The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I was looking through some of the arguments posted on the CLPGS thread and I couldn't help but notice the sea of grey hair that dominated their annual meeting.

It seems today that collecting gramophones is an increasingly minority hobby, if some of the figures are to be believed then there are less than 500 collectors worldwide. When this current generation dies, I do worry what will happen to the machines and records they so carefully look after.

At age 19 I consider myself in a minority amongst my peers with my tastes. Since I am a relatively impoverished student, I can only afford to buy records - much as I'd love to buy machines, I worry that the high cost of many of these machines puts new collectors off buying them.

Will it just get to a point in the future where there may be less than 100 collectors consantly circulating the same machines around each other?

JHolmesesq wrote:I was looking through some of the arguments posted on the CLPGS thread and I couldn't help but notice the sea of grey hair that dominated their annual meeting.

It seems today that collecting gramophones is an increasingly minority hobby, if some of the figures are to be believed then there are less than 500 collectors worldwide. When this current generation dies, I do worry what will happen to the machines and records they so carefully look after.

What are those collectors on YouTube? Seems like lots there, and of a younger set, too.

There'll still be plenty of collectors, but perhaps they'll disseminate the hobby in another way. It's a period of transiton. Showing up at gramophone conferences and stuff? In a broad sense that's very 1960's, but the hardcores may still do those kinds of things in the future.

I'm 30 and I've been collecting for about 3 years now.

I have seen a small handful of age 18-35 generation collectors... obviously the minority, but out there.

I'm not so worried about the fate of the machines so much as just the knowledge that generation has... parts and repairs and maintenance and all that. :-/

I hear this all the time from a select few people, that the hobby is in decline. Personally, I dont believe it. Im forever being asked about machines on youtube, by kids as young as 13 who are starting to collect. Some it seems start when they get great grannies grammy, while others we have video games like the Fall-out series to thank.
500 collectors worldwide is a rediculous number, although I think when Starkton said "serious collectors", I get the feeling Serious means collectors with enough money to by any top end rare machine their heart desires at any time they like?
There are over 500 members on this board alone, and I'm sure that doesn't even represent 1% of the collectors out there.
I dont know an aweful lot of collectors personally, but I know of many here in oz. Only 2 are members here, but most of the others do read this board.
There was even a front page story done in our local newspaper about a year ago, about a gramophone collector here in the same suburb as me, but I've never met him because our paths have never crossed.
Im sure there are 10s of thousands collectors worldwide, otherwise we wouldn't be be paying so much (or being outbid) as we do on ebay.

phonophan79 wrote:I'm 30

I have seen a small handful of age 18-35 generation collectors... obviously the minority, but out there.

Maybe I'll mention that I'm approximately age 35, too.

35 yoa here... been seriously collecting about 12yrs now.. my father was an avid collector and got me interested, but he sold most of his machines when he opened an antique store in Georgia.

You have a point though that I have wondered about in the past.. if there is as much appreciation for these machines by the younger generation as the last to maintain the hobby?

What is the answer? who knows.. but maybe it means more machines for me

Funny this discussion has come up because I was just talking about this to a fellow collector who has lost his fire for some reason. I said to him what I'm going to say here: being a little long in the tooth myself, if you had asked me ten years ago about the hobby I'd have said that by now it was going to be at one with the Welsbach gas light and the fountain pen. Then the internet took over and the sheer volume of resources , dealers, ebay postings and message boards makes me realize that we 're in fine shape. I actually think there is more interest now than there was in the late 90's. Record collecting per se seems to broadened a bit. In the old days the " serious" collectors were either into opera or authentic jazz and blues whereas we like everything ( all the fun stuff )

Jim

I hope you are right and hordes of younger collectors are hiding in the bushes, or dye their hair grey before attending public meetings.

By the way, it will be interesting to investigate how many of our members, of whom many are silent, have at least two phonographs, qualifying for the "serious collector" medal.

Besides, I'm 19 year old myself. My friends would call me freak, but I don't care, since I have some other people of my age who understands what I am doing.

I'm sure that we'll see some collectors in the future.

To me the term "serious collector" would rather mean someone who has a long-lasting interest in this field, instead of simply possessing a bunch of rare stuff with no ambition to explore their stories behind, to understand the technical meaning, etc. Seriousness required a kind of specialization.

People without any other desire than the ownership itself will likely loose interest at some point after a few years. And the value/investment thing is generally only an excuse for a serious collector to spend more money than is good for him.

I do also strictly oppose to the assumption that this hobby is loosing ground. Even decreasing member quantities in phono clubs are no real indicator for that.
What did these societies used to serve? To provide a platform for exchange of information, to get together. Nowadays we have boards like the great TMF. It's larger, 100% versatile and much faster than any magazine. Please don't get me wrong, I do very much appreciate these societies. I'm myself a CAPS member, but to many young collectors it simply does not appear to be necessary, especially if you're short on money and can buy some more records for it. That is why quantitative club member measurings aren't representative at all.

Beside that, I also know several young collectors under 20. Being 29 myself, I have stayed in the hobby now for 24 years and it only got better so far.