[brotagonist]

I have IKEA shelves, 4 stacking units, that I have placed side-by-side, two high, to create a nearly 2m-long, low unit with four shelves.

I had the entire collection ordered alphabetically by composer (classical, some ethnic) or performer (jazz and popular, some ethnic), without regard for genre.

I have categorized my collection into four genres: classical, ethnic, jazz and popular. This covers my collection well, without the need to make tenuous exceptions for some albums: categories fit logically. I call it Radio CEJP.

Lately, I had thought I might like to separate the genres, since I mostly play classical, so I wanted those on the upper three shelves (no doubling up, yet ), and the other genres on the lower one (partially doubled up). I stayed up until 3 last night getting it done. Wow! I like it. I no longer need to peer at floor level to get at Wagner or Xenakis.

How do you organize your physical collection? Do you have separate shelves for each genre? Even keep them in separate rooms for different types of listening? Do you have them on shelves or in stacks? How do you deal with exceeding the capacity or non-standard album sizes: get more shelves, double up, etc.? Any unique solutions?

 

[Albert7]

Separate by genre, mostly classical versus non-classical, then it's random otherwise. I don't need to organize much.

 

[MoonlightSonata]

No, not really... I order by a bizarre mix of size, composer and instrument.

 

[joen_cph]

Wish I had more space, also for the books, but do have a certain system. The collection is not in one room, but scattered, giving a somehwat lighter, less cramped effect.

LPs:
- alphabetical by composers;
- operas is a special section, also alphabetical, by composers
- compilations/recitals in special sections;
- albums only kept for the cover designer or considered unimportant - in a special section in a closet;
- albums where I also have the CD: a special section, in a closet
- albums waiting to be given away/sold in a special section (the loft etc.)
- jazz, rock & folk section

CDs: don´t have space for a strict overall sequence, but
- some major composers, alphabetically;
- stacks, mainly ordered by countries of the composers
- stacks, of compilations/recitals
- jazz section
- rock & folk section
- CDRs, alphabetical
- waiting to be given away/sold - in a closet.

 

[brotagonist]

^ Wow! You do have a very unique, but considered and tricky, system, joen_cph! I'll have to study that closer for some ideas.

 

[joen_cph]

Well, it´s just determined by circumstances - the lack of an extra room. I´d love a real, orderly music library in the apartment .

 

[ptr]

I use a mix of Ikea Bonde (illustrative illustration below) and place built shelves in the same style. Each square section take abut 75-80 LPs, as I have a few such beasts I stopped sorting alphabetically when I crossed the 3000 and started an acquisition data base, today each new addition get a serial no when it is added to the "collection". Same goes for CD's and other recorded media (tapes), for the CD's I have double sided place built shelves where each shelf hold about 100 discs. (All the digital files are stored on self mirroring 24GB NAS in a fireproof safe the basement, soon to be up sized)

/ptr

 

[Bulldog]

I used to have a music library that was very neat and ordered when I did cd reviews. Now, my recordings are all over the place and random; that's how I really like it best. I'm always surprised at what I find.

 

[brotagonist]

I used to have a music library that was very neat and ordered when I did cd reviews. Now, my recordings are all over the place and random; that's how I really like it best. I'm always surprised at what I find.

I just use a random algorithm to make the surprise choices :tiphat:

 

[Albert7]

I organized my digital files easily. iTunes in purchased albums are in a laptop which is duplicated. I have a separate desktop to handle CD rips in Apple lossless.

Everything digitally now is handled by album title.

 

[jtbell]

My CDs are mostly grouped by composer, with composers mostly grouped by nationality:

Baroque and earlier, with composers more or less chronologicallly (Purcell, Vivaldi, Handel, Bach, etc.); then Classical and later, with composers arranged chronologically within each nationality:
German and Austrian
French
Italian
Spanish
Hungarian
Russian
Czech
Polish
American
Latin American
British
Finnish
Baltic states
Denmark
Norway
Sweden
Iceland
General Scandinavian/Nordic collections

Multi-composer collections usually fall (at least mostly) within some nationality, and come at the end of the appropriate "national" section.

Finally, I have a section for "miscellaneous collections," mostly performer-oriented.

 

[brotagonist]

I tried the nationality approach once, but it stumbled badly.

Are Schoenberg and Weill German or American? Is Stravinsky Russian or American? Is Handel German or English? Etc.

 

[Albert7]

My CD's are all random honestly. Since I am ripping those to my computers I don't really care for how my CD's are put away. Since I will be loading onto my iPod touch/iPhone from that a ways.

 

[Art Rock]

I have two big main cabinets (and some smaller storage spaces, used e.g. for jazz CD's), one for most of the pop/rock CD's, one for the classical CD's.

The classical CD's are in alphabetical order based on composer last name. CD's with two composers are listed under what I consider the main one, CD's with more than two composers come at the end. Within composers, I order them in the sequence symphonies, concertos, other orchestral, chamber, solo instruments, vocal. The same sequence applies for the CD's with more than two composers.

 

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

I have one shelf which is made up of smaller compartments, similar to the way ptr's shelf is designed but with longer shelves. As to how exactly I organise the CDs, I have ended up with logical system of placing the CDs I most often listen to in places easiest to reach. My Boulez box set, for example, is towards the centre of an upper-middle shelf near some Mozart piano concertos, Mahler symphonies and Anthony Pateras. A number of Elgar recordings are sitting in the bottom corner shrouded in darkness no matter which direction the light is coming from.

 

[brotagonist]

A number of Elgar recordings are sitting in the bottom corner shrouded in darkness no matter which direction the light is coming from.

:lol::lol::lol:

 

[brotagonist]

Within composers, I order them in the sequence symphonies, concertos, other orchestral, chamber, solo instruments, vocal. The same sequence applies for the CD's with more than two composers.

I have been thinking about solving that. So far, within composers, they are willy-nilly. I would need to create another column in my spreadsheet to categorize them that way, otherwise the spreadsheet and the physical collection would end up not having the same ordering (actually, they don't presently, either). And, then, there are the countless albums that have a mix of orchestral, chamber and vocal works. While I have some hundreds of classical albums (and more than twice as many classical discs) now, I think the collection is still small enough not to have to get that refined... yet

This is something to think about!

 

[senza sordino]

I recently bought Ikea Benno shelves that go with the Billy bookcases. I organize alphabetically by composer. Within composer I numerically order the symphonies but not much more than that. If there are two or three composers on the CD, whoever is listed first gets filed under his or her name. For my handful of multiple composer CDs, such as Anne Sophie Mutter or Martha Argerich recital CDs and opera arias CDs etc have their own place, again alphabetically.

Then a separate place for jazz CDs, a separate place for film music and musicals, and finally a place for rock and roll. All listed alphabetically.

Of course, my collection isn't as extensive as many of you here. I've about 400 CDs, but I'm running out of room.

 

[D Smith]

I have two separate shelf units; one that holds classical/opera, the other pop, jazz and broadway. I keep opera in its own section, and the classical organized by composer, then recital discs by artist. My remaining vinyl is packed away now as I have copies of most on CD and really don't have much nostalgia for pops and skips!

 

[Itullian]

By composer, with a few separate areas for favorite conductors.