What Will You Do With Your Record Collection After Your Demise?
Big_Stacks
"I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
Hey 'Strutters,
My wife and I had a conversation the other day about what I might do with my record collection after my demise. I thought, given my love of music and how strongly I view its socio-cultural and historical significance, I would love for my collection to live on after I'm gone. I would hate to see the record collection that has been such a moving, stimulating, fulfilling, and comforting passion of mine thrown into a dumpster. That said, I can't think of any younger relatives (since I have no seeds) who I can bequeath it to who would truly appreciate and preserve it. Thus, my notion is to donate it to a music preservation society, college of music, public school music program, or something in that regard (in my last will and testament), so that the music is shared with future generations. Has anyone on here ever considered this topic, and if so, any thoughts on the matter?
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
My wife and I had a conversation the other day about what I might do with my record collection after my demise. I thought, given my love of music and how strongly I view its socio-cultural and historical significance, I would love for my collection to live on after I'm gone. I would hate to see the record collection that has been such a moving, stimulating, fulfilling, and comforting passion of mine thrown into a dumpster. That said, I can't think of any younger relatives (since I have no seeds) who I can bequeath it to who would truly appreciate and preserve it. Thus, my notion is to donate it to a music preservation society, college of music, public school music program, or something in that regard (in my last will and testament), so that the music is shared with future generations. Has anyone on here ever considered this topic, and if so, any thoughts on the matter?
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
Comments
Downside: He or she may try to assasinate you.
Hey Jamal,
That's funny, but assuming I enjoy a normal life span, my music lover friends may be gone as well. Thus, the question remains, "what to do with the records at the end of life?"
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
Great thought. I have put my parents and others close to me on notice about this one several times now naming my main collecting P.I.C., but inherently this assumes I die well before my 70 year old parents, 10+ year older exs, and my +5 year older friend. Hmmmm...thanks for the heads up!
But actually the thing with records is, that they will somehow eventually land in the hands of the one that loves it..because he's the one thats diggin for it..
Atcually I wish for an afterlife where records exist..
Well, those are my two cents for now.
peace
Hey Jamal,
Marinate on this one, my man. My older brother told me that my mother discussed throwing away my records while I was away at school. I had the records stored away in the closet in my old bedroom back home. Fortunately, my bro feverishly talked her out of it, as he knew how much I cherished my records. Thus, it shows how little value records have to some people, and how they don't realize how meaningful they are to others. Given this, the dumpster is a real possible final resting place for a collection if it lands in the wrong hands.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
I was thinking more of the records when not destroyed..
good point man.
But what you said about the life span and friends..well it would be a big coincidencen if everybody deceased at the same time..
In fact what you said about the school or institue is a good idea..but you never know if it will be in real good hands there aswell..and in the abovely applied logic , the institute might perrish aswell.
well, im curious as to what other people have to say about this..
Good question.
When it folded, NYU was trying to acquire the collect for the NYU Film Dept, since the kids were going there for years.
His demand was that it would be available to the public. It being housed the library of NYU, wouldnt line up w/ his demand, since the public doesnt have access.
He shipped the 55,000 collectron to Sicily where it is being digitized at a monastery in Sicily that was taken over by an Artists collective.
I hope to purge my collectron one day and look for the proper suitors or throw it back to the BINS for some new collectro to discover.
I've been buying record collections for a living for over 15 years and I can't tell you how many people wanted their collections to live on and be donated somewhere (library, museum etc) and I can tell that it never happens. Even if you found a university to take it (highly unlikely), they would just sell off the pieces that they didn't deem worth keeping, which would be most of them.
Face it - your collection is a reflection of you and your experiences and nothing more. Trying to get it to 'live on' will make it a huge burden to your loved ones. If there isn't an obvious heir who wants it, make a plan for it's sale/dispersal and put it in writing or you are just inflicting a huge task on your survivors
Unless you're Bob Dylan or Alan Lomax, it ain't happening so make other plans - even John Peel's collection was broken up.
back where they came from.
If this idea appeals to you in theory, it should be possible to meet someone considerably younger who would value the collection -- niche cultural interests can often bridge generation gaps, and hopefully that won't change over the coming decades. You might consider setting an age at which you auction off some of your higher-end pieces -- which, presumably, would stay in the hands of people who know their cultural and financial value -- and then give the bulk of your collection to one or more young, lucky folk who've shown a sustained, strong love of music and appreciation for the format.
if i live out a normal life and die of "old age" most of my peeps would be roughly the same age so i cant pawn it off on them, then i would want my kids to have it, if your kids are "truely" a reflection of who you are, mine will be a dj, music producing graffiti writer and they would want my rekkids...lol
if you have no plans of having children, definitely donate it there will always be people collecting records if i knew my records ended up in a melting pot i'd roll over in my grave...
As you know records take up lots of room.
The library will need to catalog each title. Have you done this? They will need to pay a librarian hours and hours to do this.
Each record sleeve, inner and outer, will have to be replaced with archival sleeves.
What is so special about your collection?
Is it 3,000 or 10,000, very rare small press records? all from the same time period? All in the same style? That would make it a unique focused collections.
If it's like my collection, and most collections I have seen, it is thousands of records that I just like, most of them commercially recorded and readily available to any one willing to shell out the $$$$.
My wife knows the guy who I want to come in and give her a price to take everything when I am dead.
I think he will be fair, business like and efficient.
I have a story about a collection that recently went to a library I will post up here, or in the one that got a way thread soon.
I think the idea of trying to leave it to a library is charming but like Horseleech said, entirely unlikely to ever happen.
To you, Phill? :lol: Shiiiit, you have a million records already, holmes!!!
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
Wouldn't that be some shit coming across all these raer and medium raers like this?
But I also have pretty detailed records of the prices I've paid for most of my collection, and my wife knows to sell them if I were to meet an untimely death. My bigger concern is whether to insure them separately.
will you use your site as a sale tool
insuring records has been discussed here before and it seems very expensive (to get good value back)
record appraisers are hard to get recognized