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Organizing Your Music Collection

S

spiderhead69

Active Member
So, I spent an hour and half moving the U through Z records from 4 cubes to 4 other cubes in my shelving unit in order to incorporate the newer albums I have purchased in the last 6 months. Still have the other letters to do. The Wife walked in while I was doing this and in the classic High Fidelity line asked, "Are you organizing by Alphabet, Chronological, or Autobiographical"?

just wondering, how is your music collection organized? Alphabetic, genre, several locations, how do you file soundtrack albums? compilations?
And classical music, by Composer or conductor or featured musician?

Go....
 
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A Dilemma

My problem is I can argue convincingly for a number of cataloging methods.

The one I finally chose was by category, then alphabetized by artist. I go to the rock and roll shelves and there's all my Beatle's albums in one spot. Sub-gategories can cause some confusion. No, Otis Redding isn't in rock, he's in R&B/Soul. Where should I file Wendy Carlos' "Switched on Bach"? Classical, electronica?

OK, I've got to quit thinking about it or I'll spend tonight rearranging.

Doug
 
i use the flip til i find it method. that's the best i can do. a liberal arts major, i couldn't 'organize' myself out of a wet paper bag
 
By genre (Country, Classical, Jazz, Pop/Rock...) and then alphabetically by group or artist last name. I also organize each artist/group releases chronologically oldest to newest. Classical music would be the exception to this.

I try to keep my classical music collection organized by composer but it's not always possible. As such, it's somewhat disorganized as more than one composer can be found on an album. Especially with the Living Stereo SACDs (which are grouped together). When I want to hear a specific recording it takes a bit longer to find. :)

Soundtracks and compilations have their own little corner. For awhile I was collecting the Have A Nice Day 70's series from Rhino so I've got quite a few of those.

Cheers
 
If I ever get my music totally organized it's gonna form a union and go on strike for better pay and working conditions. Especially the tapes 'cause I get 'em cheap and make them live in boxes.
 
I used to organize alphabetically by artist, and then chronological by artist.

I kept rock, jazz, and classical separate.

These days, I have no organization whatsoever and I have CDs and LPs in five different rooms of my house.

I'm afraid if I organize, my wife will ask why I have 5 "Sticky Fingers" LPs.

I'm afraid I have no sane answer for that.
 
Somewhere there is a thread just like this.. about a week old.. or I'm having bad de javu....

Funny this came up though... My wife was just asking me how I was putting them in the new shelf... and I told her apha'tized... and by first name.. Pat Benetar is under P before Pat travers...

OK.. not problem with that... but then she said I was putting the albums in backwards...

I said.. "you can't" ..
"Yes you are, you pull them out with your left hand, and you are looking at the back of the album"

eeerrr... "no, you have to look at the other side ... or pull it out with your right hand.. "


"well why don't you put them in so the front is facing the other direction?"

"I will when they start making the spine on the other side of the cover" ...

:screwy:
 
I'm still working on it as I've recently setup a bunch of 4x4 Expedit shelves around the house but my the rock collection is in one big 5x5 Expedit in my main listening area, and is sorted alpha by bandname or artist last name, and I put most artist solo albums in the section with their biggest band, for example Graham Nash or David Crosby solo is in with the CSN's. I try to arrange chronological within the band titles, from earliest to latest, followed by the solo titles, but that's been hit and miss since I only have only gone through about 1/2 of the records. I have a separate Expedit for the Jazz and blues titles. The soundtracks, musicals and comedy records are shelved in the utility room (probably 100 titles). Classical, which I'm not into and has shown up in collections I've bought, is in a hallway closet for now, 300 or 400 titles.

I can't fit all the records in the living room, my main listening area. I have turntables and Expedits in the bedroom and mancave rooms, so once I've gone through all the records and sorted out the crap and the dupes, I have to figure out how to organize across these areas so that I have access when I want to listen to records in those rooms.
 
I want my LPs stored so that I can see the face of the cover as I flip through them. I have several sets of those adjustable steel storage shelf units with particle-board shelves. I arranged one shelf to store some of my LPs by adding 1"X4" boards across the front and the back of the space to make a bin for the LPs. I mounted a thin fluorescent light on the underside of the shelf above. That gives me 4 rows of LPs that are nearly two feet deep. I thought that would give me enough storage room for my Goodwill and garage sale LPs but no, not quite. I now need at least two more 4' X 2' shelves. Until then, milk crates and file boxes are scattered everywhere. My original vintage quality LPs are stored upstairs with a similar shelf arrangement in an armoire that I use as a stereo cabinet.

I kind of sort them alphabetically by category by type of music with more emphasis on the category than the alphabet. I do like the idea of using the first name of the band alphabetically instead of the last name. I may give that a try when I add those additional shelves and reorganize. Thanks for the suggestions.
 
Very loosely by Classical, Jazz/Blues & Rock and then alphabetically. It causes some dilemmas - i.e. are Stevie Ray & Janis Blues or Rock? - but then I go with what just feels right.
 
I'm pretty much like everyone else; I seperate by genre, then alphabatize and sort by date of release. Only quirk is I keep solo recordings by members of a group with that group. For instance all Beatle's solo stuff is at the end of the groups recordings. Same with group related; Rutles stays with the Beatles and so on. Don't know why I do that, I'm just wierd that way. Come to think of it, I'm pretty much wierd most ways.
 
KeninDC said:
I used to organize alphabetically by artist, and then chronological by artist.

I kept rock, jazz, and classical separate.

These days, I have no organization whatsoever and I have CDs and LPs in five different rooms of my house.

I'm afraid if I organize, my wife will ask why I have 5 "Sticky Fingers" LPs.

I'm afraid I have no sane answer for that.
Click to expand...

So have you had to make cardboard dividers for them so that the zipper doesn't chew up the back of the one in front of it? I hate when that happens.
Sticky Fingers is worth having in every room of the house. It's a longevity good-luck talisman.:thmbsp:
 
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