- Establish your must have bands
- Is it limited/unique? It matters, because that helps you not buy every Amazon deal that comes up.
- Would I be excited for it to arrive or respond with "eh, another record. I'll get to it." If not, let it go.
Needles & Grooves
Melt Face Molly Drop
EmeryRK
If I can picture myself in various scenarios listening to an album on my table(cooking, relaxing, drinking, ironing,etc) then I want it on vinyl. I’ve toned down my purchases these past two months. Going from a range of $150-$175 a month from deals, local shops and online sales.
Melt Face Molly Drop
- I try to avoid Newbury, Sound of Vinyl, SRC, VMP because that creates unnecessary FOMO purchases and these outlets tend to sensationalize and fetishize the hobby. When I do buy from them, see 1-3.
EmeryRK
Right now, I range between $75 and $90. That came from realizing I just wanted my “want list” items and new music I couldn’t help but picture myself enjoying on my table. Not genre specific or artist. Just what I would love to hear aside from streaming. If I want it bad enough, I’ll save.
Melt Face Molly Drop
- Is what I'm buying going to expand my musical knowledge/experience? Buying every Blink-182 album on colored vinyl is cool, but it's not going to enhance the hobby IMO (spoiler: I do have every Blink album on colored vinyl because my first 2 years of collecting were reckless and I didn't have any set of rules in place, thus now I am backpeddaling).
Melt Face Molly Drop
- I believe someone already posted this as a status, but you don't need to continually buy records to be part of the hobby. Enjoy the ones you have, immerse yourself in boards, learn more about audio hardware, etc.
Rip_City
Thank you both @Melt Face Molly Drop and @EmeryRK 
As for the first 3 points @Melt Face Molly Drop's numbered list:
As for the first 3 points @Melt Face Molly Drop's numbered list:
- Julia Holter and Boards of Canada for now. Weird combo, I know.
- I was enamored at the idea of limited edition records when starting, but it doesn't make or break for me now.
- Great point. I'll keep this in mind moving forward.
Melt Face Molly Drop
That #3 is a hard pill to swallow sometimes as well. You think you're into a record, but then you realize that you have records months old that you haven't even opened. Maybe you bought it due to nostalgia, FOMO, because it's new and Pitchfork gave it an 8.7. Record fatigue is real, but when it comes to something you really want, you should be like a kid on Christmas.
Murfocakes
Do I like the music?
Will I play it?
Will I play it?
Rip_City
@Melt Face Molly Drop Absolutely. I'm also intending on getting all of Fantano's 10/10's (to be fair, he has exposed me to great music), so I guess that's the tie to the Pitchfork point that you made, as tenuous as it may be.
@EmeryRK True. That's the endgame. A curated collection of 250-300 is my ultimate goal. One where if I were to roll dice in Discogs, I wouldn't pass over it.
@EmeryRK True. That's the endgame. A curated collection of 250-300 is my ultimate goal. One where if I were to roll dice in Discogs, I wouldn't pass over it.
AnthonyI
I've gone to one simple rule that's seemed to help with priority across the board..........Quality over Quantity