Ben Hale’s love of music dates back to when he bought his first 45 RPM record player, an RCA Victor, when he was a 16-year-old living in Keene.
That lead to a life of collecting and eventually a side business in which he buys and sells vinyl records and CDs. These days though, Hale does more buying than selling.
“For every CD I sell, I buy five more,” Hale admitted. “I’m a little out of control.”
But Hale isn’t in it for the money. He’s retired and at the age of 76, this is more of a hobby than anything for the Greenfield man. That record player – that he bought with money earned from his paper route – is long gone, but his passion for collecting all things music has never wavered.
“That’s where my first love in music came,” Hale said.
At some point in his 30s, Hale connected with a guy that really liked to talk records. That’s when Hale learned there was a market for selling them. He went to yard sales and flea markets buying anything he could find.
“I was finding some really nice stuff,” he said. “I had no idea records were worth money.”
As a lover of music, though, Hale was also keeping a lot of what he bought. Most of what he had collected as a kid had been lost along the way, so while also trying to make some money on the side, he was trying to rebuild his catalog of the artists and genres he enjoyed the most.
“I sold enough to support my collecting,” he said.
He’d go to record shows to sell, and since this was prior to the internet, Hale would list titles in the Record Exchanger, a catalog that would help sellers and buyers connect.
There was one 45 record that stands out to Hale and that was ZZ Top’s “Rio Grande Mud,” featuring the track Francine, that had the Spanish version on the other side. He had been trying to sell it for $5, then a gentlemen in England offered him $50 plus postage. The record was in the mail in no time.
About a year after compact discs hit the market, Hale realized it wasn’t going to be a fad like the 8-track with a lot of radio stations switching to digital, so he turned his attention to the latest music format. He began selling his records to buy CDs.
“I could get good money for records because they were still selling,” Hale said. “I found the key to staying in business was to keep up with the flow of changes.”
Hale also has spent some time as a DJ, getting into it by accident when the person who was supposed to play music for a singles dance he was attending never showed up. Hale went home and got all the equipment he could find and it went over well. Over the years, he did weddings and parties, but no so much recently. Although he believes he was one of the first local DJs to use CDs.
Thanks to all corners of the internet, Hale has been able to track down the records he had before selling off his collection.
“Anything I’ve wanted in records, I’ve found,” he said.
These days, Hale has an entire room in the basement of his Greenfield home dedicated to his music. He purchased the same RCA Victor he had as a teenager to play the approximately 600 45s in his collection. In all, Hale has about 31,000 titles on hand that is all categorized on his computer to help find what he’s in the mood to listen to.
“I’m really into everything, and sometimes it takes a while to find it, but I know what area to go to,” he said.
He spends time in his music room just about every day and with so many genres, artists and titles in his collection, he could basically listen to something different during each session. Duane Eddy was his first idol and he’s most proud of his Buddy Holly catalog.
Hale also has DVDs about the history of rock n roll, specific musicians and concerts – along with a collection of album covers and sheet music. Sometimes, buyers only want a record for the cover because they want the information on the inside.
“I just know what to buy and sell,” he said.
When it comes to buying items (and selling them) it’s all about the condition. People don’t want scratched up records and CDs, so there have been times when he found something that would be an easy sell, but just didn’t have the condition to match.
“Its got to be in really nice shape,” he said.
People bring over collections for him to either appraise, buy or help them sell. He’ll pick through and find the ones that will be worthwhile. If he can’t get at least $8 for it, it’s really not worth the time and effort considering most of his sales are done on consignment and through Ebay and Amazon, which take a percentage. Only after that does he get about half. And Hale has a rule he lives by.
“Don’t buy anything you plan to sell unless you’re prepared to keep it for the rest of your life,” he said.
The business is not as profitable and busy as it once was, but Hale still enjoys it. Because he never really knows what’s going to be brought through his front door. He knows he could publicize his services more than the small sign in front of his house and in the Greenfield Spirit, but really he’s happy with collecting – and selling albums when he can.
“Sometimes I spend more than I’m making,” Hale said. “Sometimes I say I hope I can sell this CD, I’ve got 50 cents wrapped up in it.”
Really, Hale equates himself to a used car salesman: he has his good days and his not so good days.
“You’re not going to make a living at it,” he said.
But even on those days where he doesn’t sell a thing, he can still retreat to his basement and listen to all the music his heart desires.
To connect with Hale, call 547-3403 or email bennybunny43@yahoo.com.