Owner of The Record Collector shop on Melrose Ave ready to pass the torch

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Walk inside this Melrose Avenue shop in Los Angeles, and you enter another world. If you're into music, you could describe this as vinyl heaven.

"Music is the core of our existence, and the medium is the message," said Sandy Chase of The Record Collector.

And the medium at The Record Collector is definitely vinyl. It's been in Los Angeles for 50 years. The store is a loving tribute to everything audio. There are more than 500,000 albums here.

"When people ask me what's my favorite record? I say they are all my family," said Chase.

The store specializes in jazz and classical, but you can find just about any artist and any music genre here. As a matter of fact, some very famous musicians have been here looking for that special recording.

"We've had everybody from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson to Quincy Jones, Lalo Shiffrin all famous musicians," said Chase.

You can also find the beginning of recorded music: Rare original Edison wax cylinders.

"They came out in 1888. In fact, Johannes Brahms made a cylinder of a Brahms Hungarian dance."

What you won't find here are CDs or digital formats. It's all about analog.

"There are no digital sounds in nature. You can't feel a digital wave," said Chase.

And the magic of vinyl is the beautiful artwork, and then sometimes when you open it to find a surprise inside. You can read all the information and then you get ready to listen to the music.

Chase wants the music to live on even though he is ready to move on. He is hoping to sell the entire collection, everything, to someone who will appreciate the history.

"I'm ready to pass it on to the next generation," said Chase. "My 50 years is coming to an end, and I'd be more than happy to help in the transition. So, the building and the business are all one. We have it all intact here so the youth and others can go back in time."

Going back in time as they continue the sweet sound of analog music into the future.