Organising CDs

Subject: Organising CDs
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 15 May 10 - 05:21 AM

A friend of mine with eclectic musical tastes is re-organising their CD collection, and is minded to do so by genre, not just boring old alphabetical order of artist's name or surname.

What does the team think should be the categories - on the assumption that there is some of everything in the collection.

I think I'd go for: -
Classical (including medieval and early music, and eccelsiastical)
Rock
Americana (including country and new country and blues)
Anglicana
Celticana (now there's an ugly word I just made up)
European and East European to middle east
Indian subcontinent
Far Eastern
World Music

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 15 May 10 - 11:32 AM

Really, the only good system uses a full-text search, so that you don't have to stick to pre-determined categories. I heartily endorse AskSam, though I'm sure there are some others.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 15 May 10 - 12:15 PM

Whatever he does, don't list any as "Folk" or we'll be arguing for months about what is and what isn't... !;>)
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Susan of DT
Date: 15 May 10 - 01:34 PM

Put your list in Excel (output from the CD riping software) and you can sort it on whatever field you want to look at that day. Or use askSam, as Dick suggested.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Thomas Stern
Date: 15 May 10 - 01:49 PM

IMO
organization is a function of the size of the collection, and
how the people using it access the material (and how their minds
perceive the structure of the material).
For small collections (everyone will have their own idea what the
numbers are for them). Random access usually is sufficient. (i.e
a shelf which one "flips" through to find the desired item.
For "medium" collections - some structure is necessary to efficiently
retrieve the desired item - this could be by genre, artist, composer,
etc. Access is by going to the appropriate "section" of the collection (e.g. Blues, Folk, Jazz, Shows, ..... and retrieving
the desired item by sub-sort on title, composer, performer.....)
I've read that there are some people who have organized their recordings by color of the cover - that is what they remember.
For "large" collections a catalog is usually needed to locate an item.
The catalog will point to a location where the item can be retrieved
(Shelving could be by Company label-catalog number, accession number (where items are shelved in order of acquisition, genre-artist/composer/title etc as for medium collections, or other structures meaningful to the user.
If users think of material in terms such as Child Ballad No. xxx,
then a catalog is mandatory. (if the collection has been transferred
to digital media, then it would be possible to arrange items
on an individula track basis - most folks do not do that).
Catagories or genres can be very broad or very narrow. For traditional music it could be localised to a particular region of
a particular country. Categories such as "work songs" "chanties"
etc could be used - whatever is chosen should coincide with the
categories the USER perceives. If FOLK in the users mind covers
everything from Kingston Trio to Texas Gladden, Anglo, and world, no divisions would be useful. If the user perceives differences between "pop" folk, "revival," and "traditional," different cultures
and eras - then more categories ARE needed.
Same sort of analysis applies for other genres, such a Jazz - does the
user perceive meaningful differences between styles, origins, era - then sub-genres become useful (New Orleans, Chicago, NY, Stride, ragtime, Afro-Cuban, et.al.)
Best wishes, Thomas.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Bernard
Date: 15 May 10 - 01:56 PM

...but don't abbreviate 'Indian Sub-continent' to In-continent...!!

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Nick
Date: 15 May 10 - 02:01 PM

I keep it in a little database and can sort it anyway I want - much like the Excel suggester. Just have enough fields and then you can do it as you want and you only need to do it once.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: GUEST,David E.
Date: 15 May 10 - 02:07 PM

I keep odd shaped packages together on a top shelf because they are a pain to store. The classical separate in alphabetical order by the reason I bought it (composer, orchestra, soloist etc) and the Christmas cds by themselves. My three big space eaters (people I have more than 50 cds of) on another shelf and everything else regardless of if it's country or jazz or folk or blues or whatever just A through Z. It's a system that works well for me.

David E.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: GUEST,999
Date: 15 May 10 - 02:14 PM

Organize the CDs according to the second letter of the title. For example, Over the Moon would be filed under V.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: GUEST
Date: 15 May 10 - 02:28 PM

I am looking at my CD storage unit now. It reads as follows.

Folk
Folk Compilations
Blues
Jazz
Classical
Classical Compilations
Pop & Rock
Sinatra
Humour


I used to have a section of Mudcatters CD's, but I have now melded them into the general meleé

My cassettes are mostly either Classical or Folk, and are in alphabetical oreder. I am gradually transferring them to CD's

I have some audio books on cassette too.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 15 May 10 - 04:15 PM

What have you got against Australia, Africa and Latin America, Richard?

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 15 May 10 - 04:50 PM

I am looking at my CD storage unit now. It reads as follows.

Folk
Folk Compilations
Blues
Jazz
Classical
Classical Compilations
Pop & Rock
Sinatra
Humour


I used to have a section of Mudcatters CD's, but I have now melded them into the general meleé

My cassettes are mostly either Classical or Folk, and are in alphabetical oreder. I am gradually transferring them to CD's

I have some audio books on cassette too.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 15 May 10 - 05:21 PM

The user is not computer savvy, so that is out. I, conversely, did my first degree thesis on information retrieval, so commentators trying to weird me with a bafflegab thesaurus can butt out. Also any text retrieval or KWIC system is not viable for the user. I understand the Dewey system (although not necessarily the modifications made by Stott which somewhat remind me of the library in Ankh-Morpork), can explain false drops in a notched edge retrieval system, and I remember being asked to assist a partner of mine in a certain lawfirm with some advice to a funny man who claimed to have invented the hyperlink, and who later wrote to my said partner that i was "very well informed for a lawyer".

Australian is "Anglicana" - only recently not a colony.

Africa and Latin America and Cuba are "World".

Sinatra and Humour are not music.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 15 May 10 - 05:44 PM

Just as an example of what can be done with a full-text database, I have some 3500 CD title (it my business, after all). I can select by Label, Artist, Genre,, country, Title, or by any song or tune on any CD.

Further, i can tell instantly where to find the CD once I've identified it.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Gurney
Date: 15 May 10 - 05:48 PM

My collection is shared with someone who likes genres that I'm not so fond of, so it is (sort of) organised by category, except that I have a category of female vocals. Always my first stop.

The problem with the organisation is; leaving room for additions.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 15 May 10 - 06:01 PM

Oh, female vocals are always a problem.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Stower
Date: 16 May 10 - 08:56 AM

A bee in my particular bonnet, Richard. Medieval and early music are no more classical than folk is, and there are more good reasons for listing under 'folk' than under 'classical'. If it were me, I'd have a separate 'early music' category or, depending on the size of your early music collection, further categories of 'medieval', 'renaissance' and 'baroque' (all before the classical period).

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 16 May 10 - 06:33 PM

Well that tells me that you have neither an ear for, or decent taste in, music, Richard.
You may choose to disparage other people's taste in music, but remember, not everybody shares your tastes either.
The fact that you don't need a section for humour, is not a surprise.
(BTW, where would you put Gerard Hoffnung?)

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Stower
Date: 16 May 10 - 06:38 PM

I've never understood the term 'world music'. Where else does music come from? Do we need a category for Venusian and Martian? :-)

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: RTim
Date: 16 May 10 - 07:57 PM

My daughter's partner - my Sin in Law - has a very novel way of sorting his CD's
- By Colour!!

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Gurney
Date: 16 May 10 - 11:36 PM

Novel. I sometimes think "I'll have a bit of Blues." I have never thought to have a bit of red.

Seriously, the reason for sorting is to find the one you want, so if you can remember the colour, why not?
I have thought of having a category colour, so misfilings are easily seen. Paint or a label.
Sin in Law? Did you oppose the marriage?

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Dick The Box
Date: 17 May 10 - 03:29 PM

Had you noticed that Organising CDs abbreviates to OCD....

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Rowan
Date: 17 May 10 - 06:14 PM

Australian is "Anglicana" - only recently not a colony.

William Kimber in amongst the Yunupingus (or vice versa); now, there's a novel notion of common attribution.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Joe_F
Date: 17 May 10 - 06:24 PM

My classes are

Christmas
Vocal: anthologies
Vocal: alphabetical
Instrumental

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: RTim
Date: 17 May 10 - 06:50 PM

Regarding -my Sin in Law - They are NOT married!! But they have been together almost as long as me and my second wife - fast approaching 18 years together.
I used to have a Doubter in Law as well - same reason, but they are now married!

I love PUNS.

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 17 May 10 - 07:03 PM

Australian is "Anglicana"

I'd be careful about saying that in the presence of Australians, Richard.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 17 May 10 - 08:52 PM

I also liked the idea of CD RIPING in an earlier post on this thread!
May you be PUNished for your SIN IN LAW TR!

My "folk" collection tends to go by countries and alphabetically within a country, with Scottish being the biggest collection, then Irish, English, a very few Welsh, a whole box for Northern Spain, N American (USA and Canada in one box), then "other" for the rest of the world.
Then I have pop, and "classical" (OK Stower - I know all about renaissance, baroque, neo-classical, etc but they're still all lumped together), spoken word, Christmas, and "family" - my son's and my own recordings.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Jack Campin
Date: 17 May 10 - 09:16 PM

For classifying most things, I cluster. (Exception: Western art music alphabetizable by composer, which is easy). If I see a similarity between two CDs I try to put them close to each other. This process eventually creates categorizations that make sense for what I've got and how I think about it. The end result isn't the important part, though a lot of the categories I've ended up with are reasonably explicable ones. I quite oten move bunches of stuff when my perceptions of relationship change or when I hit a space problem. Appropriately, gypsy music seems to be the most mobile.

(My most personal category , stored in the least accessible places, is "music I will never willingly listen to again myself but which somebody else might want to make use of" - that includes everything from WW2 nostalgia CDs used at funerals to virtually all pop and rock).

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Rowan
Date: 17 May 10 - 09:18 PM

McGrath, I reckon Richard might be trading on our forgiving nature. And Slim Dusty's adherents might prefer their genre to be among Richard's Americana rather than his Anglicana. Then again, to make any worthwhile comment on such things you'd probably have to have had some experience of Australian music beyond the Bert Lloyd- Martin Wyndham-Read expositions.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 18 May 10 - 01:29 AM

Does having lived in Australia count?

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Tangledwood
Date: 18 May 10 - 03:56 AM

That can't be discounted.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: JennieG
Date: 18 May 10 - 04:11 AM

We sorted our CDs a while ago into:

solo artists in alphabetical order (shared stuff)
duos/trios/groups in alphabetical order (shared stuff)
anything before 1900 in alphabetical order - that's my stuff, covers early music, renaissance, baroque, Himself doesn't buy those CDs although he enjoys listening to them

That's about it, really....no genres for us.

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 18 May 10 - 04:22 AM

My real CDs I have a simple filing system - those I am more likely to listen to go at the front of the shelf, the rest at the back. I rarely buy new CDs now as there are more and more I am less and less liely to have the time to listen to again.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 18 May 10 - 04:42 AM

Throw everyting on various shelves all over the house.

Suddenly remember that you think you just may have "Spoons in E-flat minor" by Ripercorsetsoff and have an urgent need to listen to it.

Turn the house upside down looking for it.

Find "Tales of Progressive Pretensions" by The Mouldy Yes Pinks and become distracted,

Listen to the radio instead.

Sorted!

DeG

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 18 May 10 - 05:11 AM

I found my vinyl lps were so much easier to store and organise

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Morris-ey
Date: 18 May 10 - 05:21 AM

Classical
Folk
Other

All definitions mine alone.

Listed on xl spreadsheet.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Abdul The Bul Bul
Date: 19 May 10 - 04:02 AM

My system is almost identical to D El G's. I expect he forgot to mention the occasional trip to the car during the hunt.
Al

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: mandotim
Date: 19 May 10 - 04:13 AM

I asked my younger daughter...she said 'Cd's, how quaint. Have you old people never heard of ipods and playlists?'. Oh well...:)

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: GUEST,Gail
Date: 19 May 10 - 04:46 AM

At last, a topic on which I have some, ahem, experience! Having been a university librarian (except we're not called librarians any more)for 30 years, I secretly regard classification of a physical collection as an imperfect compromise to try and cover as many bases as possible. After all, a book/CD may sit well in more than one genre but can only be physically shelved in one place. Who hasn't gone into a book/record shop and tried to guess which category includes what you want?

At home your filing system doesn't have to be universally accessible so put them in whatever order you can most easily live with. For me it's a single sequence in alphabetical order of artist, regardless of genre, because I can almost always remember who sang/played what I'm looking for.

I do also have mine listed in an Access database but that's only because when I was burgled the insurance company wanted a list of the CDs which were taken and I had no means of working out what had gone and what hadn't.

Incidentally, the most common unanswerable question people ask at library counters is where to find a book whose title and author they've forgotten, but they can remember it's red/blue/green.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Tootler
Date: 19 May 10 - 06:10 AM

When my collection was good old fashioned vinyl, I had them separated into folk/pop and classical. Classical were shelved in alphabetical order of composer and folk/pop were in alphabetical order of performer.

About half of my CD collection is shelved in categories of Early music (basically renaissance and earlier), Classical (baroque and later), folk and pop. I don't then organise them further; it is easy enough to scan the shelves so further organisation is not needed.

The other half of my CDs are in series of random access CD storage boxes stacked up in the conservaotory because I have not yet got a round tuit for sorting them out.

My collection is fairly small so finding something is not usually too much of a problem.

Subject: RE: Organising CDs
From: Bernard
Date: 19 May 10 - 08:33 AM

A round tuit can usually be made using an old CD or even vinyl album that is no longer wanted. Cutting one out of cardboard is also an option...