How to Organize CD Collection?

I don't have a particular oganization method. Wherever there's space to store CDs, I'll put the newest one there.

CCVP wrote: I don't have a particular oganization method. Wherever there's space to store CDs, I'll put the newest one there.

Artists in alphabetical order, is still working for over 4000 CDs

I rip all mine to a portable hard drive.  That way I have a backup if the CD is damaged/lost, and I don't spend time digging around trying to find the physical copy when I want to listen to it. After that it comes down to the SWAOS method (Shelf With An Open Slot).

I invested in a couple of cabinets with roll-out drawers.  They were kinda pricey but well worth it.  And I store alphabetically by artist, chronologically for each artist.

In alphabetical order regardless of genre. New ones have their own little space and about once a year I'll sort them out and add in the newer ones into the main collection.

I have four racks to store myc CD's: three little vertical ones, and another one inside a TV fourniture. Some of my records are still in my parents' house, but it's just a "sample" of my collection.

I use the cotation of media libraries to organize my collection. Classical music is registered under the cote 1; Jazz music is 2; Rock music is 3, etc...
Then, there are subdivivisions: traditional jazz, swing, New Orleans style is 1.1.; Free Jazz is 1.5; Heavy-metal is 3.5, for example.
Only after this categorization by genres and styles, I organize my records strictly by the alphabetical order: Black Sabbath is at "B", Dio is at "D", King Crimson is at "K", Robert Fripp is at "F", etc.
Then, the year of release is the last parameter of organisation: a compilation released in 1985 is ranged after any other record released in 1984, even if it includes material recorded between 1980 and 1982. Same thing for a live album: if the live album had been recorded in 1973 but released in 1977, it's ranged after a studio album released in 1976.

That's my way.

Mine are in order of best to worst

Some time perhaps next year we're going to have to get a new custom made shelf for the expanding collection, similar to the two we have now. We got the shelves housing about 1800 cds some four years ago and thought they'd be all we'd ever need, but oh how wrong we were. The dvd section has been packed for years, though, so every time we buy something new we have to decide what old to put away to the closet.

Edited by Pekka - August 28 2011 at 01:45

Artist/Unalphabetical/Unchronological.