Classic music lovers find traditional musical instruments fascinating and intriguing. While some find the traditional instruments picturesque, most enthusiasts are fond of following the old ways. A Pakistani man, Naeem-ud-Din Ahmed, ventured into the vinyl record business by selling his collection.
As of today, the 56-year-old owns almost 15,000 LP records. He began his collection spree almost 8 years ago with purchases within Lahore. After that, he also traveled across the country in search of more records. This includes his buying spree last month in Jhelum where he purchased almost 4,000 vinyl records.
What people are finally beginning to understand is that the best musical sound comes from the most traditional forms of listening.
His records include albums from top artists over a period of 100 years. Albums by Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton, Nazia, and Zoheb Hassan, to name a few, are some of his bestselling records.
What started out as a hobby, ended up as a business idea. Naeem’s business is so successful that the minimum price he received for an album was Rs. 20,000. He has also been selling internationally in countries like the UK and Denmark.
My most expensive record is from a small music group in Pakistan from the 1970s called The Panthers which is difficult to find.
Music is forever
Naeem himself listens to music on his phonograph. Ghulam Ali, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and Tahira Syed are some of his favorite artists.
Though some people in Pakistan buy them for decoration, which is a shame since there is something magical about music playing out of them.
This is the perfect time to expand his vinyl record business as CNN reported that vinyl records have exceeded CD sales for the first time since the 1980s.
What do you think of Naeem-ud-Din Ahmed’s story? Let us know in the comments section.
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