# What do You do with CDs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 7, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591 "2008-07-07T18:42:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/1 "2008-07-07T18:42:08Z")
After you’ve “switched” to Mp3s, I mean. I recently moved to a small apartment. Also recently acquired a computer and small IPOD. Now, I find I almost never listen my piles of actual CDs (most of which have been transferred to audio files.) So, what to do with those CDs? Besides donate them to the library or sell at the used music store, I mean. Or make frisbees or DIY art. Do I Keep them as back up for the inevitable computer crash? (although my back-up drives/copies should take care of that). This may seem like an inane question, but I’m still curious about your responses. ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/2 "2008-07-07T18:51:52Z")
I bought a bunch of [these](http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90129980) from IKEA a few years ago and stuck all of my CDs (631 at last count) there. After that, they’ve started to take up room on my bookshelf so I need more storage. I’m terrified that as soon as get rid of them, my hard drive will get fried and all my back-ups will disappear and I’ll be proper fucked. I’m keeping them forever. ---
**Author:** ![davidw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c4cdca/32.png) [@davidw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidw)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/3 "2008-07-07T18:51:57Z")
I dump the cases, and file the CDs in a couple of [cases like this](http://www.mmdesign.com/products/dj_case_cd.htm) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/4 "2008-07-07T18:54:16Z")
[QUOTE=Kid\_A] I’m terrified that as soon as get rid of them, my hard drive will get fried and all my back-ups will disappear and I’ll be proper fucked. I’m keeping them forever. [/QUOTE] Yep. Same here. I keep them all racked on the wall. ---
**Author:** ![Atrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/5 "2008-07-07T19:01:04Z")
I put them on the empty spindles from when I buy blank CD’s. Even if you don’t use that many blank CD’s you can probably pick up a few from work. I have two of them just sitting in the back of the shelf. I don’t think you can legally give the away or sell them. If you did, then you wouldn’t “own” a copy of the music anymore. At least that’s why I keep mine. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/6 "2008-07-07T19:08:30Z")
I’ve got a few sitting on the shelf here and there. Most of them are in storage on the other side of the country. I don’t think I’ve listened to music directly off a disc since 2000. I’ve taken to transferring all my discs into paper sleeves such as [these.](http://www.checkoutstore.com/Black-Paper-CD-Sleeves-with-Window-Flap-p/cdpsblk.htm) I then store them in this nifty little [black shoe-box](http://www.staples.com/office/supplies/p4_Desktop-Media-Storage_151491_Business_Supplies_0_10051_SC1:CG30:CL142023) type container I get at Staples. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/7 "2008-07-07T19:11:50Z")
I was asking the same thing [this morning.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=474570) > [@](#): > > 1. The CDs take up 34 books that hold 220 CDs a piece. They’re filling up a big part of a bookcase (I ditched the jewel cases on 'em years ago). My computer has .5 TB of storage on it and it’s 3/4ths full with music as well. So I’ve been organizing them alphabetically and ripping the CDs and just finished with artists that begin with the letter “A” this weekend. They’re taking up 30.4GBs of space alone, so this is going to be a rather big project. My thought is to burn the MP3s (yes other formats would be better, but I’m OK with it) to high quality DVDs. I’m using Nero to burn and I’m thinking of using Taiyo Yuden DVD+Rs for storage, good idea? > > 2. Now, my sheet music. I’ve got about 1300 books that are taking up two bookshelves. I bought an A4 Scanner as the pages are 9"x12" but I haven’t figured out a quick/easy/good way to convert these individual images into one .pdf. Ideas? ---
**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:** [July 7, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/8 "2008-07-07T19:17:09Z")
Related question: What do you do when your I-pod dies or gets lost? Is everything stored on your PC? What happens when that crashes? I don’t think I could trust all my cds to be stored on a pc or an ipod without a back-up plan. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/9 "2008-07-07T19:42:38Z")
Is it likely that your hard drive will crash AT THE SAME TIME as your ipod though? If my computer dies I’ve got my music collection on my mp3 player, and vice versa. I still have all my CDs though, I just never use them. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/10 "2008-07-07T19:49:41Z")
Yeah, but if your PC crashes, that doesn’t help much because when your iPod synchs next, they’re all going to go bye-bye on that, too. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/11 "2008-07-07T19:53:39Z")
I store them in a box in a place I don’t normally go, since they have to remain in my possession to make the hard drive copy legal. Selling them off makes all the copies you keep illegal. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/12 "2008-07-07T20:38:19Z")
They’re in a box in my basement…next to my boxes of casettes…next to my boxes of albums. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/13 "2008-07-07T21:04:04Z")
I keep them to justify the nice CD cabinet I bought about a week before my first MP3 player. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/14 "2008-07-07T21:09:19Z")
Coasters. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/15 "2008-07-07T21:51:19Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] Yeah, but if your PC crashes, that doesn’t help much because when your iPod synchs next, they’re all going to go bye-bye on that, too. [/QUOTE] Au contraire my dear j **ayjay** - for I have not an ipod, but a Creative Zen. I can, therefore, drag and drop the contents of it from my mp3 player to my PC. Illuminatiprimus - resisting the inexorable rise of ipods since 2004. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/16 "2008-07-07T22:05:08Z")
[QUOTE=Illuminatiprimus] Au contraire my dear j **ayjay** - for I have not an ipod, but a Creative Zen. I can, therefore, drag and drop the contents of it from my mp3 player to my PC. Illuminatiprimus - resisting the inexorable rise of ipods since 2004. [/QUOTE] Obscurist! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/17 "2008-07-07T22:11:17Z")
We’ll see who has the last laugh when hard drive death occurs. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/18 "2008-07-07T22:13:31Z")
[QUOTE=Illuminatiprimus] We’ll see who has the last laugh when hard drive death occurs. 😉 [/QUOTE] Yeah, yeah. I backed up all my old LPs as MP3s on DVD. Now if I could just find what box I packed that DVD case in. Damnit. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/19 "2008-07-07T22:38:03Z")
[QUOTE=Atrael] I put them on the empty spindles from when I buy blank CD’s. [/QUOTE] I like having the original packaging, so I don’t go this route myself, but I was very happy to have an extra spindle lying around a year or so ago when I had to unload all the discs out of my 300-disc jukebox before moving. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591/20 "2008-07-07T22:46:23Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] Yeah, but if your PC crashes, that doesn’t help much because when your iPod synchs next, they’re all going to go bye-bye on that, too. [/QUOTE] 😕 That would require that you replace your hard drive, reinstall your OS, reinstall iTunes, plug your iPod in, and click past the warnings that syncing with an empty library will delete all the music therein all without thinking of offloading your music collection. I think I’ll take that chance. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-cds/455591.md?page=2)