Records are back, baby. While the once-thought-to-be-dead medium faded almost to extinction, the record business is booming again, and both modern releases and old classics are finding themselves back on wax.
But, unlike CDs, records aren’t necessarily the easiest things in the world to store. It’s a problem that only gets worse as your record collection grows, so here are 6 ways to store vinyl records.
1. Record Crates
Record storage, but now with carrying handles! A lot of wooden crates just seem to be the perfect size for vinyl, which means you might not even need to go out and get something special if you can find a few crates around the house.
Crates are also a good solution because they make moving records easy: All you have to do is pick up the crate, and your collection is all ready for the move from apartment to apartment.
2. Floating Record Shelves
If you have a somewhat small collection of records, but want to store them in a way that lets you display them prominently, take a look at some floating record shelves. They can hold groups of vinyl at a time, and also allow you to pick which ones you want to be on display at any given time.
Of course, most shelves aren’t going to be able to hold large collections, but if you are just starting out – and have the wall space – they can be good, decorative options.
3. Framed Record Wall Art
To some people, records are more of a collecting thing than a listening thing. And no matter what camp you fall into, wall mounted record frames are a great way to display your collection and really turn the LP cover art into, well, art.
It’s a classy option, but the only problem is self-evident: You aren’t going to be able to easily listen to these records without taking them down from the wall and out of the frame every time.
You could also reserve framing records for rare – or favorites you have duplicates of – records, that way you don’t need to worry about listening to the ones that are framed anyways.
4. Record Shelves
Now we’re getting into larger storage options. If your collection is starting to expand out -- yeah, guilty as charged – you might want to look into getting some record shelving. There’s a bunch of options out there, but make sure whatever you are putting your records on is sturdy and that the shelves are deep enough for the records to fit.
You also probably want to get a shelf that has capacity for more records than you currently have: You don’t want to have to keep upgrading shelving every time you get a new record.
5. Record Cabinet
Record after record keeps piling up, but you just want to find a nice, neat, and compact solution for the growing mass of physical music. If this problem sounds familiar, a record cabinet is one option you could look at. This way, your records are stored away in a sliding drawer, and not taking up visual space or continually drawing attention to themselves.
6. All-In-One Console
Need a place to put your LPs, your record player, and your nice set of high-end speakers? Such a solution could kill two songbirds with one stone and give you a nice piece of furniture that can be home to all your music storage and listening needs.
And don’t forget…
Upright. Upright. Upright. UPRIGHT. Always make sure to store your records upright, not piled up on top of each other. I also try to organize them in such a way so they are as straight as possible. That way the records will hopefully not be leaning and putting pressure on one another.
And, however you decide to store them, always make sure your records sound as good as they look. Don’t forget to check in with us on speaker solutions for your LPs – and all your other high-end audio needs!