How often do you trim your collection?

[sps1000]

I'm getting close to the point as I have alot of CDs I want to get rid of due to changing tastes (stuff I bought when I was 15/16/17 that I no longer listen to). My question is how do you get rid of them? and how often do you do it? Also why? Also on average how much do you get per CD? (this is a quarter of my collection, so I want to make sure I can at least get one new CD) Here is a list of the CD's I'm planning on getting rid of (not going to sell them online):

Spider-Man 1 soundtrack
Spider-Man 2 soundtrack
The Ataris- So Long Astoria
Kid Rock- Devil Without a Cause
The Used (self titled)
Staind- Break the Cycle
Avril Lavigne- Let Go
Nickelback- Silver Side Up

Close to the getting rid of list:
Eminem-Marshall Mathers EP
Jet- Get Born

Thank you for the help and info.

[Elliot Kane]

As little as possible, honestly. I'll unload a lot of other things before I start on my music collection - although if I get something I'm not fond of, I'll ditch it fast.

[janggut]

oh yeah, i've got lots that i wanted to get rid off, especially the embarrasing collection of my teenage years (starting from 12 - 14 years of age). ;D

too bad that all of them are cassettes (compact disc killed cassette star) & right now most of them are already badly damaged no matter how well kept. some of them are my beloved collection (especially my PetShop Boys & Soundgarden cassette collection). i would starve many days in school just to save up to buy those tapes.

& due to my cassettes turning to dust, literally, i would download mp3's of those albums (until i can afford to buy the cd's in bulk). nope , no qualms for me since i own original cassettes & they rot on me. cd's for now are much too expensive (buy 14 cd's & all of my salary's gone), especially here in malaysia.

so, nope, i normally would keep my collection (till they turn practically to dust) unless somebody i know has interest in some of them, then i would give them away.

my recent collections especially soundtracks, are going to stay with me for a long long long time since they feel timeless to me.

here's another question related to ditching old stuff; how do u buy your music? do u try them out in stores/online then buy, or do u listen to some of the songs on the radio, or do u download off the net then later on buy, or do u take the chance & buy it off the shelf (probably because the cover compels u to)?

in malaysian music stores, especially ones in my place, they don't let u sample music & most fo the time, they won't even allow that or to even open the plastic cover. once u try out the cd/cassette (yes! that's still on sale here!), they assume that u will buy it. which is why i often check a few out instead of one so that i will end up buying at least one. if u don't do so, the people at the shop would mutter curses & grumble & b*tch. such wholesome experience when buying music!

nowadays i would just download off the net then later on buy it (which is a very difficult thing as my taste of music gets rarer & rarer). of course the easiest to buy would be music closer to mainstream.

[Venom65437]

If I buy it, I keep it forever. Thou I have some CD's I haven't listened to in years. Still can't throw them out. I'm kind of a pack rat thou. And I love music, so you never know when I might want it.

[sps1000]

When I buy music I usually make sure theres more than one or two songs that I like (so usually the CDs are a year old before I buy them), I rarely buy CDs on a whim unless it's a band I like, then I'll buy their next album just because.

I decided to clean my room, and I found a big CD holder with about 20 CDs in it, and I found their cases in the bin the CDs were in. About 13 went into my semi-regular rotation/sentimental value pile, the eight I'm getting rid of are from my two lowest eras, the Avril/guy Avril phase, and my depressing rock era (Spider-Man 2 soundtrack is there because the soundtrack like the movie sucked), and I'd rather not remember those.

I also plan on going back to University in another year and a half so I'm getting to the phase where I'm getting rid of stuff that doesn't have much emotional value or I rarely use. That means anything that doesn't fall into video games (I'm never getting rid of my PS1, N64, GC, and X-Box), comic books or DVDs, and the other three quarters of my CD collection.

[Elliot Kane]

I use the web a lot to find new artists, especially Yahoo Launch, which has introduced me to a fair number of new singers and groups. I'll also follow up recommendations from others by visiting the artists' web sites to check out their songs.

If I already like a group, I will get their next album because I like them, and this will happen until they turn out a duff album, after which they are back to the 'impress me before I buy it' stage again.

Very few artists grab me at one song, and it usually takes a good few I like before I'll get music by a new artist. They also have to have something somewhat unique or interesting about them, as 'sounds like 1000 other bands' might be fine for casual listening, but doesn't impress me enough to want to add their work to my collection.

I have been known to buy albums with a good cover though, it must be said. I discovered quite a few good artists that way, in the past.

[BJC]

I'm somewhat of a saver. I keep basicly all my music, thinking someday I might want to listen to it.

Lately, I've been doing what Jang suggested, I load all the collection onto my MP3 player and ditch the cds...the ones I dont want anyway. It saves alot of space this way.

[sps1000]

I went to the local F.Y.E. and unloaded the CDs. I got 40 bucks for them. Also bought the latest Motion City Soundtrack CD, along with Buffy season 3 on DVD.

There's just not much out here for me right now, as I don't listen to alot of music as it is, and there's nothing that has really spoken to me enough to say "Run out and buy Me! Your collection won't be complete without me!

As for the MP3 player option, they're too expensive otherwise I would buy one.

[janggut]

@ BJC -> i normally would not ditch my collection as in throw them away. i rather give them away to those who would appreciate them (or rather appreciate the effort & money i saved up to buy those).

there are those rare releases which are DVD-only. boy, such things would definitely swallow almost half of my salary in a swallow! i definitely want those but at the meantime, i would just download (ir available) off the net.

people may say what i do is illegal & hurt the music industry & the artists, well, if i cannot check out the music, i will not give the benefit of whatever doubt to even consider. in addition to that, the kind of music i listen to isn't available at all in local stores so even less unlikely to try out. internet has been a boon to me whose taste in music has grown beyond mainstream music distribution & other music & musicians get audience from me who if impressed will definitely order the cd's.

[BJC]

Jang, I didnt mean throw them away, I did mean give them away. I gave a large amount to Lisa not too long ago....the last music that she was into basicly sucked....so it was my duty to give her my old cds and step her up from suck...to kinda really really bad. That way I still have access to them usually. Which I probably will never go for them.

SPS- They are becoming cheaper actually, but most of them are brands out of places like wal mart, the rest are quite a bit expensive.

[janggut]

@ BJC -> ;D

[Dark Phoenix Rising]

Me - I don't trim my collection, I can't remember the names of enough artists or songs/albums to buy enough CD's to need to trim my collection, and I also have cupboards and wardrobes to put the CD's in if I run out of space elsewhere.

[Galadriel]

sps1000 said:

I'm getting close to the point as I have alot of CDs I want to get rid of due to changing tastes (stuff I bought when I was 15/16/17 that I no longer listen to). My question is how do you get rid of them? and how often do you do it? Also why? Also on average how much do you get per CD? (this is a quarter of my collection, so I want to make sure I can at least get one new CD) Here is a list of the CD's I'm planning on getting rid of (not going to sell them online):

Spider-Man 1 soundtrack
Spider-Man 2 soundtrack
The Ataris- So Long Astoria
Kid Rock- Devil Without a Cause
The Used (self titled)
Staind- Break the Cycle
Avril Lavigne- Let Go
Nickelback- Silver Side Up

Close to the getting rid of list:
Eminem-Marshall Mathers EP
Jet- Get Born

Thank you for the help and info.

You can always give me the cd of Avril Lavigne if you are so desperate I really love her music.
I have also a bunch of cd's that I never listen to anymore, but like you are, what I buy I keep. I have nothing to be ashamed off though in my music taste when I was younger. I liked Bon Jovi, Abba, lot of 80's music, Queen and Irish stuff like the Dubliners. If I look back, I don't think my taste has changed a lot ;D

[sps1000]

already got rid of the ones I didn't like, and got enough money from fye to buy a Buffy box set on DVD. Got about 5 bucks per CD.

[ROCKSTARDAVE]

I can't imagine getting rid of ANY of my cds... I still listen to the same stuff I listened to back when I was 13. I listen to a lot more now, but I still listen to those, because well, I'll be honest... I like pretty much any form of music, rock, rock n' roll, blues, funk, jazz, pop, punk, soul, rap, r&b, raggae, ska... etc... oh, I just don't like country and gangsta rap... yeah.

[janggut]

but if it's gangsta country & western rap, u would, right? ;D