Author Topic: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?  (Read 9523 times)

frugaliknowit

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Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« on: July 03, 2014, 12:36:50 PM »
Hi,

I live a rather mustachian existence within a 600 SF condo.  In the interest of de-cluttering (saving space), is there any reason to keep music c/d's (mostly original, some not) when I have them all digitized (ripped to apple/itunes files) and saved on a laptop, plus backed up on an external hard drive?  The risk of a fire destroying both drives is very low as the condo building is pretty much fire-proof (I suppose I could back everything up again "on the cloud").

GuitarStv

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #1 on: July 03, 2014, 12:41:10 PM »
Nope.

CNM

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #2 on: July 03, 2014, 12:43:01 PM »
Nope.  And I wouldn't bother backing up to the Cloud.  I found that my musical tastes change and most of my CDs from 10-15 years ago I barely listen to.

neo von retorch

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #3 on: July 03, 2014, 12:43:25 PM »
I've had my music CDs sitting on a shelf since the moment I ripped them. Many years have passed. Save yourself the space (and mental clutter) and offload them sooner than I did :-)

ketchup

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #4 on: July 03, 2014, 01:51:02 PM »
No, there really isn't.  I have decided for myself that once I lean down my CDs, I'll set some hard limits for myself (x amount of total CDs, y maximum per artist, etc).  But I'm still sitting on far too many at the moment.  DVDs/Blu-ray movies too.  I always pick them up cheap, but I just have too many right now.

RyanAtTanagra

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #5 on: July 03, 2014, 01:51:30 PM »
Definitely not worth keeping as long as you rip them losslessly (FLAC) and have backups.  I say losslessly because you don't know what kind of quality you'll want in the future.  15 years ago 128kbps was good, 160kbps was high quality.  I wouldn't trust any lossy format if I were getting rid of the source media.

totoro

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #6 on: July 03, 2014, 01:58:59 PM »
Agree.  DH is an audiophile but we have donated/sold the CDs.  He has some records he listens to but otherwise we connect the ipad to the sound system and program the music ourselves.  We don't buy DVDs any more either because we use Netflix.

steadierfooting

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #7 on: July 03, 2014, 02:08:13 PM »
dump them!  I've been embracing the technology and dumped my books, cds, and dvds before they became saturated on half.com.  I think I even sold cds before half.com existed...  Made a ton of money recouping costs.  Now everything goes for .75 and is the luck of the draw if something sells.  Most of the time they just go in the trash now.

I have 0 dvds, maybe 40 books (all reference / travel books), and 20 cds, which I keep around in my car for long road trips, I don't keep mp3s on my phone for the once every 2 years I'd use it...


Glenstache

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #8 on: July 03, 2014, 06:21:48 PM »
No reason to keep the CDs. I would recommend thinking about what format you are ripping to, though. I would recommend ripping to pretty much any format except the apple-proprietary format because it does not play well with others. High bitrate mp3s are indistinguishable from other high quality recordings until you get to some pretty non-mustachian audio equipment, and are pretty universal for playability. FLAC is better for audio quality, but not as universally playable.

I put in the effort to completely remove Apple (and their file format) from my music life a couple of years ago and haven't looked back. Virtually all music you would want can be purchased away from iTunes in more user-friendly formats at competitive or much better prices. Future You will thank you.

CarDude

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #9 on: July 03, 2014, 06:25:38 PM »
Nope.

What he said. I've got it all digitally stored.

gimp

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #10 on: July 03, 2014, 06:33:39 PM »
FLACs are great. I can't tell the difference; I have MP3s. Since I tend to listen to music in the car, 48kbps is great. (Often I keep a high-quality format on my drive and a smaller version on my phone.)

Physical copies are worthless and useless.

rocklebock

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #11 on: July 03, 2014, 06:37:57 PM »
Nope.  I have 48GB of music ripped from old CDs on my laptop, backed up on an external drive. The CDs are long gone since 2010 or so. I kept about a dozen for purely artifactual/sentimental value. I would absolutely do the backup though, since I do go back and listen to classics all the time, and I'm a medium-serious music nerd and like having a "library."

Rpesek6904

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #12 on: July 03, 2014, 08:36:54 PM »
I don't even back up my music anymore. You can get free internet radio on Pandora and for $8.99 a month you can have access to every piece of music you can imagine instantly on Spotify. You don't even have to deal with digital storage and other such problems. Lastly, don't give me too hard a time about the $8.99. It is at least partially approved by Mr. MM himself :)

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/09/23/3-per-month-the-largest-possible-music-budget/

BubbaMc

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #13 on: July 03, 2014, 11:25:04 PM »
Illegal to keep the digital files if you've sold the discs.

Something to keep in mind.

swallowtail

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #14 on: September 16, 2014, 12:22:19 PM »
I would really like to build my digital music collection and make it more easily tranportable on a music-only device.  If not Apple, do you all have any recommendations for media players?  I have an iPod- I don't suppose it would be compatible with something other than iTunes?  If you were willing to share your setup, I would be thankful to hear some ideas and options.  I am not sure how to start rebuilding.

Kaspian

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #15 on: September 16, 2014, 01:15:38 PM »
No, but back 'em up!   I backup my digital music collection twice a year to an external hard drive (connected to my PS3) and once a year to a hard drive I keep at my parents' house (offsite backup is super smart).  (Do the same with photos.)  Yeah, 3 copies of everything.
If you want to declutter, I'd suggest keeping the discs and cover art in a binder and chucking the jewel cases.  I have a lot of unique, irreplaceable CDs--some bought from street musicians in different countries, a few autographed ones, and a few rare punk discs that are out of production.  I'll keep those discs until they crumble with age.

frugalnacho

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #16 on: September 16, 2014, 01:22:07 PM »
Nope, toss em.

I use mp3 files.  I keep have a second computer at a second location that mirrors my music drive, so if anything gets corrupt or I lose my computer I still have an up to date back up.

Spartana

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #17 on: September 16, 2014, 01:24:01 PM »
Nope. I don't have a single one. If I do get the urge to have an actual CD or DVD I go to my public library where I can borrow a ton of them for free from their huge media center. I also don't own any books either. Just a few paper maps I like to fondle and draw on. 
« Last Edit: September 16, 2014, 01:30:11 PM by Spartana »

Johnez

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #18 on: September 16, 2014, 03:59:50 PM »
I don't even back up my music anymore. You can get free internet radio on Pandora and for $8.99 a month you can have access to every piece of music you can imagine instantly on Spotify. You don't even have to deal with digital storage and other such problems. Lastly, don't give me too hard a time about the $8.99. It is at least partially approved by Mr. MM himself :)

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/09/23/3-per-month-the-largest-possible-music-budget/

I'd prefer actually possessing the recorded pieces rather than rely on some company to that might go under or severely limit choices.  There are many many songs and albums Pandora doesn't have, and I've noticed my music selections have been whittled down a bit-guess they're getting rid of songs....

OP- have you considered keeping the discs in binders and tossing the cases? I'm admittedly a packrat and do this, but to me it makes sense in case files get corrupted somewhere.

RetireAbroadAt35

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #19 on: September 16, 2014, 04:27:55 PM »
I keep a small number of discs - the ones I would have a hard time replacing if my FLAC rips were lost.

The rest get sold to a local used CD shop.

swallowtail

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #20 on: September 17, 2014, 10:08:43 AM »
Here is an interesting and relevant article that appeared in today's NYT. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/business/media/cd-loving-japan-resists-move-to-digital-music-.html

Mostly it points to economic and cultural factors in Japan which support a thriving CD trade. The comments, however, are a maelstrom of indignation at MP3s shite quality.

BlueMR2

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #21 on: September 17, 2014, 10:10:49 AM »
Illegal to keep the digital files if you've sold the discs.

Something to keep in mind.

This.  I tossed all the cases and liners, but have kept the discs themselves all packed into a container for just this reason.

frugalnacho

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #22 on: September 18, 2014, 09:04:37 AM »
Illegal to keep the digital files if you've sold the discs.

Something to keep in mind.

This.  I tossed all the cases and liners, but have kept the discs themselves all packed into a container for just this reason.

Why?  When is that ever going to come up?  Has that ever happened where someone had their own legitimate copies, didn't share them via the internet, and somehow got in trouble for not having the physical disc or some proof of purchase?  I've never heard of a single case. 

seattlecyclone

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #23 on: September 18, 2014, 11:21:07 AM »
Illegal to keep the digital files if you've sold the discs.

Something to keep in mind.

This.  I tossed all the cases and liners, but have kept the discs themselves all packed into a container for just this reason.

Why?  When is that ever going to come up?  Has that ever happened where someone had their own legitimate copies, didn't share them via the internet, and somehow got in trouble for not having the physical disc or some proof of purchase?  I've never heard of a single case. 

As a practical matter, it's extremely unlikely that you'll get in any trouble for it. From an honesty/morality perspective, I see little difference between keeping tracks ripped from a CD you don't own versus downloading the tracks from BitTorrent. Your opinion may vary.

LibrarIan

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #24 on: September 18, 2014, 11:42:11 AM »
I have a couple things to add. Firstly, if you're getting rid of your CDs and can't get any money out of them, do the planet a favor and send them to a media recycle location. For example, you could send them to http://www.cdrecyclingcenter.org/. They ask for a donation to help keep them afloat, and I feel the small donation is worth it to keep these things out of landfills.

Also, while it is technically illegal to rip your music and resell the discs, I highly doubt you will be caught. But you are still breaking the law.

All that being said, I do own some CDs. The ones I have, however, I use and they are very specific albums from very specific artists. For example, I am a huge Zao fan and own all their work (with one exception) on CD/cassette/vinyl.

When it comes to music, unless I am a giant fan of the artist, I'm not going to buy their music at all, much less on physical discs and whatnot. I will use a plethora of alternatives including library CDs, Hoopla Digital (library streaming service), free Pandora, YouTube, BandCamp and the radio.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #25 on: September 18, 2014, 12:04:21 PM »
These plastic discs disintegrate faster than people think. Entertaining read at  http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/05/the-library-of-congress-wants-to-destroy-your-old-cds-for-science/370804/

That article convinced Mr. FP to pare his collection of actual discs down further.

YK-Phil

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #26 on: September 18, 2014, 12:55:14 PM »
No need to keep. I am in the same process right now. Next time I go back home after my three-week work stint, I will go through the boxes of CDs and DVDs I have in storage for the past several years, since we moved from a 2000+ sq. ft house to a 600 sq. ft condo, and put eveyrthing on Freecycle. With the change of lifestyle, I replaced a lot of my old sedentary activities with biking, outdoors activities, get-together with friends, etc, and we don't even listen to music or watch TV.

Scandium

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #27 on: September 18, 2014, 03:27:29 PM »
Upload all of them to Google music (unless you have more than 20k songs that is). That will serve as cloud backup for free.

I don't consider Spotify a valid backup if you loose it all since you'd then be required to pay $9/month for eternity to listen to music, as you would own nothing. And I listen to old music over and over all the time! I canceled my subscription for this reason. I'd rather buy an album per month and at least have a collection at the end of it, rather than nothing (except an addiction to pay $9/month if I want to continue listening).

Free spotify desktop for finding albums, buy one per month (often less)
« Last Edit: September 19, 2014, 11:01:04 AM by Scandium »

Rage

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #28 on: September 18, 2014, 10:05:57 PM »
Illegal to keep the digital files if you've sold the discs.

Something to keep in mind.

This is not true.  Or at least it is not legally settled.  There is no law, regulation or court precedent in the USA that says this. 

MandalayVA

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #29 on: September 19, 2014, 11:45:46 AM »
Nope.  I ditched a load of CDs when we moved from the Pile in the 'Burbs to our condo.  I use the Evil iTunes but then again I don't buy that much music anymore, maybe an album and ten songs a year or so. 

frugaliknowit

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Re: Any reason to keep music C/D's when trying to live lean?
« Reply #30 on: September 19, 2014, 11:48:52 AM »
Thank you all.  I've donated all of them and appreciate all of your advise!!