What should I do with my old CD collection?

My favorite thing back in the day was jamming out to some tunes on my old music player. I'd be in my own world, pretending that I could sing while listening to everything from Disney and Broadway music to Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys. The worst freaking thing ever was when I'd really get into my groove, and the bloody CD would skip over and over again. Instead of "oops, I did it again," it would be "oooooo… I... aggggain…."

Why Were CDs Popular?

Once upon a time, physical disc CDs in their jewel boxes with album cover art and liner notes were peak items. A symbol of love and affection was burning music (many times illegally... ahem, Limewire flashbacks) onto a CD and giving it to the person you cared about. 

Physical disc CDs in jewel boxes

WHAT HAPPENS TO CDS OVER TIME?

Unfortunately, the physical disc was super easy to damage and susceptible to warping and "disc rot." If you were too rough with the CD, it would be scratched beyond repair, affecting the audio quality. 

WHY ARE CDS NOT COMMON ANYMORE?

Music streaming services (like Spotify) and digital music libraries (like Apple Music) have changed all that. Polycarbonate plastic CDs are in a swift decline (yet quite randomly, vinyl is making a comeback? Make it make sense...). So a very important question remains, what do you do with your CD music collection?

Music stores were epic

What Should I Do With My CDs?

Transfer your CDs into digital audio files. It's a modern solution; you can conveniently access your favorite audio CD tracks on your devices. 

SHOULD I DIY DIGITIZE MY CDS OR GO TO A PROFESSIONAL?

Can you digitize your CDs at home? Yes, you can. But I wouldn't advise it. Converting CDs is a simple enough process, but it's really easy to do something wrong, which will lead to a loss of quality. If you want the guarantee that your audio files will be up to snuff, go to a professional CD to digital service like Forever Studios.

IS DIGITIZING CDS LEGAL?

So, I will admit before I wrote this article, I did not believe transferring CDs into a digital file was legal. Obviously, I was wrong (goodness, it hurts my pride to say that). As long as you do not sell and distribute the digitized copies to other people (aka, keep it to yourself), turning music CDs into a digital format is legal.

Listen to digitized CDs on your iPhone

How to Convert CDs to Digital at Home:

So, if you've chosen to DIY convert your original CD collection into an online music library, be prepared for a time-consuming task: the ripping process (it sounds vaguely daunting and sinister, doesn't it?).

WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF CONVERTING CDS TO DIGITAL?

1. Choose your CD conversion software! Unfortunately, the ripping process is not magic; you will have to install the program on your computer. 

2. Insert the CD into your computer's built-in optical drive or the external drive you had to buy just for this project (and will probably never use again).

3. Open the CD ripping software, choose the CD, and select the individual tracks you want to convert to digital format.

4. Now you gotta save the bugger. Name it something you'll remember (like... oh, I don't know... the album name? Or is that too obvious?) and save it as an MP3 file to a music server like Apple Music. 

HOW SHOULD I STORE MY AUDIO FILES?

If you're an avid music collector with hundreds of discs, you'll undoubtedly need a lot of storage to store and protect it all. You, of course, can transfer it all onto a USB thumb drive or an external CD drive, but may I suggest cloud storage? It'll make your music files that much easier to access. 

Should I Send My CDs to a Professional Media Preservation Company?

If you want an easier solution that doesn't require investing in equipment or conversion software that you will only use once or twice (or if you just don't want to go through the entire process), it's best to leave it to the professionals. 

Flash Drives are a good place to keep your tunes

Forever Studios is the most affordable professional option in South Florida and probably for most customers in the USA, and the company has proven results. Convert CDs to digital with our exclusive Forever Cloud and USB options, your music files will be safe, secure, and easily accessible so you can rock on (or, in my case, sing like I have actual talent)!