Some of you may recall back in the 1Q of 2016, I mentioned my intentions about possibly participating in the 2016 A-Z Challenge. I also mentioned that the amount of prep work needed would probably not make participation a reality for this year.
The topic? My C.D. collection. The prep work needed? I was sincerely afraid you would ask that.
A brief info dump is required. About two years ago or so, I had a decent size collection of roughly 300+ c.d.'s that I would listen to with a good degree of regularity. I had samplings of genres that had interested me: hard rock, rock, metal, bluegrass, punk and alt rock. And just like I did with my record collection, I often bought the c.d. for the one or two songs that got radio airplay, then had a ton 'o fun exploring the rest of the c.d.
Then when I moseyed to my public library one fine day, I saw some used c.d.'s for sale. Turns out that in addition to the huge semi-annual book sales that the library holds every year, they also had stuff for sale on a daily basis. Long story short, I decided to help the library and expand my c.d. collection at the same time. So every time I went to the library (about once a week or so), I walked out with five to ten c.d.'s costing a dollar apiece. You name the genre, I probably picked up at least one c.d. from it.
Fast forward to today. Today, I have 3 huge c.d. racks totaling somewhere in the neighborhood of 600+ c.d.'s (note, if you need a good quality c.d. rack, that triples as a DVD/Blue Ray DVD rack as well, please consider buying it from Amazon. Took me & my daughter about twenty minutes to put one of them together). It has gotten so large that because my memory isn't like it should be these days (which @ 94% recall is pretty damn good), to prevent the remote possibility of buying dupes, a good database was needed.
So about two weeks ago, I cleared out two of my c.d. racks and brought them downstairs to begin the laborious process of data-entering them into a stripped down Xcel spreadsheet. With everything else going on, it should take me about two to three months to get them all entered. In the meantime, I have put a moratorium on my c.d. buying until I get at least 85% of my collection entered.
Once I get it all done, I'll probably spend some time creating a couple of static pages for the 2017 A-Z Blogging challenge.
So essentially, while the immediate goal is paticipating in the 2017 challenge, the overall goal is to have a written record of what I got, so when I decide to add to it, I know what I don't need. Gotta love tapping into one's latent OCD when the situation calls for it.
Oh, and to give everyone a sobering reality check, when it comes to the chasing the almighty dollar, the music industry is head and shoulders above the rest.
Back in the day when I was my daughter's age (early 80's), new vinyl long players cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $9 to $14, depending on whether it was a single or double. Vinyl is now exploding in popularity again, so new vinyl long players are starting somewhere in the $25-$30 price range for a single, and $40-$60 for doubles. This includes both new releases and reissues of old releases (example, Prince's Purple Rain now retails for $29). I'm sure Amazon will start to come down on the vinyl releases soon, but you can pick up new vinyl at B&N, Urban Outfitters and other fine semi-high end retailers. Used may be tougher, but locally, we have a great place called Integrity & Music.
Yes, the things we do to open our brain just a little bit can sometimes bring up the question, "Is it worth it?"
In this case, it sure is.
(c) 2016 BOOKS BY G.B. MILLER. All Rights Reserved.
Since you are constantly picking up new CD's, makes sense to make a list. You only need one of each.
ReplyDeleteLet me know when you hit 1000. That's about how many we have. And it won't grow very fast since most album purchases I make through iTunes now. (Except for special bands where I have to have the inside goodies.)
And that is insane how much new vinyl goes for.
If anything, I'll probably hit 1K by this time next year (maybe).
DeleteSeriously though, it blows my mind the cost of new vinyl, especially when I see some in the 3 digit range on Amazon.
Well, it's always good to be organized, I say. I've never counted my CDs but I suspect I must have at least 400. I keep them in a big chest of drawers, arranged by genre. And if things aren't messy, arranged alphabetically within each genre by artist's, band's or composer's surname. Hmmm, I think I WILL count them some day when I have nothing better to do. My curiosity is piqued.
ReplyDeleteI do strictly alpha, then subsort alpha by title. I need have organized chaos from time to time, and this does the trick.
DeleteI used to buy CDs pretty regularly but haven't bought one in several years, I think. Mostly I listen to music on you tube or satellite radio
ReplyDeleteI usually use the radio (college exclusively for music) as a feeder for searching out c.d.'s. The library often gets used as a feeder as well. I pick up most c.d.'s strictly on the basis of what the genre is. Sometimes it's someone whom I might've heard of back in the day and didn't like that type of music then, but willing to take a crack at it now.
DeleteI finally entered all my books into a database, after having bought duplicates twice! (Fortunately I shop at cheap used bookstores so that I didn't waste more than $10 all told.) Also fortunately, the website GoodReads.com provides a ready-made way to store my book lists, which is also easily accessible from my phone, for those times when I find myself in a bookstore with a paperback in hand.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your further musical explorations! You might need one or two extra pairs of ears to listen to all those CDs. ;-)
Used, right now, is the only way to go. I only buy new if I'm looking to stock up on an artist from days of olde, or if I'm looking for a particular song (hence I buy the entire c.d.).
DeleteThat's a cool way to keep your lists handy. I'll probably something similar to that when I go shopping again.
Now you're talking about a big interest for me. I too have a large collection of CDs, LPs, and cassettes. Mostly I don't listen to any of them anymore so rarely do I buy any new additions to my collection. I've often considered cataloging my collection in some way or at least organizing them on my shelves in some order. But as you indicate it would be a huge undertaking.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to the A to Z project. It's something I'll be reading and comparing to my own collection.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
I have an equally large collection of LP's (about 2000+) and 45's (also about 2000+), that I used to listen to with some degree of regularity. Alas, I have an issue with my turntable that I haven't been able to find the time to get fixed. It's a simple fix, but I lack the manual dexterity to do it.
DeleteIn re: to the A-Z project, it will probably be something that I'll be working on right up through spring, in between bouts of writing as well. I do have a mental outline that I want to apply to the project, but things have to fall in a certain way for me to make it happen.
Sounds like you're a music librarian!
ReplyDeleteI am at that!
DeleteLooking forward to you 2017 A to Z posts! ☺ That's an amazing collection of CDs! I have a few hundred as well (including some duplicates; great idea to catalogue them). My vinyl collection spans the '60s to the '90s and there are 100s of cassettes too. None of them are organized properly, but one of these days....Incredible what new vinyl is selling for. Hopefully, the price will come down, eventually. Good luck with your project!
ReplyDeleteThat's very cool. My vinyl LP spans from the 60's (mostly reissues, but some originals) through the early 2000's.
DeleteI'm hoping that the new vinyl price will come down, but I'm not holding my breath.