You will save yourself a whole lot of money and headaches if you collect CDs over vinyl, but records are special. I definitely would not spend money on downloads, unless no physical material exists for that artist. It really depends on how you enjoy music. If you are home a great deal of the time, vinyl is fun if you have a decent set up. If you are on the go and home very little, you might consider CDs that you can rip to your phone or mp3 player. Also, vinyl is very heavy after you accumulate a good bit of it. You also need decent shelving to hold it all or crates. CDs are much easier to move around and store. I have found that CDs that I rip to my computer and then transfer to my phone sound much better than streaming audio. But I don't have any interest in maintaining a cd collection, only vinyl. Good luck and have fun!