ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the development of successive recording formats, along with the collecting of each, and the role of the recording industry in shaping collecting. It begins with a brief sketch of the evolution of record formats, moving from this to consider the shifting levels of collector interest, and economic and emotional investment in each. The chapter discusses the relationship between the trends and record collecting practices. The recording industry has played a central role in the introduction and construction of the relative popularity of formats. Other industry strategies and products are aimed primarily at collectors, both creating and responding to collector demand. Vinyl is the format most closely associated with record collecting; indeed, the very term 'record' is commonly used for vinyl recordings. The preference for vinyl is grounded in it being the original historical artefact, with an associated perceived authenticity as a sound carrier, related to its sound and packaging, and the listening process/experience.
