Debating on whether to sell my music collection or not...

[Flak Beard]

I've been sitting on this idea for a while, but I think after living in my new place for five months without touching my CDs, might be the motivation I need. I have around 200 CDs or so, and most of them have been ripped to MP3s. Any new music I end up buying these days is usually digital. There is some nostalgia to my collection though, but as my game collection grows I need more space. Between my games, comics and music, space can be an issue.

So what do you guys think, is there any value to having a physical collection? Any of you sell yours off and regret it?

[Ack]

I don't keep a physical music collection. I say sell, but that's just me.

[Mozgus]

I never felt any fondness for the generic jewel cases and paper inlays, so I see no reason to keep physical copies of those CDs when its so much more convenient to keep digital copies instead. Just scan the artwork you want and be done with it.

[Flak Beard]

What's odd, is that if I do indeed sell it off... I'll probably keep my game soundtracks. Mostly because I associate them as part of my whole gaming hobby.

[RackGaki]

I'm keeping my CDs, but I'm in the same boat. I have about 300, but I have sold twice times that in the past ten years. The problem is that they don't sell for what they use to, since so many people can just download what they want, legit or not. So, less incentive to sell if it's going to be pennies on the dollar.

DVDs aren't far behind, either.

Vinyl, however, is much more fun to collect.

[Flak Beard]

I'm keeping my CDs, but I'm in the same boat. I have about 300, but I have sold twice times that in the past ten years. The problem is that they don't sell for what they use to, since so many people can just download what they want, legit or not. So, less incentive to sell if it's going to be pennies on the dollar.

DVDs aren't far behind, either.

Vinyl, however, is much more fun to collect.

I don't think I've ever sold a CD I bought, except for maybe once or twice if the album ending up being bad. The 200 I have is just what I've bought since I was around 14 or so. I don't think I've purchased a physical disc in about 2 and half years though.

[ott0bot]

I think you could "slim down" your collection. Make sure you have everything ripped, them make some back up dvd's full of the wav files. Thay way if you even if you sell it and your computer/hard drive fails you have a back up. Go through your cd's and if you skip more than 3 songs, sell it. Cd's that aren't 80% or so good aren't worth keeping. That being said, i think limited edition and tour only cd's should be kept. Also I'd set aside your favorite bands, because if you sell that stuff, you may regret it. Thats just me.

Personally I like having actual cd's for two reasons. I like the artwork and liner notes. I know you can view most of it online...but i like having a tangible medium. Records are definately more intersting, but there are some great companies like Constellation records that have really cool silk screened and die cut cd sleeves.

Also if you doing any audio work you'll know that an mp3 is not a great format. If you want to work with quality audio files you'll need something better. Now if you whole collection was ripped in wav, aiff or a lossless format that you could convert properly...then heck just make some back ups and sell off what you don't want.

[philipofmacedon]

Call me old fashioned but I enjoy having a physical medium for my data. If I can't see it on my shelf I don't feel like I own it. I like being able to look at the cases, inserts, and art on the discs. I like buying games in boxes that come with real paper manuals I can refer to while I play a game and neat extras like maps and code wheels. And I think there are other good reasons to hold onto your physical stuff.

Historians are starting to worry about the effect computers are having on the accessibility and permanence of historical sources. We can dig up old bronze tablets or scrolls in jars but what do you do with 5'1/4" disks or old tapes from the 50s? Assuming you can find a medium that will survive hundreds or thousands of years you still need a computer and some sort of reader to work with it.

Digitization of sources does provide interesting possibilities but considering how quickly technology changes it may bring as many problems as it claims to solve. Don't even get me started on trusting your data to the swarm. And how much do you really trust your hard drive (hopefully drives)?

If my media gets destroyed it's unlikely a company is going to replace it for me. They just want to buy another copy down the road. Look at the troubles people have with 360 DLC when their original unit bites the dust. I can't imagine anyone using original 360 hardware the way we use Atari 2600's or Saturns. Backing up mp3s is pretty easy but copying certain media is a real pain.

I'm sure that providing future historians and archeologists with objects to study isn't at the top of your priority list, but it's still worth thinking about. I'd hold onto your stuff. All of it. Forever.

[philipofmacedon]

Can you imagine anything more frustrating than compiling a history of the internet? Websites come and go, vanishing in the middle of the night. Materials that authors no longer approve of can instantly be replaced by sanitized version. There's nothing more frustrating to go looking for something and find out that legal threats have forced a person to take it down. I don't know what the solution to all this could be, but it still bothers me.

[RackGaki]

Old-fashioned.

I hope that the most significant widgets I leave behind won't be the media I consumed. Less is more. No reason to keep that which I do not use.

I remember reading that archeologist's consider rooting through ancient garbage to be most telling of a culture's history. If that's the case, the industrial age has left a lot behind, and hopefully the digital age will be more frugal.