Poll: How do you store/organize CDs?

randomly within each category, except for the first and last, which tend to fit in the categories before and after them, respectively. each artist's CDs are arranged chronologically.

so my folk section ends with The Foremen, who begin the humour section, which ends with the Arrogant Worms, who begin Canada, and so on... I really should probably come up with something better, because sometimes I can't remember whether I decided that it was more important a band was funny or that they rocked.

They are organized bye genre, then alphabetically by artist. Within each artist they are organized chronologically. Mulitiple artist CDs are stored alphabetically by title.

The only genres I use are classical, soundtracks, and everything else. That's because they are treated differently. Classical is by composer, Sountrack by title, and everything else by performer.

My CDs are organized like everything else: by intuitive chaos. I find everything in an instant but no one else would ;-D

anyone who's ever visited the place where i'm living knows how chaotic it is/gets.

however, my cds are organized.

a section for soundtracks, a section for mixed cds, a section for bbshop and a section for classical/instrumental.

and then a section for other.

within each section it's alphabetical by artist name and then in chronological order.

it makes me happy.

Mine are for the most part in alphabetical order and chronological within the artists. ( i do make some odd classifying choices for my sanity's benefit...like putting Jonatha Brooke and the Story with Jonatha Brooke instead of the Story.)

The exceptions are there are three sections that are outside of and before the alphabetic bulk. Moxy Fruvous, then Beatles, then XTC. Chronological within these sections.

In the original jewels.. in a rack.

Alphabetical by artist, then chronological within artist.

There are a couple little oddities.... Like, I have "Orchestra Morphine" with Morphine, in the M's... but... that's just because it makes more sense to me.

:)

So if I'm looking for Landslide, I have to remember that I bought it for someone back in 1986, but didn't give it to them for personal reasons . . . it's very . . . comforting . . . yeah.

In all seriousness, I still have my cds organized alphabetically (and then chronologically), but they've all been put into iTunes, so I rarely use them unless I'm in the car.

My rack of 500 CDs is organized by genre, and then alphabetically within each genre.

My barrister's bookcase is completely unorganized except for the bottom shelf of CDs being all live Fruvous and Nields stuff. The black plastic holders on the ledge are completely unorganized.

Someday I will update my CD database, and when I do that, I will reorganize all the CDs.

I usually keep them in a rack, a few popular (as in, I have lots of their CDs) artists separate on one shelf (such as Fr�vous, GBS, Carbon Leaf, etc), the rest chronologically by purchase order.

Lately, however, they're scattered across one corner of my room, most having been queued up to be ripped into iTunes, and then never making it back into the rack. In part because I had tried doing alphabetical sorting, but the way my rack is set up, it's hard to add something to the middle without pulling everything out and moving it one slot over. So they've almost all been pulled out and are going back in again later in a different order.

-- Pauley

Bingo. Ours are mostly classical, and they are sub-categorized into instrumental, opera, oratorio, asstd.�choral, bla bla bla.

I find it interesting that so many people do the alphabetical-then-chronological thing. I tried that but then I realized that for a lot of artists I don't know what order all their albums were released in (especially the ones released before I "discovered" them or whatever), and while I could certainly find out in order to organize CDs that way it didn't really seem worth it. So my CDs are all alphabetical by artist (or title if it's a soundtrack or something), then alphabetical by title for multiple CDs by the same artist. Mixes are in a separate case - the ones I made myself are all numbered chronologically and the rest are (*gasp!) in no particular order at the end.

Usually the chronological isn't too hard for me because it's on the back of the CD. So as I'm organizing and have a group set aside of an artist, I just to a quick check on the back to determine their chronological order.

Same here...� I thought I was going to have to make this post. :-)

When my collection was small, I used the alphabetical/chronological method.� A few moves and a few hundred discs changed that quickly.� I have a dedicated shelf for soundtracks and compilations, and another for singles.� My system of bookcases is set up with some extra space at the end of each shelf, to make it easier to file away new additions.

I do have a small classical collection that's organized by "reason for purchasing."� I tried composer, but that didn't always work (Yo Yo Ma).� I've thought about filing by conductor or performer, but that's a nightmare waiting to happen (If I'm looking for Tchaikovsky, I don't care which Philharmonic is playing it).� I can see where my classical method would frustrate a classical purist, but classical purists wouldn't use my collection. :-)

By the way, I love the fact that one of the choices is "I don't own any cd's."� Are there people like this?� And if so, how do they listen to Fruvous?

That's true...
First of all, though, I don't store them in the jewel cases - I just put all the CDs in one of those travel case things (of course, there's often a copyright year on the actual disc, too...) Mostly, though, I'm likely to forget the chronological order when I'm looking for a given CD, too, but I'll always know where in the alphabet each title falls. Either way I suppose it wouldn't make a lot of difference - I mean, I think the most albums I have by one artist is like 5 or 6 - but I'm sure not gonna reorganize now. :)

Well, ya know, you've gotta try to cover all possibilities with the answer choices because otherwise everyone will be all "but what about _______??" (I do that myself, sometimes.) Besides, maybe someone still thinks vinyl or cassettes are the only way to go. :)

Oh, yeah...if I wasn't using the cases I totally wouldn't bother. Tons of my CDs aren't even recognizable for what they are with just the CDs, much less the years. :)

aw, c'mon. cassettes are COOL. :D

Now if this poll was about how I organize my 8-track collection, then we'd be talkin'.� . . . . About 8-track�collections.�

8 Track is so new though. I still have reel to reel tapes.

I would guess that I had seen Fruvous at least a half a dozen times before I bought one of their CDs. You can't listen to them that way any more of course.

Yeah, but I mean you still OWNED cds, didn't you?� I just find it improbable that someone who likes music enough to patronize a fan-page wouldn't own any cds.� That's all.

ummmm. my cds in our living room are organized ever so vaguely, by band and genre. but the genres include things like "people i mainly see at folk festivals" (the thompson twins, dave and tracy, russell...) "cute young trios" (wa9, girlyman, nickel creek, mammals...) and "whiny boys" (ben, rufus, nick drake, leonard cohen, tim and jeff buckley). so...they really only make sense in my head.

hehe. I *love* your categorization :)

I rather specialize in whiny girls though ;-D

Edit: Why am I not allowed to delete this post? *is annoyed*

"whiny�boys"

�hehe. I *love* your categorization :)

I rather specialize in whiny girls though ;-D

jian's not in whiny boys?

first shelf: REM (my first love), Moxy Fruvous, Friends of Fruvous (any band i got into due to fruvous/fruheads)

second shelf: Billy Joel, Sting and then any other band i have more then one CD of..in order of favourites. At the end of the shelf is women singer/songwriters

thirdshelf: any other band i only have one cd of, comedy, and then the end of the Friends of Fruvous section

fourth shelf: Showtunes, Soundtracks, Christmas albums (in that order)

is there a support group for people like me?

is there a support group for people like me?
I think this is it.
:)