How do you organise yours?

In my case, how do I NOT organise my collection. Over 1,000 records and CDs randomly ordered.

Steve

I have used a piece of software for Mac - Delicious Library - to catalogue my music but I have to rely on my grey cells to find any of it physically.

CDs and LPs in Musiccollector Artist alphabetical. Cds have a shelf allocated,LPs are in Artist alphabetical Group first name or solo artist surname.

Howard

The only thing unusual about how my LP's are organized is that they're alphabetical from right to left. This way I'm viewing the front cover as I "scroll" through them. Does this make sense? Does anyone else file like this?

For some reason, my CD's are alphabetized from left to right. Weird, heh?

Entirely random, last played is at the top of one of the piles but I can usually find what I want within about 20 - 30 seconds max from almost 1000 CDs. If someone else has been ploughing through them beforehand though, thats a different story......

Entirely random, (me too but spot the difference!) last played is at the top of one of the piles but I can usually find what I want within about 20 - 30 minutes max from almost 1000 CDs.

Being somewhat anal, I have my music in genres (broadly speaking classical, jazz and then pop/rock/etc.), these genres are then alphabetical by artist (or, in the case of classical by composer), each artist's releases are then in chronological order. With classical music, the ordering follows the same layout as the penguin guide with orchestral works first (i.e. concertos, then symphonies. etc.), followed by chamber, solo instrument, vocal and finally opera; within each of these categories, the subcategories are alphabetised (e.g. the piano concertos come before the violin ones) and then these subcategories are numerically ordered (i.e. symphony 1 before 2, a box set of all they symphonies would come before number 1). When there is more than one recording of the same work, they go in chronological order of recording date. I also have a separate shelf for those annoyingly oversized box sets.

In conclusion, and having just reread that paragraph, I am very sad indeed!

regards, Tam

I thought of arranging them by color, but my wife maintains that I am not artistic enough to do it.

Haim

I found genres too subjective to handle so mine are all alphabetical with some provisos. If it's a band, e.g. The Beach Boys, "the", "an" etc ignored. If it's an artist it's on surname. In some cases I lump former members of a band with the band. An exception would be Brian Wilson, for example, because his solo stuff is so outstanding it merits its own category.

You can tell I've a lot of important things to think about at the moment.

What I've played last is always on the top, the 2nd to last played the next one, and so and so on......

It seems to work well I can almost always find what I last played!

Oh and I keep the cd's away from the lp's. That helps a lot.

I tried to organise mine alphabetically but I got frustrated trying to decide wether to list by first word or last word of artist..so is r.e.m, r or m; also there are some artists which may be techinically listed as first or last letter but by whom I refer to and automatically reach for by their other letter.

see even a post trying to explain myself has got me confused.

now, finding a cd is like playing big box game with playing cards, i just remember where each disc is. I will have to sort out soon, but...not yet!

I have a wife.

i dont know if any of you are fans of Mark & Lard from BBC Radio but they used to refer to their wowalbums being stretched out along the m62, M1...

always makes me laugh when they say it.

This is from my post on Where do you Keep Your Music.

I have a heavy wood coffee table about 6 foot long between my speakers, the drawer has two lines, front is classical back is R&R. Roughly alphabetized. Right cubby hole has favs that get played often, my few jazz recordings and some rock. Current ones sit atop my speaker next to my system. LPs are in my bedroom in a heavy bookcase I got for free from a friend who wanted the garage space. 13 inch shelves are perfect fit for them. R&R in middle shelf is alphabetized by group (but such as the Beatles I keep all the groups solo works together) with cards between them, I'm quite proud of that effort. Classical above are not in order and I'm not really clear on what I have as i bought a friend's collection when he downsized a year ago, but there is an end spot where I keep favs. Boxed sets are on the right. This will be organized this next year I"m sure, I'm tired of not finding what want right away.

glenn

A great heap on the floor at the moment, and a smaller one by the player. It strikes people who come here, that I should not be able to find anything and yet I know where everything is (in the big heap) and even sooner do I know what is on the current playlist (small heap).

I have never had a filing-system, and the only exception was keeping 78 sets together! [Bad joke: Where did the dyslexic dentist keep his patient records? In the filling cabinet!].

It is not that I dislike organisation, but that I never seem to have needed to do it myself.

Fredrik

Strictly A-Z here, with the exception of my 'Cabaret Voltaire & related' and Muslimgauze collections which have shelfspace of their own.

Also use these : I'm sooo sad...

I just got agreement to put a pair of spare shelving units from the den into the listening room. They should fit in the alcoves each side of the fireplace.

I am going for a simple A – Z arrangement for LPs and CDs, the only genre separation will be classical from the rest, plus possibly an “I don’t play them/like them anymore” section, and maybe a sin bin where stuff will go before I get round to selling it on ebay. Or knowing me, refile them because I can't be bothered to go to the trouble of selling them.

Mind you, I like the idea of filing the albums from right to left so that the album covers are visible when rifling through.

This plan will probably last until her indoors decides that she doesn’t like the arrangement and wants the shelving units back in the den. Given this is the first move around in 5 years, I figure I have a few years to get the organisation right before needing to reorganise.

It may seem a sad thing to do, but remember, apart from the time spent wrestling the units out of the den into the listening room, I will be able to amuse myself by playing some music – so I see it as a profitable use of my listening time, and SWMBO will think I am being industrious.

Brad

In immaculate order, carefully filed in my CD, record an audio cassette cupboards respectively. All the ones with black sleeves on the left, then all the red, then all the orange, then all the green, then all the blue, then all the indigo ones, then all the violet, then all the white and then all the multicoloured ones on the right. Trouble is I can never find what I’m looking for which is why I keep the Shirley Collins, Half Man Half Biscuit and Janceck in a separate box for ease of use.

I disorganise mine...
The rest are scattered around the floor and in CD wallets!

EW

For the rock collection, I organize alphabetically within year, using labelled dividers to demarcate the years.

This gets round the requirement to shove 2000 CDs along one space should I buy a new CD by an artist beginning with 'A'.

A side-effect I find beneficial is that the arrangement puts dissimilar artists cheek by jowl and stops me playing the same few CDs endlessly.

Fraser

Mine is organised A-Z for general music, and then I have dedicated shelf for all compilations which I tend to organise in genres ie.dance/chillout/soundtracks etc
At the moment its still sitting in boxes since my move last april

John

Mine starts out nicely organized alphabetically on shelves and reorganizes itself over time in piles of cds on end tables and stacks of lps against the walls.

Once every few months I spend a few hours reshelving them. At least it forces me to play some different music now and then.

Matt

quote:

Originally posted by TomK:
I found genres too subjective to handle so mine are all alphabetical with some provisos. If it's a band, e.g. The Beach Boys, "the", "an" etc ignored. If it's an artist it's on surname. In some cases I lump former members of a band with the band. An exception would be Brian Wilson, for example, because his solo stuff is so outstanding it merits its own category.

You can tell I've a lot of important things to think about at the moment.

Snap - and Smile on 200gm vinly is does sound goos eh!

Mine are segregated into two batches based on thickness (either the + or - side of the redbook standard); each batch is then organized in order of increasing azimuthal eccentricity.

Being blind its rather important that I can find music quickly, even with every CD and LP labelled with brailled dymo tape!

genres are classical, folk, singer/songriter, pop/rock, misc.

Then a to z by group or solo artist; classical is by composer or by artist for those nasty ones with selections of composers on the same CD - they don't think about us , do they?

Trouble is that I have lots of different racks and am running out of space so there are now piles appearing on the floor, tricky to keep alphabetisised.

Anyone with good CD rack nominations?