Not a Record Collector
Jim Hunton | Published on 11/1/2026
I’m not a record collector. At least that’s what I tell myself every time I visit an audiophile with 5,000 carefully cataloged LPs and discover that my idea of ‘organization’ is knowing which room the records are in. I’m always amazed and inspired when I visit an audiophile with an extensive record collection. The amazement and inspiration usually last a few days. I login to my abandoned Discogs account, start to inventory my records and usually run out of steam in a few days. The dedication, patience and consistency that it takes to build a record collection are qualities that run counter to my very short attention span.
I own a few hundred records and about 1,300 CDs. But calling it a collection would be generous. It’s more accurately described as an accumulation. I still have the second record I bought as a 12-year-old, The Beach Boys' Endless Summer. The first record I bought Kiss’s Destroyer lived up to its name after an encounter with a Chihuahua-Terrier mix named Patches. I’ve never sold a record or CD. I donated my few hundred cassette tapes to Goodwill the day I got a CD player in a car. I still buy records and CD in addition to having multiple streaming subscriptions.
Some people buy refrigerator magnets or T-Shirts when they travel, I buy music. I bring home records and CDs when I travel. This started 30 years ago on a trip to Vancouver BC and a chance visit to a used record shop to get out of the rain. I left that shop with a good condition CD of Carole King’s Tapestry. Since then, I come home from trips with a few CDs or records. If I thumb through my records, I usually remember the ones that I bought while traveling and the details of the trip. Love Over Gold by Dire Straits was Houston TX in 2008 while attending the Microsoft Partner conference. 2021 and Saint Paul, MN is Aretha Franklin’s Amazing Grace. I was visiting a prospective client and managed to give their IT team Covid-19 (we didn’t get the contact). A Maria Callas compilation called Éternelle was purchased at an outdoor market in Geneva, Switzerland in 2024 while visiting my wife’s family. A half-speed version of Billy Joel’s 52nd Street was Vienna, 2026 while attending the High-End audio show.
So no, I’m not a record collector. Real collectors have organization, discipline, and a plan. What I have is an IKEA KALLAX full of souvenirs that happen to play music. I’m sure my haphazard record buying will continue as long as I keep traveling. I enjoy playing records with which I share a small history. Even if it’s something as bland as a Microsoft Partner conference. Coming home from a long trip with a new to me record and playing it on my stereo is really satisfying. Each record triggers an associated memory. Some good memories and some bad memories but I still have the music to enjoy.