Vinyl 101: Organize Your Records!
Whether you have five or 500 records, there’s one thing you can do to make your collection better: Organize it!
Organizing your records is more than just a matter of neatness; it fundamentally shapes how you experience and engage with your music. A well-organized collection saves time, reduces frustration, and allows you to focus on what really matters: listening. If you can’t find the record you want in the moment you want it, what good is having a record collection at all?
Without a clear system, even a modest collection can become overwhelming. You might forget what you own, repurchase albums you already have, or simply default to listening to the same few records because they’re easiest to grab. An organized setup makes your entire collection visible and usable, encouraging exploration and rediscovery.
Organization also deepens your relationship with your collection. Sorting through records—whether by artist, label, or personal significance—forces you to engage with your music in a more intentional way. It becomes easier to notice patterns in your taste, track gaps in your collection, and curate listening experiences based on mood or theme. Use one of the many collection apps, or don’t. Just make sure you know what you have!
We’re not so proscriptive that we want to dictate to you how to organize your collection: our own staff has a variety of organizing their records. Like alphabetical, below:
Or like this staffer who has an Excel sheet with locations of their records around their apartment.
The point is: organize your collection! The best time to start is now: the last thing you want is your collection to grow past your ability to organize it.
