Music Enthusiasts Are Golden

Dear Editor,
    As a former vinyl collector (I have hundreds of out-of-print and rare CDs, including promos and bootlegs), I can't help but scoff at some of the reissue prices, and those who will pay them [“The Price You Pay,” Music, Jan. 10]. What happened to the art of scoring rare wax by scouring the used bins, and finding that clean copy you have only dreamed about for a great price? Does it make the experience better because you paid more for it, and it was a "limited edition," so therefore even more awesome, and it justifies the $40 price tag? We used to pay that for a rare record, not something that just hit the floor at Waterloo Records. I am starting to get the feeling that the same newbie "record collectors" are the same people who pay $20 for a four-pack of craft beer, or who stand in line for hours just to pay too much for barbecue. Record collectors are pretentious assholes; music enthusiasts that won't be suckered by a yuppie marketing scam are golden.