Yes, You May Vigorously Enjoy Your Hobbies

An Interview with Tyler Melton of Tyler.fortherecord

Tyler.fortherecord was one of the first creators we reached out to in 2025 when we were launching the Model Seven loudspeakers to the world. After watching his videos and exploring his channel, we got the distinct feeling that Tyler was always having an excellent time doing his hobbies. That joy resonated with us, and it’s when we knew he’d be an excellent partner for the brand. Someone who authentically loves music, has found the time and an outlet to enjoy his hobbies and built a community of people who love to participate through him. 

Since our initial partnership last October, we’ve stayed in touch with Tyler to check in every now and then. During our last conversation, we were discussing how people do not have enough defensible space—or the time they need—to prioritize their hobbies. We agreed it’s something we all need to invest more in, but that it takes real effort.

Now as an outsider, one might assume Tyler (a popular content creator) has all the free time in the world to enjoy his hobbies. But, the reality is quite different. With a full-time job and a family with two kids, Tyler has to be extremely intentional with his free time:

“I have two kids and basically two jobs, so actually finding free time to enjoy can be challenging. What I’ve learned is the absence of free time makes the time we do have that much more important. I really dislike just mindlessly scrolling at the end of the day and want to do something meaningful for me. Whether that’s watching a TV show, listening to my stereo system or going outside with my golf simulator, I know that I’m benefitting myself and my family more by partaking in these activities, even if I only have a little time to do it.”

Therein lies the rebellion in Tyler's philosophy that a lot of us [probably] need to hear. In an era where big tech companies design products to keep your attention fragmented and your thumbs scrolling, intentionally participating in, well, just about anything, is a powerful act of reclamation. For Tyler, sitting down in front of his stereo is a joyful ritual that keeps his mental state in check.

"The algorithms make your brain go haywire. Having something you can intentionally do—something that lets you turn yourself off and focus—gives your mind a reset."

That word, intentional, came up a lot. Like most things in life, it’s something that requires practice and it wasn’t something that came naturally (or quickly) to Tyler. Like all great things in life, it took time, effort and support from his family to build the practice to where it is today. If you go to his channel now, you’ll see an incredible selection of collectibles, stereo equipment, coffee-making gear, and other wonderful things he enjoys. But, this all started more than a decade ago with just about 50 records, no audience and no particular plan.

He was simply quietly collecting things he loved; records, vintage objects, trinkets, etc. Per Tyler, “I slowly started to collect just for me. None of my friends were into it necessarily and there wasn’t anyone I was showing these things to. It was just fun."

However, a TikTok scroll changed Tyler’s trajectory years ago. After seeing someone post about their record collection, he realized that not only did people care, they were passionate about it. That’s when he realized that by simply sharing the things he was already enjoying in his free time, he could create a community of like-minded people and celebrate his hobbies together. Now, he counts somewhere between 600 and 700 records in his collection and brand partnership deals thanks to his growing audience.

But here's what Tyler wants people to understand about this whole thing: enjoying your hobbies isn’t necessarily about arriving at any destination, or making money, or building out a space that you love. It’s much more to do with enjoying the journey.

"It doesn't have to start with a huge built-in wall and expensive gear. It can just be a space for you and a chair. Part of the fun is growing over time and seeing how it looks a year later after you've put the effort into it."

In a world of instant gratification, what most people don’t see is the enduring patience that it takes to allow great things to incubate. For Tyler, that incubation and steady practice is truly at the heart of the hobby, it’s the part about collecting for the purity (and genuine enjoyment) of it all and not necessarily because you have a specific goal in mind. In his own words, "Part of the fun is having them [records] and remembering why you picked each one up. It's the history for you as well as a collector.”

Back to the conversation regarding making space for your hobbies, because that’s an important element of this. Some hobbies do require a dedicated place or time to do them, that’s just the way it is. Tyler’s recommendation is to make this space authentic to you and your passions, that way when you walk into your hobby space, it doesn’t look like some sort of disjointed showroom, it looks like YOU.

“I've built this space over time and it's the connection to the room that makes it exciting, and worth sitting down in and sharing." His wife Melanie (who has a video with millions of views designing the space on her channel TimberandHive) helped bring Tyler’s vision to life, which demonstrates the importance of family support. Throughout his space there are little things—like the plants, a small fox figurine that holds his espresso towel, a Medusa head, a German shepherd bookend that belonged to his grandmother—that all make his listening room exactly the place he wants to be.

"The whole intentional listening path I went down had me thinking: what else could I do with my time that's only for me, but will help me come back to my family fully reset and rejuvenated so I could give proper energy to them?"

We think that’s the real thesis here and the one we happen to believe in the most. Investing in your hobbies isn’t a selfish act, it’s regenerative. Like sleep, being able to reset your brain and body doing things you love for the pure joy of them is an essential human need. One that will help keep your cup full enough so that you can be the best version of you, whether that’s a patient parent, a focused professional, a present partner, or whatever it is. It’s amazing what just 30-minutes to an hour a day spent doing things you love can do for you.

So, after speaking with Tyler about the importance of hobbies for him, and how he’s built a community around it, we want everyone to know: Yes, You, May. You may be self-indulgent, you may be selfish (at times), you may be quirky, you may be joyful, you may be by yourself. And in fact, you probably should.

Tyler Melton (@tyler.fortherecord) is a KLH Audio ambassador and content creator focused on vinyl culture, intentional listening and building a listening room worth coming home to. His KLH Model Seven loudspeakers are the heart of his home listening setup.

Images Provided By Tyler.fortherecord