By the numbers: 2021

In the past, I would try to write about every album I encountered. These days, I listen to a lot of stuff, but I’ll only post an entry if something sparks a memory.

As these statistics demonstrate, I’m leaving a lot out of this blog.

First and last purchases of the year

The first and last purchases of the year are determined by the date of order. Pre-ordered items not yet shipped have already been taken into account.

First purchase: Cocco, Kuchinashi on CD.
First purchase of a 2021 release: Anton Reicha, Reicha Rediscovered (Ivan Ilić) on CD.
Last purchase of a 2021 release: Tokyo Jihen, Sougou on CD
Last purchase: Godspeed You! Black Emperor, F# A# ∞ on LP.

Purchases by format

Format	New release	Reissue	Catalog	Total
7-inch	0	1	1	2
12-inch	2	5	1	8
CD Single	0	0	0	0
CD	31	8	420	459
CD-R	0	0	0	0
Downloads	7	0	37	44
Vinyl	14	26	87	127
Total items bought	54	40	546	640

Definitions

New release: Initial release within the calendar year.
Reissue: Originally released prior to the calendar year but reissued within the calendar year.
Catalog: Initial release prior to the calendar year.

Top catalog release years

Year	Number of items purchased	Year-over-year change
1988	25	New!
2000	25	+7
1997	21	New!
1999	20	-3
1985	18	0
1987	18	New!
1998	18	-3
1980	17	New!
1994	17	New!
2001	17	-2

Top artists

Single titles purchased in multiple formats are counted individually.

Artist	Number of items purchased
Adam Neely	13
Various Artists	8
Tokyo Jihen	8
John Coltrane	7
Gustav Mahler	6
The Rolling Stones	6
Emmylou Harris	6
Robbie Williams	5
Dmitri Shostakovich	5

Notes

Adam Neely posts singles and EPs, so his recorded output is not as prolific as it may seem.
My policy with regard to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones is to avoid paying more than $3 for their CDs, which means I’m usually finding them at thrift stores. It’s actually surprisingly common to see mid-90s Beatles remasters show up for $1.
You would think an Emmylou Harris stan such as myself would have already bought every recording in sight. I’ve held out on the Profile compilations because I have other compilations that contain that music. I keep hoping to find Light in the Stable on CD at the thrift store.
Over the years, I’ve posited that 1987 and 2002 were significant years in music releases. I’m beginning to sense 1980 is also such a year, not just because I was old enough to bug my mom to buy stuff for me.

Tags: cd collecting, vinyl collecting