Collecting dust

Like many of my ilk, maybe I do view my collection as a bulwark against mortality—or at least a tangible legacy of my existence on earth. Forget leaving a good-looking corpse; I want my survivors to gape in awe at shelf upon shelf, crate upon crate of my music stash—a monument to monomania. It would be nice if they listened to the things, too.

Dave Segal Dispossessed: How I Lost Most of My Music Collection—and Nearly My Mind