See original posting at this url:
http://www.infomotions.com/serials/colldv-l/06/0172.shtml
==#2==
From: John Rutledge <jbr_at_email.unc.edu>
"Obsolete formats"? Maybe just "less popular" formats. Many
audiophiles still buy, collect, and play LPs. There are more models of
turntable on the market now than there were in 1960, probably. LPs
are still being issued--they are the preferred format of some artists.
New LPs are regularly reviewed in _Stereophile_. Many LPs have a
warmer, more natural sound than CDs, although CDs have improved a lot
since the early days of the 1980s. You would be amazed at how good a
monaural LP from the 1950s can sound when played on good equipment.
But most people don't like the format, true.
If you really want to place donated LPs carefully, you need to reach
the audiophile audience. Try www.audiogon.com. That's a "trading
post" for high-end equipment. Of course this will be time consuming.
And even audiophiles don't want to pay very much for LPs unless the
items are rare. There are published price lists. Audiophiles who are
into vinyl spend time at thrift stores, library book sales, and garage
sales. Prices are typically betweeen $.50 and $1.00 at such venues.
Condition is a very important issue too. The devoted record collector
will carefully examine each LP for scratches and worn spots and not
buy unless the condition is pretty much pristine. Perhaps a
compromise would be to find such a generic "Goodwill" that takes
better care of its items. That might be sufficiently conscientious,
given how much time careful handling of LPs can take.
Not all LPs have been reformatted and re-issued as CDs. So, if having
recordings of historic performances is important to you, it would be
well to check on the availability of the material in a newer format.
It may exist only on LP. Also, the CD version may have been edited to
its detriment, the aural balance changed in an effort to eliminate
some real or supposed problem.
John Rutledge
==#3==
From: Susan M Knoer <susan.marie_at_louisville.edu>
A few years ago a Kentucky college deaccesssioned their obsolete (tape
and vinyl) music collection by putting it on ebay as a lot, with the
stipulation that the buyer removed it form campus within 10 days. It
was a brilliant move; though it didn't sell for much, it got it off
campus with some profit and without the cost of hiring someone to remove
it, or finding someone willing to take it.
As I recall, it was thousands of items. I'm not sure it would be
cost-effective for a smaller group.
Received on Fri Sep 01 2006 - 01:19:11 EDT