# Anybody else miss staring at a shelf of CD's? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 10, 2019, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008 "2019-09-10T21:08:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![StuckinNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@StuckinNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuckinNJ)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/1 "2019-09-10T21:08:35Z")
Or tapes/records/whatever… I’m a decent music fan. Not the greatest on this board, but definitely love listening. Multiple genres, multiple decades. While I admit that we are incredibly spoiled in the age of streaming, I find myself longing for the days when you could browse a wall(or shelf) of material until something caught your eye. I find it way too difficult to do this when I have to request a song/album out of the blue. All the Spotify playlist on the world won’t make up for that. I will give a shout out to whomever on this board brought up KCDX… It’s not the same, but it’s definitely a positive in my music life. But I really want to just peruse several thousand CD’s that at one point I clearly thought enough to collect and pull one out I haven’t heard in a while and listen to it in its entirety. But alas, I lost that ability. Kudos to you if you still have a collection to browse… Sorry to Mods if this belongs elsewhere. Do what you see fit. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/2 "2019-09-10T21:15:17Z")
I feel the same way about Blockbuster Video. I miss the ‘new release’ wall and all the various genre sections with everything in alphabetical order. Trying to browse stuff in Netflix just sucks in comparison. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/3 "2019-09-10T21:20:23Z")
I miss albums, and album art. Looking through a new album’s liner notes, any special inserts, etc. that might have been included was every bit as much fun as listening to the album. There have been attempts by some artists to do fun stuff with CDs (like the slipcase for Pink Floyd’s _Pulse_ release, or the Scissor Sisters’ _Ta Dah_ set), but it’s just not the same. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/4 "2019-09-10T21:21:42Z")
Yes, I miss shopping for music in a store. I have found a few ways to get that “huge volume of random and possibly related stuff” thing going, but no, it isn’t the same as a real store.\* And thankfully, I own many thousands of CDs and a couple thousand DVDs/BRs. When I want to browse, I just go into my library. Aye; there’s a couple thousand books in there too. \*ETA: music lovers, I highly recommend checking out [Bandcamp](https://bandcamp.com). Scroll down until you see “Discover” on the left hand side of the page; it’s like having an endless listening station in a store all to yourself. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/5 "2019-09-10T21:33:10Z")
I actually have a vertical shelf of both CDs and DVDs. So, I get to stare them every day. Admittedly, I haven’t added much to them the past couple of years ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/6 "2019-09-10T21:33:41Z")
While I have my music stored digitally, I keep all my video discs in cases on shelves. Music benefits from random play, video benefits from being able to eyeball the spines. And as for “peruse several thousand CD’s that at one point I clearly thought enough to collect and pull one out I haven’t heard in a while and listen to it in its entirety”, don’t you have your digital collection grouped by album? On my ipod I can scroll up and down through the album list, and thereby see the ones I haven’t heard in a while. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/7 "2019-09-10T22:08:23Z")
I don’t miss it at all. I love the convenience of having all of my music stored on my phone. Well, in the cloud, actually, so I don’t have to store it. It’s all about the music to me. Even though I have my CDs alphabetized, it’s still a pain in the ass to take several of the shelf, take them out of the box one at a time, and listen to them. And yes, I’ve used CD changers in the past, but they’re glitchy and break down eventually. My phone allows me to mix infinite playlists. ---
**Author:** ![meow\_meow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@meow\_meow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meow_meow)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/8 "2019-09-10T22:28:39Z")
If you are really stuck in NJ, you must know about the Princeton Record Exchange…if you haven’t been, you should check it out. I work in Princeton and visit it often. I stare and stare and sometimes by a CD for $2.99. The “nice price”! ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/9 "2019-09-10T22:31:40Z")
I miss DVD rental stores I guess. Granted we have family video and the public library, and I can go there to look at DVDs. But blockbuster had a special nostalgia that is gone. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/10 "2019-09-10T22:34:10Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > I miss albums, and album art. Looking through a new album’s liner notes, any special inserts, etc. that might have been included was every bit as much fun as listening to the album. There have been attempts by some artists to do fun stuff with CDs (like the slipcase for Pink Floyd’s _Pulse_ release, or the Scissor Sisters’ _Ta Dah_ set), but it’s just not the same. Seconded. A friend in college had access to some serious photo developing stuff and basically mad a copy of Steppenwolf’s “At Your Birthday Party” and used it for wallpaper. He did another for someone else but I don’t recall what album. Some of the art was incredible. (Remember the “newspaper” for Thick as a Brick?) ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/11 "2019-09-10T22:43:57Z")
I’m currently ‘binge-listening’ to my extensive collection of CDs of the hilarious BBC radio program ‘I’m sorry - I haven’t a clue.’ ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/12 "2019-09-10T22:51:28Z")
The only thing I miss from the old days is album covers. As far as listening goes, I’m all digital. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/13 "2019-09-10T23:12:48Z")
I don’t miss it, since I still have all my original CDs (though I rarely play them, but listen to the copies on my computer as well.) I still have about 300 records on vinyl too, going back to _Sgt. Pepper_, which I keep mainly for the covers and the inserts. (I have a copy of the original _Sticky Fingers_ [with a working zipper](https://jamesostafford.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/rolling-stones-sticky-fingers-zipper-up.jpg).) ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/14 "2019-09-10T23:19:00Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > I feel the same way about Blockbuster Video. I miss the ‘new release’ wall and all the various genre sections with everything in alphabetical order. > Trying to browse stuff in Netflix just sucks in comparison. I miss going to blockbuster and noticing all the soft core noir/thrillers that i was going to catch on my pay channels when they showed up there in a month which was 80 percent of any blockbuster “new release” rack ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/15 "2019-09-10T23:19:46Z")
Shout back at ya about KCDX. Greatest station ever. Sirius should follow their model. I have a shelf of CDs double depth. And a room of DVDs. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2019, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/16 "2019-09-11T12:42:45Z")
What works better for cleaning pot? 😉 A year ago my group played in a used record store. I spent some time flipping through the bins. Really brought me back - an activity I hadn’t thought of in a couple of decades, but that came back to me instantly to something I had spent hours and hours doing in my teens-early 20s. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2019, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/17 "2019-09-11T13:27:24Z")
I do miss CDs. CDs have better sound than MP3s, and while I enjoy the music on my iPhone, sometimes I liked listening to a CD and enjoying the superior sound. Obviously you can get even better sound than a CD, but the sound difference between CD and MP3 (or Apple files, whatever they’re called) is very, very obvious. My car doesn’t even have a CD player. It’s sad. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2019, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/18 "2019-09-11T13:35:51Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I do miss CDs. CDs have better sound than MP3s, and while I enjoy the music on my iPhone, sometimes I liked listening to a CD and enjoying the superior sound. Obviously you can get even better sound than a CD, but the sound difference between CD and MP3 (or Apple files, whatever they’re called) is very, very obvious. > > My car doesn’t even have a CD player. It’s sad. Maybe because I haven’t listened to a CD in a long time, but I can’t tell the sound difference. I usually play my music on Bluetooth speakers, but even over earbuds, mp3s sound OK to me. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2019, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/19 "2019-09-11T14:09:19Z")
Also, CDs are my preferred music medium. Glad the car I bought 2 years ago still offered one. Never developed an interest in managing my music digitally. CD does everything I want. I’ve probly got a couple hundred CDs and half as many albums. Turntable in the lower level room my wife uses for sewing, making violins, and exercising. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2019, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008/20 "2019-09-11T14:43:01Z")
> [@Arrendajo](#): > > The only thing I miss from the old days is album covers. As far as listening goes, I’m all digital. The quality of digital reproduction is poor. Digital music isnt the same as music on CD or vinyl. Take it from Neil Young, > **[Neil Young’s Lonely Quest to Save Music (Published 2019)](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/20/magazine/neil-young-streaming-music.html)** > > He says low-quality streaming is hurting our songs and our brains. Is he right? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-miss-staring-at-a-shelf-of-cds/840008.md?page=2)