Before we moved I did a rationalisation of vinyl music. Around an 80% cull. We do still have a record player, but it is somewhat decorative nowadays, akin to those vintage typewriters that are making a comeback. A few special albums and ones with extra memories survived, but the rest (often duplicated as CDs) are doing the rounds of charity shops.
The next set of items to follow my old bright orange Olympia Traveller de Luxe out of the door, could be my CDs.
Ages ago I started removing CDs from jewel cases, to get around a 5:1 space reduction. They spent some time in plastic binders, but then as we went digital, the CDs started to migrate into crates. Never a good sign.
Currently the crates are in the garage, awaiting the next set of decisions.
Do I build some shelving to bring them back indoors? My artistic recreation of shelving suggests not. And if I did, would they ever be browsed and would individual CDs get played the way they were when there were far fewer and they had a dedicated Hi-Fi system?
I somehow doubt it. I know all about the higher quality of the CDs compared with .mp3 and FLAC encoding. More dynamic range. On headphones with some I can even tell the type of tape used on old analogue to digital conversions of albums.
Would that it were so simple.
Convenience will win out. Being able to think of an album and just play it still wins over rummaging around through racks of CDs in most cases. Even playlists for those Chilled Afternoon Coffee Moments Where Even Stereo Is Unimportant.
I guess there will be exceptions. Some CDs with elaborate cases that are still akin to artwork. A few with extra special memories, but the bulk are really a way to be able to prove that I have the licence for a particular set of music.
I haven't started the physical process yet.
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