In its seventh year, popular convention for old school music collectible fans continues to draw diverse music vendors
With the next Calgary Music Collector’s Show taking place tomorrow, organizer Mark Croner is proud to say he’s sticking with the same formula he has always used: an event for passionate music fans by passionate music fans.
The show, now going on its seventh year, will be held at the Acadia Recreation Centre this Sunday, offering music fans a wide variety of collectables, including rare vinyl pressings, cassettes, CDs, posters and other music paraphernalia. On the attitude and approach he’s taken for the show, personal music collector and show facilitator Croner is proud to say he has stuck to his guns.
Despite speculation that vinyl records sales would diminish because of digital advancements, vinyl record sales have actually seen a steady increase in sales since 1993. Photo courtesy of Calgary Music Collectors Show
“One thing I’m very happy about is that the show has been able to maintain the collector’s spirit,” says Croner, pointing out that most of the sellers behind the booths are collectors themselves.
This local spirit is what makes the event unique, giving it what Croner theorizes as an edge over other conventions he has attended in years past.
“It’s not just shops and private dealers, but rather people who want to come down and bring a big part of their collection,” he says. “I think that makes it a lot more exciting. You never know what might show up at the show.”
Since its inception in 2008, the show has maintained increasing popularity, outgrowing its original home at the Carriage House Inn and taking up its current residency down the road at the Acadia Recreation Centre. The continual success of the show, Croner says, can be attributed to its ability to draw high quality, diverse vendors consistently from all across Alberta.
“These are individuals with individual tastes. They’re not just going to bring down whatever the flavour of the day is,” he says.
The show runs between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. this Sunday, Oct. 25, with a special Collector’s Hour from 10-11 a.m. General Admission price is $5 and Collector’s Price is $10.
The editor responsible for this article is Kate Holowaty kholowaty@cjournal.ca