Dammit!!! I break every single friggin’ cd case when I first get it trying to break through that damn seal, underneath the plastic-wrap. CD’s weren’t like this when they first came out. If it aint Broken don’t fix it!!! Or else I break it!!!
I couldn’t agree more.
CD packaging is just friggin’ awful. Tight cellophane you have to get a knife to slit; that terrible bit of tape-like stuff that always tears rather than peel off, and the ridiculously fragile plastic box itself. I don’t think we have one box that doesn’t have a broken hinge, or a cracked face, or some darn thing. Perfectly ghastly.
Ditto!
And why the hell is it called a jewel case? There is nothing remotely jewel like about it nor have I ever purchased any jewels that came in a case even remotely similar to a CD case.
And whatever happened to the concept that CDs were all but indestructible? I clearly remember a demonstration on Tomorrow’s World in the mid 80s whereby they drilled a giant great motherfucking hole in a CD and it still played. These days my CDs seem to scratch to oblivion if I so much as look at them.
(And kids don’t give you proper respect these days! And the buses… mumble…)
pan
Don’t get me started on these.
My wife can’t seem to understand why I don’t want my 1-year old playing with my CD rack. These friggin things can’t handle a 2-inch drop without a corner breaking off.
And those stupid anti-consumer tape strips at the top. There is a special place in the dungeon for the ones that invented those.
There is a nifty gadget you can get that neatly slices through those obnoxious seals. Less work, fewer broken nails and my cases don’t look like they’ve been gnawed by beavers.
Robin
Secret Security Tape Removal Trick:
Go to the hinge on the opposite side of the CD from the security tape.
Pulling gently outward from that hinge, detach the part of the jewel case that holds the liner notes from the part that holds the CD.
“unfold” the now 2-part case like a book with the security tape along the “spine”
Twist gently to remove tape in one neat piece that can be folded and put in the trash or left on the coffee table to get snagged in the dog’s tail.
Wa-la.
Great tip, stoli!
I wanna know why the cases have the indestructible tape strip AND are hermetically sealed in cellophane. Kind of a belt-and-suspenders situation, ain’t it?
If they just had the tape strip, people could open the box following stoli’s directions and steal CDs, leaving the box behind. Also, if you did away with the cellophane, the store would be forced to attach “sale” stickers, price tags, etc. directly to the jewel case, forcing me to deal with removing adhesive from clear plastic without scratching it. I don’t care if YOU have to do this, but I don’t want to do it.
OTOH, the strip DOES provide a function or two beyond its main purpose of annoying customers… first of all, the name of the album typically is emblazoned on the strip in large type, making it easier to flip through a display of CDs and skip over the Yanni albums.
Also, it serves as a sort of half-ass security measure to prevent people from opening an album, burning a copy, and returning it to the store (although again, stoli’s subversive counterrevolutionary measures defeat this).
Here’s how I open the little buggers:
to remove cellophane: hold CD face up with the spine away from you. Press your thumbnail into the crease between the jewel-case door and the spine (I’m talking vertically across the front of the jewel case here, not along one of the edges) and rub back and forth: this will almost always make a neat cut in the cellophane, unless it’s that stretchy kind or you have no thumbnails. Then press your thumbs flat against the cellophane and pull toward yourself; the cellophane will separate along the crease you made with your thumbnail and you can shuck it off the CD case easily. Then use Stoli’s instructions to remove the tape strip (I’ve been doing it that way for a while now).
I actually learned that tip at a record store. When it wasn’t too busy, we’d ask the customer if they’d like us to open the darn thing for them, since we had the little razor and the accumulated knowledge of an entire record store staff to get the security tape off.
I always thought that was a nice touch, although I haven’t seen it since.
Also, most stores have the plastic security case with the electro-tag in it. That makes three levels of security.
To quote MsRobins:
This how millions get made. Let’s take something that’s easy, make it hard, and then sell a device that makes it easy again for a couple bucks a pop. Now we make millions on CD’s and we make millions on opening CD’s.
Makes me feel like a sucker for NOT stealing cd’s . . .
I kinda like that it’s difficult to open. It adds to the anticipation of finally listening to it. It never seems to make the music sound better though.
I compare it to unstrapping bras… I’m notoriously bad at it, but it’s worth it in the end, huh? Yeah, that’s right.
The trials of getting to the CD can supplement your daily workout regimen too by working you into a sweat.
Feel the burn!
I’ll take the security label anyday over that grey security ‘dog-bone’ strip they used to put on the CDs during the mid-90s. That stupid strip left some kinda gunk residue that I could never completely get rid of.
I love the tip for getting the tape off. Thanks. Years ago I somehow acquired a neat tool for the cellophane. It’s this little black plastic jobber you run down the end opposite the spine and it cuts the plastic. No sharp parts or anything, it just finds the right niche.
I guess we have to be thankful for what we have. I remember the early days of the CD, they all came in those awful long boxes so that they could fit two CD’s side-by-side in album bins. Total waste of packaging and a useless security feature. People would just slit the boxes, pocket the jewel case and put the box back.
It’s MsRobyn, thanks.
I actually got mine free through some sort of record-store giveaway. Basically, it was an advertising gimmick.
Robin
I got one of those for free in one of the boxes of promotional stuff we college students sometimes get. I was so excited when I bought my next CD – I’d get to use the cool CD opener thingie! I’d be able to open my CD with no fuss!
Well, as it turned out, the damn thing didn’t work. I messed around with it for a few minutes than had to use my Swiss Army knife after all.
Good point.
Stoli and Chef Troy, those are great tips for opening CDs, but you left out the step where you push just a little too hard and a) break off one of the hinges or b) crack the front of the case.
As for adhesive stuck directly to the jewel case (in case anyone buys used CDs), a little WD-40 on a paper towel gets that off. It probably does something awful to the CD if you get it on there, but it does take the gunk right off. Then you can wash the oily stuff off with some anti-grease diswashing liquid…
I remember reading an article that suggested that the actual shelf-life for a cd may be only 30-40 years, then they oxidize under the coating or something to that affect. Meanwhile, there are phonograph records from the 30’s that are still very playable. Perhaps they are not superior in every way.
Gives me an idea for a new thread in Great Debates . . .