More Than a Song Contest: Why I Still Collect Eurovision After More Than 40 Years

My Eurovision journey started with a record.

In 1981, following the 25th anniversary of the Eurovision Song Contest, my mother bought me the anniversary album. I was only a child, but I listened to that record so many times that I doubt it would survive being played today. The grooves must have worn thin long ago.

I still have it.

The record itself is not particularly rare. It is not worth a fortune. What makes it special is who gave it to me and what it represents. Every time I look at it, I am reminded not only of Eurovision, but also of my childhood and my mother.

That is why collecting Eurovision has never been about owning things.

It has always been about preserving memories.

Discovering a Community

I discovered Eurovision when I was seven years old. By the time I was twelve or thirteen, I was already a serious fan. At seventeen, I became a collector. Since then, I have spent decades exploring the history of the contest, collecting recordings, albums, national finals, documentaries and television specials from across Europe.

Along the way, I discovered something that surprised me.

I was not alone.

Growing up, Eurovision felt like my own little world. Then I discovered an entire community of people who loved the contest just as much as I did, and in some cases even more. These were fans who had followed Eurovision through years when the contest was far less popular than it is today. They stayed loyal through the highs and the lows because they genuinely loved the music, the artists and the stories.

Music First, Spectacle Second

Today, Eurovision is bigger than in a very long time.

The stage productions are larger. The visuals are more spectacular. Social media gives fans instant access to artists and performances from all over Europe.

But I still find myself listening more than watching.

For me, Eurovision starts with the songs.

A great performance can elevate a song. Clever staging can make a song memorable. But it is the music that survives long after the lights go out.

Why Preservation Matters

One question I hear regularly is: "Why collect recordings when everything is on YouTube?"

The simple answer is that everything is not on YouTube.

Many national finals remain unavailable. Some recordings disappear. Television specials vanish. Rights holders remove content. Channels close. Accounts disappear.

I remember spending years searching for the complete Icelandic national final from 1987. For a long time, only previews of the competing songs seemed to exist. Finding the complete show felt like recovering a small piece of Eurovision history.

I have also experienced the opposite.

Over the years, I have lost recordings that I never managed to recover. Those experiences taught me the importance of proper backups and long term preservation. Nothing online is guaranteed to be available forever, or in my case - make sure you have back-ups!

Streaming services are convenient.

YouTube is convenient.

But neither is an archive.

A Project Built by Fans

Collectors understand that preserving Eurovision history requires effort. Whether it is a vinyl record from the early years, a CD from the 1990s, a DVD of a national final, a Blu-ray of recent contests or carefully maintained digital archives, every preserved recording helps keep Eurovision history alive.

That is what Eurovision-dvd.com is really about.

It is not just a webshop.

It is a project built by a fan for other fans.

A place where old memories can be revisited, forgotten performances can be rediscovered and new generations can explore Eurovision's rich history.

Where to Start Collecting

If you are new to collecting, my advice is simple.

Start with the international finals.

Then explore the national finals.

Go back further than the years you remember.

Listen to songs from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Discover artists, styles and musical traditions from countries you may never have visited.

You may be surprised by what you find.

More Than Eurovision

Because Eurovision is more than one television show every May.

It is seventy years of music, memories and history.

And every piece of that history deserves to be preserved.

The Eurovision Song Contest 25th Anniversary Album from 1981
The first Eurovision item I ever owned. A gift from my mother in 1981.

Author's Note

I have collected Eurovision media since the 1980s and have followed the contest as a fan, collector and accredited media representative. Through Eurovision-dvd.com, my goal is to help preserve and share Eurovision history for future generations of fans.