I came up with the following a couple of years ago:
The Four Levels of Record Collecting
Level 1: The Backgrounder
Likes music enough to play it occasionally, usually at a low volume. Has a small collection (<100) of chart-toppers and compilations.
Level 2: The Fan
Plays music often, sometimes at moderate volume. Has a penchant for particular artists, especially ones that they have been a fan of for many years. Collects many of the releases of those artists plus other hits and deep catalog titles. Typical collection size of 100 to 500 releases.
Level 3: The Listener
Wide breadth of music interest and knowledge. Plays music often. Collects recordings of many genres and eras. To some degree, may be a completist collector of particular artists and/or labels. Collections are usually well organized and contain over 500 releases. Many such collections number well into the thousands.
Level 4: The Hoarder
Extremely large collection sizes, often well over 10,000 items, many of which may be duplicates. Collections may be well organized but these collectors are sometimes overwhelmed by the shear number of items. Items may be stored in more than one room; some may be stored in off-site storage. In the most extreme cases, items may be stored in unusual places, such as in ovens. Items may be accumulated indiscriminately with the idea that they will eventually listen to them or that they may someday be valuable.
This is pretty much a draft with no actual publication intended, just sharing here. What would you change about it?
