan on getting better tools in the future once I have the space and money for proper equipment.
I am not the person to go to when it comes to finding good deals. If it's something I've wanted for a long time, I usually buy it as soon as I see someone selling it. That's how I spent $200 on a Taiwanese record... I still think it was worth it, though.
I can, however, suggest some sellers I like! They were very nice and I've not once had a problem with them.
bonojazz: Darius has a wide variety of music from all over the place, and he's my usual goto if I need a Lithuanian tape. Everything he's sent me is packaged with care, and I've never had a single issue with him.
Rickard22: Rickard has a lot of really interesting and rare music up his sleeve! I expect him to be honest about his records, because he digitizes them too. You may know him from his YouTube channel, Ultradiskopanorama. He has some stuff I want right now, but I can't afford it @_@
cannibalkiller: cannibalkiller has an interesting catalog, and if bonojazz doesn't have something I want, he usually does. One downside is that I believe he doesn't often give you a tracking number (though I'm sure you could ask and receive one for a fee). I've never had an issue with him, though.
FujiFilmTV1996: This person has offered me some sweet deals before, though reading her bio I'm not sure if she still offers them. Despite this, her catalog is really interesting, and if you're an American worried about shipping prices, she lives right here in the USA.
If you think I'm gonna go in-depth about every single release I have digitally (be it legally or super legally), you're nuts. I have about 55GB of music on my computer, which includes digitized versions of physical media I've bought in the past. According to MusicBee, these are my current library statistics:
Tracks: 7,818
Albums: 707
Length: 19d, 21h 25m
File size: 54.99GB
Do you see something I own and want a rip of it for your MP3 collection? Don't be afraid to contact me! I have rips available for almost all of my tapes, and plan to finish it off once I have time. I can also help you find music I've downloaded in the past and give you suggestions on what to listen to based on the stuff in my own collection. If I don't have a rip of a specific record, I can direct you to somewhere that does.
Once I had a debit card, I pretty much immediately decided to buy music. The first record I ever bought was Viacheslav Dobrynin's День за днём, which was a gift for my grandmother. You may have noticed that I translated the entire thing, including the cover. My philosophy for buying physical music is that unless it's never been digitized before, I probably won't buy it. There are some exceptions for this, such as when I'm buying gifts or am at a record store in person.
I tend to avoid collecting records, since I know I'm unable to digitize them properly. I've only ripped a handful of records that have no digital version online. This restriction means I'm more likely to buy records in person, and the stuff I get is a lot more restricted than what I usually listen to. A handful of records I've gotten were also either gifts or freebies.
The few foreign records here were bought online, save for Meet Me in Maoriland. I have yet to listen to most of these (assuming they aren't online), since I don't have equipment to properly clean any of these.
The Judith Durnham and Arbors records were signed copies. I don't know the people who had them signed, but that was part of the intrigue when I saw them at the shops. The previous owner of the Durnham record seems to be the girlfriend of the person who got it signed, and it was presented as a gift to her.
The Tom Lehrer record was only $1, and it's not really surprising as to why. When I found it in the bargain box, the cover was so broken that I was surprised it was even for sale.
These have almost exclusively been bought online, though a handful were freebies, and the American records were all bought in person. There is one shellac record in this bunch, and I was considering putting it in the EP section because of its size, but most records back then were closer to 10" than 7", anyway.
Not pictured is about 100 7-inchers I got as part of a deal. I paid basically just shipping for them, and most of them are in poor shape, but there were some really interesting ones in there. There's a Paul McCartney single in that box, and one side of it looks like someone took a knife to it.
This is my favourite part of the collection! All of the foreign tapes I've hunted for on the 'Net personally, and I cherish each and every one. The IDHAZ tape was given to me by my uncle, since I believe he knows the person behind it. You can find that on Bandcamp, if it interests you. I don't want to sound diminishing when I say it's just noise, since it's a really good album. It's nice to have on in the background and is pretty soothing.
Additionally, I have many samples of the Lithuanian tapes available on /lietuva.
