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Monday, August 18, 2014

The Man Buying Up The World's Vinyl

record collection image
Don't look now but there's someone trying to corner the world's supply of vinyl records, and has been purchasing collections of millions of records from all over the world for more than 30 years. Brazilian transportation magnate Zero Freitas has a 25,000 square foot warehouse in Sao Paulo filled with his collection, which is so large,that it's estimated that it will take a team of interns 20 years to catalog it all - if he stops buying any more.

Freitas isn't too discretionary when it comes to what he buys either, having just bought a 15,000 album set of polka records and another 300,000 set of Cuban records. It's also nothing for him to strike a deal for a million+ collection for millions of dollars.

The obsession came early, as he owned 3,000 records by the time he left high school and 30,000 by the time he was 30. When the bus company he owned expanded and he became wealthy 10 years later, there was no stopping his purchasing. He has never listed a record he owns for sale.

After all these years of hording, Freitas has decided to share his collection with the world and is preparing a non-profit library called Emporium Music, which will feature listening stations and even a lending service of duplicate records. There's no time-table on when it will be completed, but many friends consider this a big step forward, considering how low-profile he's been through most of his collecting career.

There's a fantastic article on Freitas with a lot more detail in the New York Times by Monte Reel that you should definitely read if you're interested.
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

caught that article too ... amazing! Brazil is a great place to live with a vibrant music scene. Brasil's music scene is the best in Latin America, however it does not cross over into the U.S. or the rest of Latin America because of the different language. We are more accepting of Spanish language music for obvious reasons but Brazilian bands rock and rock hard. Best rock and roll scene in Latin America besides Argentina.

Rand said...

Great optimistic article Bobby, thanks.

KEEP VINYL ALIVE!

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