If you´re surfing for vinyl on the net, one of the names you’re going to come across pretty soon is Robert Benson. As an avid record collector, he operates several websites dedicated to vinyl, writes daily on his blog about music and vinyl records and participates in several vinyl forums and networks. Robert is the author of the eBook “The Fascinating Hobby Of Vinyl Record Collecting” and he was one of the first ones to set up a shop here on NYLVI.

This is a true Vinyl Record Collector and it’s a great pleasure for us to present an interview with him here on the blog, where many of the different aspects of being a record collector are discussed.

NYLVI: Tell us a little about yourself and how you became a vinyl enthusiast

Robert Benson:
I am from Wisconsin USA, via the Chicago area, and am married with two grown children.  I am disabled and work out of my home promoting my eBook called “The Fascinating Hobby Of Vinyl Record Collecting, which is available as a free download on my site www.collectingvinylrecords.com, as well as write a daily blog and operate several other websites.  The ebook talks about how vinyl has never really “gone away” and that there is a whole new audience for the vinyl record and a new generation of collectors.  I talk about why people collect, what they collect, why vinyl is by far the best format for recorded music, where to purchase collectible records, grading vinyl, cleaning vinyl records, album cover art, buying and selling used records, price guides, and give the readers some links to look at that only enhance and clarify the points I am making.

I have always loved music and come from a large family of music lovers.  In my youth, I ‘roadied’ for many bands, setting up and tearing down the equipment.  I guess the best gig I ever had was a one-time job with KISS- what a show!  I never worked so hard in my life, it was quite an experience.

I fell in love with records at an early age and have been collecting for over 35 years.  The music just sounds better via the vinyl format and vinyl record collecting is such a satisfying hobby.

NYLVI: What is so fascinating about collecting records?

Robert Benson:
There are so many interesting aspects of the hobby.  I am amazed to hold and play a Buddy Holly 45 rpm record that is fifty-years old and it still sounds as good as the day it was released.  Being a record collector also allows a person to listen to so much more music, as there is some music that is only available on vinyl.  I also love album cover art and have been known to buy an LP just for the artwork.  You can listen to so many musical genres as a collector and have many formats to choose from, like the picture disc, colored vinyl, limited editions, special die-cuts etc.  But I think the best part of being a record collector is the hunt.  There is a certain rush that one feels when finding that elusive record or a thrill to happen upon a rare record, that, unless you know what I am talking about, you wouldn’t understand.  I love the hunt, it is invigorating and one of the most enjoyable aspects of record collecting.

NYLVI: At NYLVI we want to be more than just a marketplace, we also want to build a community around vinyl. Would you agree that another important aspect of collecting records is the social, getting to know other people who share the same interests?

Robert Benson:
Oh, yes, the social value of collecting is just another reward as a record collector.  I can honestly say that I have never met a record collector that I do not like, we share so many things in common and have a special bond.  We are almost like a family and have so much in common.  And, other record collectors get it, they understand the thrills and the fun of being a collector.

NYLVI: Both in your book and on your blog you write a lot about album cover art and reveal some great stories behind some of these. If we asked you to pick one of these album covers which one would it be and why?

Robert Benson:
I would have to say that the Beatles’ “Yesterday and Today” cover (or the famous ‘butcher block’) album cover is my favorite; although I don’t own a true copy (I have picked up a picture disc copy that has been re-released).  It is kind of grotesque, but I think why they did it is what appeals to me.  They were just tired of the record company just taking their music and mixing it up into many different covers and albums just so they could sell the music and not caring what the group thought of the releases.

NYLVI: As avid record collector, is there any tips you would like to share when it comes to important aspects like setting the value on records, cleaning and storing records?

Robert Benson:
As I tell people, a record doesn’t have to be old to be value.  Alternatively, just because a record is old, doesn’t necessarily mean that it has value.  The condition is paramount, it is the single most important element when pricing a record.  Scarcity is also another factor when trying to determine how much a record is worth.  Generally, the less of them that were released, the more value they have.  Some early Jazz and R & B music is now very valuable just because there were not that many of the record pressed and put into circulation.  As far as cleaning records, everybody has there own opinions, but the main focus should be when handling records to keep your finders away from the ‘live’ grooves.  Human oils from the skin can are an enemy of the vinyl record.  You can actually buy plastic throw-away gloves, I use this method, especially with my newer records.  Also, I talk to people who say “ I’ll have to get the records out of the basement” and I think- what are they doing in the basement in the first place?  Store your records in a temperature setting that you are comfortable living in- low humidity, dry and dust free.

NYLVI: There’s quite a vinyl revival going on these days, do you have any thoughts on why this is happening right now?
Robert Benson:
That is easy- the sound.  More and more music lovers are discovering the superior sound of vinyl, that analog has a much truer sound than its compressed digital counterparts.  I had talked to a gentleman who thought that the younger generation was buying vinyl so they could be a little bit of a rebel, I don’t agree with that.  Young people are buying records for the sound and even getting into the collecting aspect of vinyl.

NYLVI: What do you think are the reasons that the vinyl record as a format seems to survive every other format?

Robert Benson:
We can go right back to where it starts, the sound.  Also, vinyl records have a durability that you do not get with other formats.  Think you’ll be playing a CD that you bought in the 80’s twenty years from now?  Or how about a download, I mean, I guess technically, they could last forever, but digital music and files can get corrupted, rendering them useless.  We can look back at my Buddy Holly records, these 45’s are literally 50 years old and play like brand new.  I have records that are over 100 years old, and while the sound quality isn’t that great (and that is not so much a reflection on the format as it is the way that they were recorded back then-with primitive equipment more or less). I always joke that these are my grandchildren’s records and what is so amazing is that long after I am gone, my grandchildren will enjoy my record collection and hopefully pass it down to future generations.

NYLVI: All time top five records?

Robert Benson:
Tough call, I have so many.

1)    Neil Young - Decade
2)    John Lennon - Imagine
3)    Any Led Zeppelin record
4)    Any Donovan record
5)    Deep Purple - Machine Head

Tags: Interviews, Robert Benson, vinyl collecting

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