Guides to buying, identifying and storing vinyl and CDs, and the stories behind the albums worth a place in your collection.https://www.kuramusic.com/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/180-gram-vinyl/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/180-gram-vinyl/A 180 gram record is sturdier and less likely to warp, but it can't fix the master or the cut. What to check on the sleeve before paying for the weight.Sun, 27 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/abbey-road-beatles/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/abbey-road-beatles/The Beatles recorded Abbey Road while their business fell apart. How the album was made, the zebra-crossing sleeve, and which vinyl and CD editions to buy.Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/best-albums-on-vinyl/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/best-albums-on-vinyl/Ten of the best albums to own on vinyl, chosen for what the record adds: the two sides, the sleeve, the cut. For each, the copy to look for and how to check it.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/best-jazz-albums/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/best-jazz-albums/Ten of the best jazz albums, chosen so their credits lead into each other, and for each one the edition to look for and what to check before you buy a copy.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/best-soul-albums/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/best-soul-albums/Ten of the best soul albums, from Otis Blue to Songs in the Key of Life, chosen so the same players recur, and what to check on each copy before you buy.Tue, 13 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/buying-used-cds/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/buying-used-cds/A used CD can be a perfect copy in a scuffed case, or a tidy case with the wrong disc inside. What to check on the disc, the booklet and the edition.Sat, 12 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/buying-used-vinyl/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/buying-used-vinyl/Every play leaves a trace on a record, and the worst of it is the hardest to see. Where wear hides on a used LP, and where to look and listen before you buy.Tue, 22 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/clean-cds/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/clean-cds/Dirt and fingerprints can make a CD skip. How to clean a disc without adding scratches, which marks matter, and why to copy a disc before you polish it.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/clean-vinyl-records/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/clean-vinyl-records/Brush a record dry before each play, and wash it only when it's new to you or visibly dirty. The archive method at home: what to use, and how to dry it.Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/deja-vu-csny/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/deja-vu-csny/Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young made a record with nothing to skip while falling apart. How it happened, the sleeve, and which vinyl and CD editions to buy.Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/display-vinyl-records/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/display-vinyl-records/Ledges, frames, wall mounts and now-playing stands, weighed for dust and light: why the disc usually stays on the shelf, and how to keep records findable.Tue, 29 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/electronic-albums-start-collection/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/electronic-albums-start-collection/Ten electronic albums to explore, from Kraftwerk to Bonobo. A track to start with, why each earns a place, and what to check on a CD or record.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/identify-vinyl-pressing/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/identify-vinyl-pressing/Identify a vinyl pressing by comparing the catalogue number, label, sleeve and runout. A practical guide to narrowing the candidates without guessing.Sun, 06 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/lend-records-and-cds/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/lend-records-and-cds/Lend a record or CD with one written line: who has it, since when, in what condition. How to hand it over, check it on return, and protect a rare copy.Tue, 29 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/matrix-numbers/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/matrix-numbers/Read the matrix numbers and other marks near a record’s label, compare pressing candidates, and know when an identification needs more evidence.Sun, 06 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/move-records-and-cds/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/move-records-and-cds/Pack records and CDs upright in small boxes, keep them out of a parked car, number the boxes in shelf order, and let a cold delivery warm up before you open it.Tue, 29 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/obi-strip/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/obi-strip/The obi is the paper strip on Japanese records and CDs. What it carries, where it came from, how to tell it belongs to your copy, and how to keep it intact.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/organise-vinyl-and-cds/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/organise-vinyl-and-cds/Give each size its own shelf: LPs, 7-inch singles and CDs apart. Then sort by artist. A list of your collection shows an album on LP and CD in one place.Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/original-reissue-remaster/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/original-reissue-remaster/Four words for four moments in a record's life, only two of them about sound, and what settles which master is on the copy in front of you.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/record-grading/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/record-grading/Where the grading scale came from, how each grade compares with Near Mint, why the sleeve is graded apart, and what to ask when two letters aren't enough.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/record-sizes-and-speeds/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/record-sizes-and-speeds/What 7, 10 and 12-inch records usually are, which speed goes with which size, the exceptions, and how to find the speed when nothing is printed.Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/sell-vinyl-records/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/sell-vinyl-records/Which records to let go, and where to sell them: a shop, a fair, online or a buyer for the whole collection. What each route asks of you, and how to sell well.Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/ship-vinyl-records/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/ship-vinyl-records/Take the disc out of the jacket, hold it flat between stiff board, label the parcel plainly, and agree tracking and insurance with the buyer first.Tue, 29 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/start-cd-collection/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/start-cd-collection/How to start a CD collection in 2026: whether CDs are coming back, where to find them, the discs that only look like CDs, and a list kept from the first one.Tue, 13 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/start-physical-music-collection/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/start-physical-music-collection/Start with albums that mean something or a box of garage-sale finds. Build a vinyl and CD collection, then find an affordable way to play it.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/sticky-fingers-rolling-stones/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/sticky-fingers-rolling-stones/The Rolling Stones made Sticky Fingers while losing Brian Jones, Decca and Allen Klein. How it came together, the zip sleeve, and which editions to buy.Sun, 27 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/store-cds-and-booklets/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/store-cds-and-booklets/On a CD the music sits just under the artwork. How to store discs and booklets, what is known about CD rot and lifespan, and how to check a disc tonight.Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/store-vinyl-records/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/store-vinyl-records/Upright, supported, in polyethylene sleeves, on a shelf rated for the weight, in a steady room: how to store vinyl records at home so they last.Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/transformer-lou-reed/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/transformer-lou-reed/Lou Reed's second album, made in about three weeks in London with nothing to skip. How it happened, the sleeve, and which vinyl and CD editions to buy.Wed, 23 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/vinyl-or-cd/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/vinyl-or-cd/Vinyl or CD? Compare release history, sound, wear, artwork, equipment and the editions you can actually buy, with practical examples for collectors.Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/what-to-do-with-old-cds/https://www.kuramusic.com/en/blog/what-to-do-with-old-cds/Old CDs need different destinations. Decide what to keep, prepare the rest for sale or donation, and check local rules for discs, cases and booklets.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT