CD Organisation: Ditching Jewel Cases! Did I Make the Right Decision???
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- čas přidán 5. 10. 2023
- I have started to swap out my CD jewel cases for thin plastic wallets to save stuff and organise music and CD collection.
These are my thoughts on the process so far. - Hudba
You are very brave man Matt. I’ve over a 1000 CDs but would never replace the jewel case for me it’s one of the essential parts of collecting this medium….great video and I’ve subscribed too…
Thanks for the subscribe! Yeah it wasn't an easy decision but it was the only way I would be able to carry on collecting, so needs must!
For those wary of doing this: it's worth remembering you don't need to sleeve ALL your discs. I'm just doing it (at least to start with) for sections of my collection that I don't dig into very often. For example, I have a lot of pop, dance and hip-hop compilations and mix CDs and I rarely play these, so I'm starting with those. Some of them are very bulky too, so this is the best place to start to save space. I'm leaving my black metal collection be, since a lot of those are digipacks and digibooks, and it would be a real mess to try and sleeve that section.
What I'm saying is that it doesn't have to be all or nothing :)
Do what makes you happy. I keep mine in jewel cases and sleeves to protect the cases. :)
I love my music!
I've tried this and I've got some in book wallets too but in the end the jewel cases are without doubt the best packaging.
Nowadays i digitise the music and the cd's just live somewhere in a box.
A Brit with Hootie And The Blowfish! I'm impressed! I'm obsessed with Queen, too...and, "Queen II", lol.
I understand you are doing it to save space but it's a big mistake in my opinion. For one, you can't see the spines if you want to play something. Secondly, by constantly flipping through them and pulling them out to find the right cd, you will start to crease the inlays through general handling. Thirdly, some cds come with certain colour trays so this info will be lost once you strip an album of all it's original packaging (not to mention some albums such as Pink Floyd have an actual design on the tray edge itself). Also, if you ever come to sell any, you have no boxes unless you have kept them somewhere else which kind of negates the space-saving exercise. I personally would come up with another solution to store some of the cds in another room and switch them out now and again.
Yeah I get what you mean. If I had the space I wouldn't do it for sure. I have kept any coloured trays and any cases that are embossed. There's not that many so it's easy to store them.
I'm fairly careful handling them but it's true they're not as robust like this.
It's really just about the space. I don't have the room to keep expanding the collection without sacrificing the jewel cases.
You make a great point of flipping through them, it will damage them in the long run, I’m glad I never did it !
Better to sort out and sell the crap, from PSB and downwards
Flipping through doesn't damage them. I've had CDs like this for years and the inlays are fine. The sleeves I use leave a little empty space at the top where I flip.
@@fugginbazzasame here. Most of my CD's are in sleeves for over 10 years. No damage whatsoever.
aside from a few 'special' jewel cases.. I got rid of mine 10 years ago. It was a great choice for me - I have thousands from radio days . I don't show off my music collection that's why it was an easy choice for my needs.
I love my jewel cases, the protect the goods inside. They don't take up that much rooom. Certainly better than damned LP's! What i do hate is the CD Diamonds that break off the disc holding centre grip. I'm always trying to find replacement cases. Bad move... you will regret it one day. Each to his own..... but I'm shaking my head.
Yeah those little tabs always break off 🤣
I dunno, if I regret it in the future I can always put them back in jewel cases again. They're cheap to buy on Amazon, etc. Will need to move into a bigger place first though!
Just started back to collecting last summer. Had only a few CDs after loosing a good size collected twice in the mid and late 90's. Within a year I'm back to 600 CDs and have all of them in the sleeves and recycled the jewel cases. Don't and won't regret it one bit. Will never sell them so not worried about the loss of value. My plan is to pass them on to my sister whose 22 years younger than me and she said she'll pass them on to the next music lover in the family. So hopefully they be in the family for generations. I also RIP all of them to my PC and Phone so I can always have my collection with me.
Hi Matt this is something I think I need to do. Thanks for sharing your ideas 👍
It definitely frees up a lot of space!
Alright Matt,
I did it and regret every second of doing it . Devalued my collection and it looks crap on my shelves, to the point I disowned them and put them in boxes. Huge Huge mistake.
All the best.
That's a shame. Hopefully you can get them back in jewel cases and restore them to how they looked before!
@@mattsmusichannel Once they’re gone they’re gone , no way Jose !
@@mikewest1542 99% of Jewel cases are interchangeable. It's no trouble to put them back into a jewel case.
I've always hated jewel cases for the simple reason that they break far too easily. Give me a digi pack any day.
Yes..digipack that wear out or if it tears it can't be replaced.
Hey Matt! Just stumbled across this. Great tip, but I don;t think I could bring my self to so this after having CD's for 40 years. I get where you're coming from, but I just need to see the spine. Will check out more of your videos. just gave you a sub.
Thanks for the sub, it's greatly appreciated. Yeah it's nice when you can see the spin facing towards you. I thought it would be a pain but you can thumb through them fairly easily. I did 500 as a test and I'm waiting to see if I regret it. If not I'll do the rest. It certainly frees up space!
Matt, I recently bought a large lot (380) CDs without the jewel case but all the artwork. This looks like exactly the solution I’m looking for.
What is the name of this product and where can I buy them?
Thanks! Ken
I've noticed that many new CDs come in just a cardboard sleeve rather than the traditional plastic jewel case.
The cardboard sleeve scratches the CDs very easily and it is often difficult to get the discs out.
I’ve looked at 2 other videos on here and I even bought the sleeves to replace the CD plastic boxes, however I couldn’t do it, it’s part of the package.
I did however do it to my DVDS .
Yeah I think I'm gonna do the DVDs and blu rays too!
For every person doing this there is another searching out good condition original jewel cases (not cheap repros or cdr cases) to restore their collection or 2nd hand purchases. Please don't put undamaged jewel cases in landfill, I'm sure they can be given away on your local marketplace of choice.
Very good point!
This was an easy trabsition for me because I loathe jewel cases and digipacks
Enjoyed the video! I`ve done about 250 so far and not dwelling on any type of regret because with lack of space it simply had to be done. I actually have some plastic wallets mixed in with jewel cases and have the plastic wallets pulled out a fraction. If you approach your cd shelf from the right hand side you can see the plastic sleeve `spine` clearly and for your jewel cases you approach shelf from head on and can clearly see the spines of your jewel cases!
Thank you, yes I've found the same. It's not been an issue finding things. It definitely makes a massive difference with space too.
I have been collecting CDs from my early 20s on, I'm 58 now. What I did fairly recently: ripped all my CDs to lossless files and put them on a NAS, then threw the CDs out but kept the booklets. I now stream my music and buy no more CDs, only lossless files.
I'm very happy with it but I think too radical for you. It definitely solves the storage issue though and aren't those jewel cases ugly?
Granted, ripping all my CDs was arduous.
I did that in the early 2000's and deeply regretted it years later. I've since been trying to buy back everything I had back then!
Didn't keep the booklets though, that might have softened the blow.
Yeah jewel cases are ugly, bulky and brittle. Not a fan! 🤣
I'd like to get some but im afraid that i won't be able to read the spine and the other issue is that i hate the plastic flap. That WILL infuriate...I think i'd have to fold it inside, but if it started creasing and coming out when i removed the disc i will become ferral.
It is your stuff. Do what you want.
My thoughts exactly! 🤣
Hi Matt, that was fantastic, i went to Amazon straight away after watching your video but there is a lot of different brands with good and bad reviews. Can you give me the brand name you are using as you described them very well. Thank you..
Nice to hear you go thru the pros and cons of different storage formats.
I’ve done this with many of my CDs Matt. I’m very pleased with the results. I do however, keep the jewel cases in the attic although it’s. Ot difficult to replace them for new if you need to sell any
Yes, I also kept a few jewel cases. There were some that had unusual colour trays, or embossed writing on them so they'll stay in case I ever want to sell the CD. I threw away all the boring basic ones though as it's easy enough to get new ones if I need to and a new case will make the CD look great again anyway.
I did this about 10 years or more ago and I have never had any artwork or CD damage, I even at one point had them in flimsier sleeves than the more robust ones I have now. The ones I use are large enough to store the tray card without folding. All my CDs are in artist then year of release order and are easy to find, plus digipaks act as reference points in the collection. The only problem you would have finding CDs would be if you stored your collection haphazardly. I’ve over 4000 CDs so this was a big deal and any CD with a case with a specific design stays in the CD case, any with o-card covers go into into sleeves and the o-card stored in the loft with the jewel case….but I have to say o-card covers are a complete waste of time. Devalue the collection? Not planning on selling it, but I’ve plenty of CDs that are rare (for now, who knows if they be still desirable in 10 years) and if I was selling one I’d probably put it in a spare case of which I have a few….but then again, how much do you want the CD?? Would you miss out on something that you have been after for years and years because it doesn’t have a case? Plus how many times do you buy a second hand (or even new in some cases) CD in a case and find on delivery that it’s broken, filthy, the tabs broken off the tray hub rattling around against the CD surface? Then you replace the case and in a few years it looks nearly as bad or you’ve broken the hinge or tabs on the hub again. No thanks chum, I’m through with that game - straight into the bin and into a sleeve. :D
I’ve been seeing more of this “solution”, but mostly from UK channels. Which makes sense since homes are smaller there than somewhere like North America. I personally couldn’t pull the trigger on doing this (same goes for my retro video game collection). It’s part of the original CD and part of the experience.
I would possibly do this if I had thousands of CDs, but then it’d only be to music I care less about. But not really a problem for me as I have a curated collection and don’t usually buy or listen to an album unless I truly like at least half the songs. I also tend to stick closer to mostly 80s and 90s Alternative/Grunge rock. I have a very small collection of rap and have actually started to get into Jazz a bit. The main issue I would have with the sleeves is the potential for scratching the discs over time, constantly pulling/sliding them in and out. But I definitely understand the argument for them especially from the aspect of limited space.
I suspect not having thousands of CDs is the key here. It's not worth doing this for anything if you have a smaller collection. I am doing this for CDs, where I have around 1,500, but I'm not doing it for films, where I have around 150. Of course, it does change how I think about colleting, and I'm considering buying more DVDs and blu-rays that I'm curious about, knowing they don't HAVE to take up lots of space on the shelves.
@@devononairMakes a lot of sense, I have a similar approach.
Things in heavy rotation or things having a strong sentimental value (or resale value) are left in the original packaging. Maybe ~10% of my collected physical media. Prized boxsets of course remain intact.
Other stuff that I may or may not listen to/watch/play again in the future are stored/archived in poly sleeves and they all fit neatly in small card boxes (bit smaller than a shoe box).
I do this for films, tv series, music and games. The reduced footprint actually makes it easier to find things fairly quickly…
Cheers!
I've done it and have them in converted CD towers which act like a record crate so they're all front facing rather than side on. I can flip through without coming close to damaging or creasing the inlays. The plastic wallets I have are a little larger than the ones in this video so there's a good centimetre or so of empty space at the top so accidentally creasing just isn't an issue. Sliding inlays in and out of jewel cases is way more likely to cause damage with the little retaining tabs.
Any CD in a digipack or where the jewel case has a unique design goes on a different shelf.
As for bronzing it isn't an issue. That's a manufacturing defect and if something isn't showing signs now then it's very unlikely to in the future.
I like the idea of the CD tower horizontally so you can flip though them like records. Very cool. Like being in a record store.
Yeah disc rot is very uncommon. I've only had a handful like that.
Currently doing this myself 👍 so much more room 👌🏻
Nice one. It definitely makes a difference!
Hi Matt.. Hiw many cds do u have.?
I do this with DVDs, I’m debating doing it with my Blue Rays but I haven’t decided yet. I do this with cds I don’t like anymore or aren’t that good to take up shelf space but I couldn’t part with the vast majority of my cases even if I have to store some in bins. Nice content, I’ve subbed I like Cds as much as vinyl also.
Do you organise cds alphabetically by artist, christian or surname, genre?
Is this going to create ring wear?!
I dislike jewel cases - much prefer the digi case when I can get them. 😎
Yeah definitely. They can be a lot more creative and tactile than the jewel cases. A lot of them are slimmer too, so take up less space on the shelf!
Interesting. Personally I dislike digipacks because they start to damage very quickly unless you sleeve them (and then they become less convenient). They also can't be replaced! But I think I might be part of the minority, as a lot of people seem to like them.
I only buy cds in jewel cases as like how it protects the cover,other packages always seem to have damage when i shop & i am not keen on other packaging.
Yeah I know what you mean. They're really good at protecting the disc and the cover art, booklet, etc and if I ever move into a (much) bigger place I would be glad to be able to keep them. Sadly, where I am at the moment I just don't have the space.
awesome vid. i had to put my cd collection in books 15 years ago due to home area constraints. ive the space now, but im not willing to shell out the dough for jewel cases. this idea is brill! where do i find these cd envelopes? peace
Big mistake getting rid of the cases. Esp if you lose the inlay cards. I did that back in the 2000s for a while on advice to get CD binders etc and regretted it later. Missing inlay cards, couldnt trade or sell old CDs without the cases.
Yeah I'll always keep the inlay cards. For me., that's a big part of the experience of physical music. I agree it will devalue the collection, but I'll never sell it so I'm not worried about that. In my case I only had two choices: This or stop buying CDS as I'd run out of room!
@@mattsmusichannel I agree it will devalue the collection, but I'll never sell it,dude you dont know what the future holds ,you might need the cash so day .
I did this with all of my DVDs. I’ll love it it’s pretty much quadrupled the amount of space I have if not more I have over 7000 titles in my collection now and it only takes up the room of about 1500.
Ditch the cd's all-together. Rip all to FLAC, scan artwork. Backup on more than one drive, with one preferably offsite.
Part of the reason for starting to collect CDs again a couple of years ago was that I ripped all my CDs to a hard drive in the early 2000s and gave away all the discs. I deeply regretted it in the end and am really enjoying having a real physical music collection again!
@@mattsmusichannel Whatever works for you my friend! I ripped and backed up all my stuff on multiple drives. I play with a DAC from my computer to receiver and couldn't be happier. Freed up some space in my music room too ;-)
Haha yeah space is the only downside really. It's definitely a sacrifice in that regard 🤣
Do it. In fact save the .wav files and ditch them all together
Haha no way my friend! I made that mistake 20 years ago and deeply regretted it lol.
Physical media is still the way to go, digital files are so easy to lose . CD, vinyl, film camera fan here.
Matt in my opinion that move is unnecessary as to not only make the storage and information /spline sorting (plus back & forth a pain) but this will greatly devalue your collection. If you don't value your collection or the eventuality of succession of your estate and your CD's - then go for it.
Yeah I really don't care about the value. I'll never sell the collection and if I sell the odd CD here and there I'll put it back in a jewel case.
What I care about is collecting music and I'd simply run out of space to do so without doing this.
Jewel cases are dirt cheap and widely available. So long as the CD was in a generic jewel case then it's not an issue putting it back in one.
@@fugginbazzaindeed, most second hand jewel cases will be in terrible condition. I only care about the cd and the artwork.
@@timchromecast Really? I often buy second hand lots and the cases generally aren't in 'terrible' condition. As long as they're clean and not damaged they are absolutely fine for the function they serve.
I hate jewel cases, but I don't hate them that much.
It's not really a question of love or hate for me. I just needed to find a way to be able to keep collecting music.
@@mattsmusichannel Well, I understand that. Limited space, infinite music!
My secret? I have a collated collection. I keep all my shitty CDs in boxes in the loft. Stuff I bought but I will never listen to. The GOOD stuff? Well that's in my studio with me, where I make my own music. I regularly go through the collection and banish stuff to the loft! Then a few years later I think, "Didn't I have that Oasis album a few years ago?" and I have all the fun of scrabbling about on my hands and knees, with my aching back trying to find a CD I don't even like for some kind of stupid project that's come up.
Life as a music fan is tough.
@periurban Haha I feel your pain mate! 🤣 Wouldn't have it any other way though. What kind of music do you make?
@@mattsmusichannel Imagine Hawkwind meets Frank Zappa behind Brian Eno's house on the anniversary of the invention of Krautrock. Oh, and Neil Young is rooting around in a nearby dumpster for his old copy of Ziggy Stardust. This is the first track off my latest album Hotel Messerschmitt, which is about aliens who visit from Andromeda, take on human form and get kidnapped by a sleazy south coast hotel proprietor called Uncle Tommy. It's a complex plot, involving at least one trip to hell, and it's all played by a cast of nightmarish characters of my own invention. Think Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War Of The Worlds without Richard Burton, or Rick Wakeman's Journey To The Centre of the Earth without David Hemmings. Or even Flash Fearless vs The Zorg Women without Jim Dandy or Alice Cooper. Actually, forget all that. It's more like Dark Side Of The Moon, but you realise there is no dark side (that's a clever reference to a line from one of the songs), or AC/DC's Back In Black, except they didn't come back. Oh, look, just pick an album and it's probably a bit like that, except probably not. [I bet you're sorry you asked!]
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I did that 12 years ago and replaced around 500 jewel cases with same thing which saves space...I get what others are saying about finding cds but I hated jewel cases ...these should've been cardboard cases like vinyl....
In my opinion, the jewel case is a candidate for the worst piece of ubiquitous design in our era.
They are bulky, they break and they aren’t biodegradable. Cardboard is far superior in my opinion.
Some people must like them, however, or they wouldn’t have been designed that way.
Lol yeah totally agree! The cardboard digipaks are much slimmer and if everything came in these we'd all be able to fit more music on our shelves. I think there's more scope for creativity when designing the artwork for them too. More like a gatefold LP.
Funnily enough, as I was putting my CDs into sleeves, I said to myself how good a piece of design the jewel case is: compact, robust, easy to use, displays the front and side artwork. Much better than DVD cases, which are more flimsy, wasteful of space and don't protect the artwork as well.
Just how big is rhe universe anyhow? 🤔
Just big enough for a decent music collection I reckon! 🤣
answering your question... is that you make a bad dicision, yes its a mistake
What would be useful is to find out what your solution would be and why you think it's a mistake!
mistake
I get it, and honestly if I had more space I wouldn't do this, but if the choice is between sacrificing the jewel cases and not buying any more CDs, you'd better believe those jewel cases are going! 🤣
Thank you for the subscribe too btw! 😎👍
Better to keep buying. I think jewel cases are the best case for CDs. Don't like cardboard sleeve cause the edges wear out even after taking care. Thank you for the reply
@@mattsmusichannelmy pleasure. Please keep posting
when you start putting CDs into little plastic sleeves to save space you have too many CDs.
I will never toss my CD jewel cases.
The “CD wallets” may be great in terms of saving space, but in terms of your CD collection’s future value, you’ve killed it. Many stores as well as collectors bypass these things and refuse to even look at them without jewel cases. Keep it in mind if you think a family member may need to sell your collection once you’re gone.
Too many CDs? Sorry, don't understand that one! 🤣
That's true. I really don't care about the monetary value of my collection though. I'll never sell it.
I would never buy a CD from someone who threw out the jewel case. I want mine complete.
As long as i have the music cd , i dont care about the jewel case or artwork.The music is the most inportant thing for me.I do the same thing with my dvd movies.Why keep jewel cases or dvd cases.They take up to much space!
Big Mistake! I bet you threw out mint- vinyl records and replaced with cds BITD.
No never did that!
put simply your butchering the product .the case is 50%of the cd.its a bad idea .