Spotlighting Five Collectors Across the U.S., The Series Amplifies the Personal Histories at the Heart of Vinyl Culture
Episode One Premieres February 9th on Discogs’ YouTube Channel
Watch the First Episode Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv7miMLbie4
Portland, OR, February 9, 2026 – Today, Discogs, the world’s largest music discovery and record collecting platform, announces the launch of My Discography, a brand new original series dedicated to celebrating the deeply personal relationships between collectors and their records. Premiering on the Discogs YouTube channel, My Discography explores the lives, passions, and histories of vinyl collectors from across the country, revealing how records serve as more than just objects, but as vessels for memory, identity, and community. Through five intimate, short-form documentary-style episodes, Discogs invites viewers into the lives of collectors whose stories reflect the diversity and devotion of its global user base.
Watch the First Episode Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv7miMLbie4
With this initiative, Discogs continues to evolve beyond a marketplace into a cultural platform rooted in storytelling, discovery, and connection. By amplifying the voices of collectors, My Discography shines a light on the people who make Discogs what it is – a passionate, global network of music lovers – and captures the personal journeys, regional scenes, and lifelong devotion that define collectors as the true heartbeat of the platform.
Kicking off the series on February 9, Episode One follows James Inge of Louisville, KY– an amateur DJ, radio host, civil engineer, and devoted Northern Soul collector specializing in 45s. Through an intimate, documentary-style portrait, the episode traces how James first discovered his niche, developed his own philosophy of crate digging, and built a collection guided by curiosity, discipline, and deep musical knowledge. Viewers are invited into his world as he shares rare and cherished records – from Willie Mitchell, The Sacred Four, and Jerry Williams to Dolly Parton’s early soul singles – alongside the countless hidden treasures that have defined both his life and his collection.
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“[A record is] not just a thing to look at. It is a useful item that carries history that can tell you about a place, can tell you about people…Who would’ve thought that these would still exist and be treasured and be played 50, 60, 60 years later. We’re curating and presenting history.”
- James Inge, Record Collector and Discogs User
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The episode also explores how music has shaped James’s relationships, strengthening connections in his daily life and within the wider community of collectors and DJs. It examines the transatlantic dialogue between American and British Northern Soul scenes, revealing how records, labels, and shared passions form lasting bridges between collectors across continents. See below for a complete list of collectors highlighted in the series:
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My Discography Featured Collectors
James Inge: Northern Soul collector and DJ in Louisville, KY
Annisa Gooden: Legacy owner of Out of The Past Records in Chicago, IL
John Haywood: Tattoo artist, songwriter, and Appalachian history collector in Whitesburg, KY
Brittany Benton: DJ, college professor, and music selector in Cleveland, OH
Nicki Ricci: Tour merch manager, DJ, and record store employee in Nashville, TN
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The launch of the series comes on the heels of a record-breaking year for Discogs, marked by the highest number of items ever added to user collections and underscoring the strength of its global community of collectors. In late 2025, the platform released its annual Year in Review, earning coverage from outlets like Billboard and Rolling Stone,and in November debuted a redesigned, more user-friendly app to enhance the collecting experience. Last fall also saw the launch of Dis/Connect, a global day dedicated to logging off, unplugging and reconnecting with physical music, further spotlighting the cultural impact of Discogs’ passionate community.
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About Discogs
Discogs is a music discovery and record collecting platform empowered by a community of obsessed fans from all over the world. With a comprehensive, crowdsourced discography integrated with a global music marketplace and personalized collection management tools, discover music, buy and sell records, connect with community, fuel your collecting journey, and deepen your connection to music.
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