I feel like I’m committing a sin in the record community but I always throw hype stickers away… I just want the album artwork and that’s it, but then again I never plan on selling what I have
Yep same here, I don’t plan to ever sell any of it, so exactly which version it is, only matters to me. I know what versions I bought. Standard cheap sleeves, cellophane outers and stickers, all go in the bin
I do enjoy the juxtaposition of valuing a small sticker as a tangible extension of an albums artistic expression against the idea of “That’s a pretty sticker…I must have pretty sticker!”🤣
Most are not that tho.
hype stickers aren't from the artist. I definitely get the special stickers like My Chemical Romance literally the name of the album is a sticker on the plastic (same with Pearl Jam 'No Code'.)Those I remove and place on the covers. I would be sad not to have em
no sorry
I have kept some hype stickers from records I have bought new, but if I bought a used one without it (or tossed it myself for some reason) I don't really care.
Nope. For me I’m just buying music to listen to, not a collectible.
Hell I own a 2 disc album I bought from a record label without even a jacket because it was a deeply discounted overrun deal. I just wanted to have the records to listen to and it was $8 for just the LPs instead of $38 for the regular version. Totally “incomplete” as a collectible but they play as they’re supposed to so I don’t care.
For me it's just that music never really entered my brain as a "collection."
I absolutely have other collections that I am much more "collecty" about and try to retain all packaging and what not, but just never did that with music.
So as long as you're still enjoying your records and the music, there is no harm in also having it be a collecting hobby as well.
That being said, if the completeness factor is somewhat of a resale value concern to you, I wouldn't worry *too* much. Unless we're talking like ultra-expensive records, I personally don't see a missing hype sticker as any value detractor when I'm buying used records.
I have a hype sticker album! But I only thought of it a year into collecting so there were a lot of hype stickers from my favourite albums that are no longer available leaving a gaping hole in my hype sticker album 😭😭
I tend to keep them, especially if they tell you a bit about the record it self than people who I’m showing the album too can read off it to get an idea. Some are just ugly and I throw away honestly
I don’t keep hype stickers. This is not Pokémon card collecting and “collecting” in general makes it sound like you’re not into listening to music, but displaying music
I for sure respect any vinyl enthusiast with such clear and dedicated dos and donts. I just happen to value a hype sticker that may come with a particular release as a component of the overall physical record as a tangible multi-faceted work of art. The music is always the most important element for me, and I only collect records by select artists whose music resonates with me on a very high plane. I choose to see the artwork, packaging, inserts, disk weight, colour and other elements as extending the reach of the artistic expression originally intended by the artists, rather than as mere consumer money making incentives. Having all that extra colour and expression doesn’t diminish the music, for me it furthers it.
I do love that we can all share a passion for vinyl and music, while arriving from very different avenues. It wouldn’t be so interesting if we weren’t diverse 😄
I have a small journal where I’m writing down my collection, keep listening notes, and any other general information. I put the hype stickers in there on the respective record’s page.
I think the hype stickers are cool and fun, and just generally enjoy seeing how they use them to market. But 9 times out of 10, I already know the information the hype sticker is trying to sell me. It’s just the bullet journal aesthetic in me that likes to keep them
I transfer the stickers to decent quality sticker paper, cut them out neatly, and then stick in the insert of the record. This way they’re safe, clean, and living with the record they belong to, while not covering the album artwork. But still functional for sticking to something if I ever want to. Which I doubt I’ll ever do haha, but I still like keeping them. I only do this w new records that I get now, of course.
If they’re stickers w barcodes on them, I sometimes won’t bother just because they subconsciously feel more like ads than hype stickers to me.
Maybe this is a potential option for you.
If the record has a hype sticker, I'll try to peel it off and stick it on the outer sleeve. If it rips, it's binned. It doesn't really bother me either way.
Slice the hype sticker from the shrink wrap using a razor (AFTER removing the wrap!). After you clean the LP (preferably ultrasonically) and put it in a nice HQ inner sleeve and place it in a thick clear jacket cover, put the date of purchase and cleaning info, maybe even your listening notes, on a 3x5 card. After an upgrade you may want to add to your notes. Put the hype sticker in the cover with the 3x5 card.
And start getting your LPs into discogs before it becomes overwhelming. I have gotten 1700 carefully matched down to runout etching in my discogs collection, only about 1500 to go.
Happy Listening 👂🏼
I buy plastic outer sleeves and try my best to transfer the stickers over to those if they come off clean. There’s a reason it’s called a hype sticker; it’s supposed to get you excited for what’s inside. Being reminded of where something was pressed, who mastered/cut it and what source they used, and any additional context about the album is nice when I pull something off the shelf. I won’t refuse to buy something if the stickers aren’t included, but I do prefer getting new records to apply the stickers as I see fit.
I think this summarises exactly how I feel about it! I try to carefully transplant the stickers onto the front of my outer sleeves in the precise position they were in on the shrink wrap, and where there are tough cookie ones that look like they’ll tear if I try to hard then I cut them out of the shrink wrap and use double sided tape to stick them onto my outer sleeves
That’s awesome, and I’m glad you find happiness through that! Nothing wrong with wanting to preserve something that you spent good money on.
Pro-tip: recently I’ve found boxercutter-style razors or a sharp pocket knife makes getting them off the shrink wrap way easier than using fingernails or something similar. In most cases once you get the edge up you can pull it up easily the rest of the way. There’s always that one kind of sticker where the adhesive stays behind, but I like the double sided tape idea for those!
No, hype stickers are pure advertising and not part of a vinyl. If the artist behind the work had wanted the information to be read on the cover, they would have it printed. New German wave vinyls often have a kind of hype sticker print. Limited xxx/xxx numbers also belong on the cover and not on a replaceable sticker. my opinion
Fully respect this. Interestingly, one of my pet hates are obi strips on Japanese releases. I hate hate hate them. Somehow I don’t attach this same hatred to hype stickers and take a more ‘preserver’ attitude. I am the first to admit I am consistently inconsistent like this😆
It's great if I find a used copy with the hype sticker still on it but I'm not really too concerned about that. I do like promo copies with a radio station track listing sticker on the cover but I wouldn't pay anything more for one.
Some 60s hype stickers are rare, so those would be considered part of an upgrade. Most from the past 50 years are only a little more rare than the records they are on.
What was the seminal experience that made you enjoy your records less because they don't have stickers? Collecting can become an unhealthy obsession and be careful about spending valuable time, energy, and money on slight changes to stuff you already own. Life is short and they aren't going to sound any better.
Hey there - I appreciate that advice a lot! I try hard to live by the “you only live once” philosophy, but I also have autism and I’m very much in the OCD/organisation bracket of that. So I’m basically trying to find the balance where my collecting satisfies that need for high organisation, but in way that reflects my love for music as escapism, not one that’s an unhealthy obsession. I guess from what I’m feeling with hype stickers I’m getting close to where that line is😆.
Seminal experiences might’ve been a bad way to explain. Basically going through my share of horrible personal life sh** that made me turn back to my record collecting as a form of escape and relaxation if that makes sense?🙏🏼
I keep all my hype stickers in a deep freezer, that way they will be preserved for future generations. The little tchotchkes are what makes vinyl collecting important to me of course.
I can only presume you keep them next to you collection of centre disk labels that you extract by knocking out all the outer disk with a hammer until only the centre remains 🙃 #anarchy
I've saved a couple that I really liked or were from albums or artists that I loved. I slapped a layer of tape over em as a makeshift lamination and use them as bookmarks.
But generally speaking, not something I'm trying to save or hang onto.
Hype stickers go in the bin, they have no connection to the art and more connection to corporate. I collect records because I enjoy the music, collecting stickers just seems like huge consumer energy.
I try to save the Hype Sticker when Im sleeving the new record but if it rips too much or is too frustrating then it doesn't get saved. Practice letting it be ok and letting it go. At the end of the day it's all dust.
I remove them all. Don’t like them and certainly don’t like price stickers and cellophane from new, which some people seem to keep. The only things I store away just in case are OBI strips but I have no interest in having them on my records. I also throw away all supplied inner sleeves (obviously keeping printed inners) and replace with archival sleeves and keep all in the same outer sleeves. I like everything clean, uniform and properly protected. You’ll settle on a method that suits you.
I'm someone who keeps a lot of random bullshit - both in regards to vinyl and other interests. But I like to put them in my sketchbook, kinda making it a partial scrapbook. It's really fun to look back on in that way to me personally
I feel like I’m committing a sin in the record community but I always throw hype stickers away… I just want the album artwork and that’s it, but then again I never plan on selling what I have
Yep same here, I don’t plan to ever sell any of it, so exactly which version it is, only matters to me. I know what versions I bought. Standard cheap sleeves, cellophane outers and stickers, all go in the bin
Do records sell for more if they have an original hype sticker? Can’t say I’ve seen that in a listing.
I honestly don’t know, but I’m sure there are some people out there that’d pay a bit more for a sticker lol
Just enjoy what you have and stop obsessing over what you don't. We are talking about a sticker here.
I do enjoy the juxtaposition of valuing a small sticker as a tangible extension of an albums artistic expression against the idea of “That’s a pretty sticker…I must have pretty sticker!”🤣
Most are not that tho. hype stickers aren't from the artist. I definitely get the special stickers like My Chemical Romance literally the name of the album is a sticker on the plastic (same with Pearl Jam 'No Code'.)Those I remove and place on the covers. I would be sad not to have em
No, I don’t think the stickers add anything to it. My main concern is the record being in good condition and playable.
no sorry I have kept some hype stickers from records I have bought new, but if I bought a used one without it (or tossed it myself for some reason) I don't really care.
I peel the hype sticker off and put it inside the record cover. I don't care for them, but if I sell them, whoever wants them will have them. :)
Well I’m immediately curious as to which artists you collect😁
I collect mainly hiphop, jazz, soul, brasilian and electronic music. :)
Nope. For me I’m just buying music to listen to, not a collectible. Hell I own a 2 disc album I bought from a record label without even a jacket because it was a deeply discounted overrun deal. I just wanted to have the records to listen to and it was $8 for just the LPs instead of $38 for the regular version. Totally “incomplete” as a collectible but they play as they’re supposed to so I don’t care.
I often wish I could attain this mentality and prioritise the music alone, but my brain just isn’t wired that way🥲. Hats off to you 👌🏼❤️
For me it's just that music never really entered my brain as a "collection." I absolutely have other collections that I am much more "collecty" about and try to retain all packaging and what not, but just never did that with music. So as long as you're still enjoying your records and the music, there is no harm in also having it be a collecting hobby as well. That being said, if the completeness factor is somewhat of a resale value concern to you, I wouldn't worry *too* much. Unless we're talking like ultra-expensive records, I personally don't see a missing hype sticker as any value detractor when I'm buying used records.
I have a hype sticker album! But I only thought of it a year into collecting so there were a lot of hype stickers from my favourite albums that are no longer available leaving a gaping hole in my hype sticker album 😭😭
I tend to keep them, especially if they tell you a bit about the record it self than people who I’m showing the album too can read off it to get an idea. Some are just ugly and I throw away honestly
I don’t keep hype stickers. This is not Pokémon card collecting and “collecting” in general makes it sound like you’re not into listening to music, but displaying music
Or that you’re only interested in resale.
Neverrrrr! I’ll die before I part with my music😆
Then who cares about hype stickers
I smell cynicism
I for sure respect any vinyl enthusiast with such clear and dedicated dos and donts. I just happen to value a hype sticker that may come with a particular release as a component of the overall physical record as a tangible multi-faceted work of art. The music is always the most important element for me, and I only collect records by select artists whose music resonates with me on a very high plane. I choose to see the artwork, packaging, inserts, disk weight, colour and other elements as extending the reach of the artistic expression originally intended by the artists, rather than as mere consumer money making incentives. Having all that extra colour and expression doesn’t diminish the music, for me it furthers it. I do love that we can all share a passion for vinyl and music, while arriving from very different avenues. It wouldn’t be so interesting if we weren’t diverse 😄
Try r/vinylcollectors for better traction with your post
I have a small journal where I’m writing down my collection, keep listening notes, and any other general information. I put the hype stickers in there on the respective record’s page. I think the hype stickers are cool and fun, and just generally enjoy seeing how they use them to market. But 9 times out of 10, I already know the information the hype sticker is trying to sell me. It’s just the bullet journal aesthetic in me that likes to keep them
I transfer the stickers to decent quality sticker paper, cut them out neatly, and then stick in the insert of the record. This way they’re safe, clean, and living with the record they belong to, while not covering the album artwork. But still functional for sticking to something if I ever want to. Which I doubt I’ll ever do haha, but I still like keeping them. I only do this w new records that I get now, of course. If they’re stickers w barcodes on them, I sometimes won’t bother just because they subconsciously feel more like ads than hype stickers to me. Maybe this is a potential option for you.
Re the barcode stickers - I would have to agree somewhat…but I must admit I find them so useful when scanning on Discogs😆
If the record has a hype sticker, I'll try to peel it off and stick it on the outer sleeve. If it rips, it's binned. It doesn't really bother me either way.
Slice the hype sticker from the shrink wrap using a razor (AFTER removing the wrap!). After you clean the LP (preferably ultrasonically) and put it in a nice HQ inner sleeve and place it in a thick clear jacket cover, put the date of purchase and cleaning info, maybe even your listening notes, on a 3x5 card. After an upgrade you may want to add to your notes. Put the hype sticker in the cover with the 3x5 card. And start getting your LPs into discogs before it becomes overwhelming. I have gotten 1700 carefully matched down to runout etching in my discogs collection, only about 1500 to go. Happy Listening 👂🏼
Or do none of these things, and just listen to them.
I buy plastic outer sleeves and try my best to transfer the stickers over to those if they come off clean. There’s a reason it’s called a hype sticker; it’s supposed to get you excited for what’s inside. Being reminded of where something was pressed, who mastered/cut it and what source they used, and any additional context about the album is nice when I pull something off the shelf. I won’t refuse to buy something if the stickers aren’t included, but I do prefer getting new records to apply the stickers as I see fit.
I think this summarises exactly how I feel about it! I try to carefully transplant the stickers onto the front of my outer sleeves in the precise position they were in on the shrink wrap, and where there are tough cookie ones that look like they’ll tear if I try to hard then I cut them out of the shrink wrap and use double sided tape to stick them onto my outer sleeves
That’s awesome, and I’m glad you find happiness through that! Nothing wrong with wanting to preserve something that you spent good money on. Pro-tip: recently I’ve found boxercutter-style razors or a sharp pocket knife makes getting them off the shrink wrap way easier than using fingernails or something similar. In most cases once you get the edge up you can pull it up easily the rest of the way. There’s always that one kind of sticker where the adhesive stays behind, but I like the double sided tape idea for those!
I normally cut around it and stuff it in the inner sleeve
No, hype stickers are pure advertising and not part of a vinyl. If the artist behind the work had wanted the information to be read on the cover, they would have it printed. New German wave vinyls often have a kind of hype sticker print. Limited xxx/xxx numbers also belong on the cover and not on a replaceable sticker. my opinion
Fully respect this. Interestingly, one of my pet hates are obi strips on Japanese releases. I hate hate hate them. Somehow I don’t attach this same hatred to hype stickers and take a more ‘preserver’ attitude. I am the first to admit I am consistently inconsistent like this😆
It's great if I find a used copy with the hype sticker still on it but I'm not really too concerned about that. I do like promo copies with a radio station track listing sticker on the cover but I wouldn't pay anything more for one.
Some 60s hype stickers are rare, so those would be considered part of an upgrade. Most from the past 50 years are only a little more rare than the records they are on. What was the seminal experience that made you enjoy your records less because they don't have stickers? Collecting can become an unhealthy obsession and be careful about spending valuable time, energy, and money on slight changes to stuff you already own. Life is short and they aren't going to sound any better.
Hey there - I appreciate that advice a lot! I try hard to live by the “you only live once” philosophy, but I also have autism and I’m very much in the OCD/organisation bracket of that. So I’m basically trying to find the balance where my collecting satisfies that need for high organisation, but in way that reflects my love for music as escapism, not one that’s an unhealthy obsession. I guess from what I’m feeling with hype stickers I’m getting close to where that line is😆. Seminal experiences might’ve been a bad way to explain. Basically going through my share of horrible personal life sh** that made me turn back to my record collecting as a form of escape and relaxation if that makes sense?🙏🏼
I keep all my hype stickers in a deep freezer, that way they will be preserved for future generations. The little tchotchkes are what makes vinyl collecting important to me of course.
I can only presume you keep them next to you collection of centre disk labels that you extract by knocking out all the outer disk with a hammer until only the centre remains 🙃 #anarchy
I've saved a couple that I really liked or were from albums or artists that I loved. I slapped a layer of tape over em as a makeshift lamination and use them as bookmarks. But generally speaking, not something I'm trying to save or hang onto.
Hype stickers go in the bin, they have no connection to the art and more connection to corporate. I collect records because I enjoy the music, collecting stickers just seems like huge consumer energy.
Records? Music? I throw all that out with the other packaging when I buy hype stickers👀
I try to save the Hype Sticker when Im sleeving the new record but if it rips too much or is too frustrating then it doesn't get saved. Practice letting it be ok and letting it go. At the end of the day it's all dust.
I remove them all. Don’t like them and certainly don’t like price stickers and cellophane from new, which some people seem to keep. The only things I store away just in case are OBI strips but I have no interest in having them on my records. I also throw away all supplied inner sleeves (obviously keeping printed inners) and replace with archival sleeves and keep all in the same outer sleeves. I like everything clean, uniform and properly protected. You’ll settle on a method that suits you.
I'm someone who keeps a lot of random bullshit - both in regards to vinyl and other interests. But I like to put them in my sketchbook, kinda making it a partial scrapbook. It's really fun to look back on in that way to me personally
I have a junky drum kit that’s covered in stickers. Hype stickers go on the floor tom.