The Biggest Vinyl Record Collections in the World If you are a passionate record buff, you might have a pretty impressive collection of boxes of records. Most vinyl lovers have at least several boxes worth of the records they have collected over the years, perhaps even a room-full if you are really into it. But what about those dedicated collectors who have taken things one step further and have amassed Biggest Vinyl Record Collections in the world that are truly astounding in scale? Let’s take a look at some of the most impressive record collections in the world – and the passionate collectors who have spent years gathering these enormous hordes of vinyl.
Afrika Bambaataa This iconic DJ and producer is thought to be one of the earliest influencers of hip hop culture and he has been a part of the scene for more than 30 years. His impressive collection contains approximately 40,000 records and he donated it to the Cornell University Library, where it could be preserved and enjoyed.
It will be placed in an archive, alongside other important cultural artifacts such as a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation that was signed by Abraham Lincoln and Egyptian papyrus scrolls. Afrika Bambaataa’s collection focuses mostly on hip-hop and it is an incredibly important historical resource for this genre. The records document the birth of hip
hop in New York City as well as its subsequent expansion all around the world. It includes a huge range of albums, including classic soul musicians such as James Brown as well as punk, funk, hip hop and rare vinyl records to look for.
Paul Mawhinney Paul Mawhinney from Pittsburgh, USA claims that he has built the largest record collection in the world. He started with a personal collection in 1951 and when it reached several thousand, he was encouraged by his wife to start up the store – she said he should either get rid of the new and used vinyl records or start a business around them.
He founded Record-Rama and in the 1990 he was extremely successful – doing around $5 million per year in business. By 2003 he had over 2 million records in his collection – which made it twice the size of the record collection at the Library of Congress. Unfortunately for Mawhinney, his sales dropped off after the millennium which he accredited to big chain stores such as Wal-Mart undercutting his prices. The store closed in the summer of 2008 during the global credit crunch. Since then Mawhinney has sold various sections of the collection to individuals and the remainder is housed in storage units.
In 2013, the remainder of the collection was purchased by Zero Freitas, a millionaire from Sao Paulo, Brazil. It took eight 53 foot long semis to transport the records away from Mawhinney’s warehouse.
Zero Freitas So who is this Brazilian millionaire and why is he buying up all of these records? Zero Freitas calls himself a “hunter of lost sound” and he is now the owner of the largest record collection in the world. He sees himself as playing an important role in preserving the history of humankind and he has been collecting records since he was in high school. When he was a teenager, he already had 3,000 records and by the time he was 30 he had gathered approximately 30,000. His collection includes most expensive vinyl records ever. He has made an agreement with the Brazilian authorities that will allow him to import huge shipping containers full of records, which means that he can grow his collection even faster.
It is estimated that Freitas has approximately five million records, which he stores in a former candle factory. As well as purchasing Mawhinney’s records, he has also bought records from other major international collectors and large shops such as New York’s Colony Records. He has hired 17 interns to clean, dust, photograph and catalogue the albums. His workers can manage to go through 500 records per
day, which means that it will take the interns 20 years or more to complete the entire collection. Freitas hopes that he will be able to create a “musical emporium� where people can search for particular albums from their childhood or obscure and rare artists that might have been lost in the sands of time. These are just a few examples of the biggest record collections in the history of the world. These collections are valuable to their owners due to an intense love of music in vinyl form – but they are also important to all of mankind. Within these collections there are forgotten sounds that might not have been produced again in CD or digital form, so if they were not collected on vinyl they might have simply been lost. These collections are a snapshot of the musical landscape of a period of time and they are a treasure trove of information about the history of our civilisation.