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Is it time to get rid of my CDs?

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mandryka

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Apr 9, 2012, 3:41:10 AM4/9/12
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I have about 3,000 CDs. They never get played - when I play my music I
stream it from a hard drive to the hi-fi.

At the moment CDs are displayed on shelves. But they're starting to
look so old fashioned, and I could use the space to display something
more interesting and beautiful. The CDs are, quite frankly, neither
use nor ornament.

I've kept them because, at the back of my mind, is the idea that
they're potentially a valuable back up to the hard drive. But this
line of thinking may be specious. I already have one back up on disc.
It would be cheap and easy to create a second or even a third.

The CDs must be worth many many thousands of pounds.

What should I do? Keep them stored on the walls? Store them in boxes
in the loft, where they may be difficult to access? Sell them? Or what?

Mark S

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Apr 9, 2012, 3:43:39 AM4/9/12
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The one thing you can be sure of is that their resale value is
extremely low these days. You'd be lucky to get a pound a disc at the
used store, less if you try to sell them as a collection.

mandryka

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Apr 9, 2012, 3:48:02 AM4/9/12
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I believe (but I have not checked) that GRAMEX in London are a bit
more generous than that.
Message has been deleted

Gerard

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Apr 9, 2012, 5:08:13 AM4/9/12
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mandryka <howie...@btinternet.com> typed:
One thing is quite obvious: don't keep them on those shelves if you can use
those shelves for something more interesting and beautiful.
A way of getting rid of them is giving them away to relatives and friends,
specially those who are newbies to classical music and are interested.

Alan Dawes

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Apr 9, 2012, 7:24:09 AM4/9/12
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In article <202a7$4f82a6ee$5356543a$98...@cache1.tilbu1.nb.home.nl>,
And of course, whether you give tham away or sell them, you will destroy
all the copies that you made on hard disc etc won't you? (-: or )-:

Alan

--
alan....@argonet.co.uk
alan....@riscos.org
Using an Acorn RiscPC

William Sommerwerck

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Apr 9, 2012, 8:41:50 AM4/9/12
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I would keep them. What happens when -- not if -- your hard drive fails?

You can carry CDs anywhere and play them on a Discman, without having to rip
them.

You can buy binders to store the disks and inserts, and discard the jewel
cases.


mandryka

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Apr 9, 2012, 8:54:21 AM4/9/12
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On Apr 9, 1:41 pm, "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net>
wrote:
\Well that's the point of the back up hard drives.

Maybe binders is the way to go. Thanks
Message has been deleted

mandryka

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Apr 9, 2012, 10:04:43 AM4/9/12
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On Apr 9, 2:37 pm, EM <emmemmmemnmme...@gnail.com> wrote:
> mandryka <howie.st...@btinternet.com> - Mon, 9 Apr 2012 00:41:10 -0700
> (PDT):
>
> > What should I do? Keep them stored on the walls? Store them in boxes
> > in the loft, where they may be difficult to access? Sell them? Or what?
>
> A very serious problem indeed. Our experienced consultants can advise
> on this complex matter. The basic hourly rate is 300 euros.
>
> EM

That makes 5 Euros a minute. OK -- but stop at 59 seconds and let me
know how the assignment has progressed.

Dufus

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Apr 9, 2012, 10:18:26 AM4/9/12
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>On Apr 9, 2:41 am, mandryka <howie.st...@btinternet.com> wrote:

Perhaps give them to a local library, if there are such things
anymore, and take a charitable deduction on your income taxes , if
there is such a deduct in the UK ?

wade

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Apr 9, 2012, 10:17:24 AM4/9/12
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Just make sure that you find binder sheets that are really soft on the
side that the playing surface rests against and do not fill the case
too tightly. I had many disc surfaces marred (made visually cloudy,
though playable) by the constant pressure against that surface. Also
make sure the discs are not subject to excessive heat. Finally go
thru all your CD sets and throw away that awful foam padding inside
the multidisc cases. Over time it degenerates and sticks to the label
surface of the discs and causes pitting. you cannot get all the foam
residue off those surfaces without potentially harming the disc or
destroying parts of the labels.

Matthew B. Tepper

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Apr 9, 2012, 10:23:54 AM4/9/12
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"William Sommerwerck" <grizzle...@comcast.net> appears to have caused
the following letters to be typed in news:jlulcr$22v$1...@dont-email.me:
Which will make them all the more difficult to sell when the time comes.

--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!!
Read about "Proty" here: http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/proty.html
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of my employers.

Message has been deleted

Gerard

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Apr 9, 2012, 10:27:33 AM4/9/12
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Alan Dawes <alan....@argonet.co.uk> typed:
Of course.
Isn't that what everyone also does after downloading some music and listening to
it once?

Kimba W Lion

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Apr 9, 2012, 10:30:04 AM4/9/12
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mandryka <howie...@btinternet.com> wrote:

>I believe (but I have not checked) that GRAMEX in London are a bit
>more generous than that.

Oh, no. Don't sell them en masse to another reseller. Set up an Amazon account
and sell them individually. You'll get the money the reseller would get.

Kimba W Lion

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Apr 9, 2012, 10:34:00 AM4/9/12
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Alan Dawes <alan....@argonet.co.uk> wrote:

>And of course, whether you give tham away or sell them, you will destroy
>all the copies that you made on hard disc etc won't you? (-: or )-:

Ignore my previous message. Alan is right. I didn't think about that.

Anyway, I prefer physical CDs to hard drive copies, so personally I wouldn't
want to get rid of them all. I'd just cull the ones I didn't care about
anymore--both physical and copy. Out of 3000 there must be some.

Gerard

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Apr 9, 2012, 10:43:15 AM4/9/12
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Kimba W Lion <noreplie...@norepliesbyemail.invalid> typed:
> Alan Dawes <alan....@argonet.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > And of course, whether you give tham away or sell them, you will
> > destroy all the copies that you made on hard disc etc won't you?
> > (-: or )-:
>
> Ignore my previous message. Alan is right.

Right about what?


Art

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Apr 9, 2012, 10:57:46 AM4/9/12
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Keep them! The day may come when your desire for the physical copies
reemerges. I'm going through that right now as my CDs are currently
located in another state many miles away. Before the move I hadn't
listened to them much or even looked at them but now that they are not
with me I miss them badly. They are like old friends!
I've been buying quite a few new ones on Amazon to fill the void.

wkasimer

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Apr 9, 2012, 11:06:03 AM4/9/12
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On Apr 9, 10:30 am, Kimba W Lion
<norepliesbyem...@norepliesbyemail.invalid> wrote:

> Oh, no. Don't sell them en masse to another reseller. Set up an Amazon account
> and sell them individually. You'll get the money the reseller would get.

I sell both ways. I sell the rarer and more valuable stuff myself via
Amazon or occasionally eBay, but the run-of-the-mill stuff I give to
friends, toss into boxes and sell to a local store in bulk, or donate
to my local library or hospital for their annual flea markets. Yeah,
I could probably make a little more money on the latter by selling
them myself, but the time and effort really isn't worth it.

Bill

wkasimer

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Apr 9, 2012, 11:07:39 AM4/9/12
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On Apr 9, 10:23 am, "Matthew B. Tepper" <oyþ@earthlink.net> wrote:

> > You can buy binders to store the disks and inserts, and discard the
> > jewel cases.
>
> Which will make them all the more difficult to sell when the time comes.

Does anyone have any real-world experience selling such discs? I have
a rather large collection and have transferred most single CD's into
Jazzloft plastic sleeves in order to save space.

Bill

Matthew B. Tepper

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Apr 9, 2012, 11:46:00 AM4/9/12
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wkasimer <wkas...@comcast.net> appears to have caused the following
letters to be typed in news:353d308b-25bc-4ca5-9b06-34791a602180
@v22g2000vby.googlegroups.com:
I admit I was making a supposition. Record Surplus always seems to have a
ready supply of empty jewel boxes, so it wouldn't be a barrier per se, but
I can imagine a store buyer looking at such a collection and thinking, "Oh,
great, more work to do before these can be put out for sale." And then
there are the people who *fold the booklets in half* some some godforsaken
reason. I am always reluctant to buy those when I see them in the bins,
and I can't imagine there aren't lots of other people who feel that way, so
this would also affect the store buyer's offer price.

Matthew B. Tepper

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Apr 9, 2012, 11:46:01 AM4/9/12
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Kimba W Lion <noreplie...@norepliesbyemail.invalid> appears to have
caused the following letters to be typed in
news:ols5o75uk13c663fc...@4ax.com:
Tell me about it. I'm probably going to cull maybe 100 of my 6,000 before
moving into a new apartment with my intended. It's still gonna hurt.

Mark S

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Apr 9, 2012, 12:44:31 PM4/9/12
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On Apr 9, 8:46 am, "Matthew B. Tepper" <oyþ@earthlink.net> wrote:

>
> Tell me about it.  I'm probably going to cull maybe 100 of my 6,000 before
> moving into a new apartment with my intended.  It's still gonna hurt.

That's it? A hundred? That'll save you about a yard's worth of shelf
space, tops.

You need to go for a MAJOR cull. If you have six or more recordings of
any particular piece it's time to separate the great from the nearly
great. I know it's tough, but your intended will appreciate the
sacrifice. :)

John Wiser

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Apr 9, 2012, 1:00:04 PM4/9/12
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"Gerard" <ghen-nosp...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:5b5d0$4f82f591$5356543a$13...@cache90.multikabel.net...
Short attention span, Scheißkopf?

JDW

David Fox

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Apr 9, 2012, 1:50:38 PM4/9/12
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I've gone digital and have gotten rid of about 90-95% of my CD's. I
couldn't be happier, nor could my wife. Compact discs are not so
compact when you have several thousand. Here was what I did:

I used Delicious Library on my Mac and the built-in camera to scan the
bar codes on my CD's and check Amazon Marketplace prices. If the
cheapest offering of a CD in decent shape was less than $5, I put it
in the “donate” pile. These went either to friends or the library.
Everything over $5 I listed on Amazon (only a few more clicks). And
most important of all, I opened an Amazon Fulfillment account.

This last step was crucial for several reasons. First, the most
difficult part of the whole process when you are selling thousands of
CD's is fulfilling orders – packing and shipping. For a very
reasonable cut, Amazon takes that off the table. I'd enter 100-200
CD's at a time via the method described above, then generate barcode
labels, paste them over the UPC's, put the CD's in a big box, print
out my pre-formatted Amazon UPS label and ship it to the fulfillment
center for roughly $8 a box. In a few days my items would appear in
my seller inventory. There are all kinds of seller tools, from email
notification every time an item sells, inventory reports, sales volume
broken down by time period, and many more. At my peak I was getting 5
to 10 emails a day notifying me of sales and shipments.

Here's another important factor that favors Amazon over Ebay and other
line-item sellers: Amazon has already created 95% of your listing.
The labor-intensive factors – scanning cover art, contents
description, and most importantly a well-established scheme of
searching and finding your item – has been created already. All a
seller has to do is designate condition, set price, and perhaps
provide a sentence or two of item description. I kept a Word file
with my most-used descriptive sentences per condition category. My
average time in creating a new listing was less than 30 seconds.

Another not-as-obvious benefit of Fulfillment by Amazon is that Amazon
Prime members pay no shipping fees. So, I could price $2 above the
cheapest offering knowing that Prime buyers would still find my
offering $1 cheaper. This almost (but not quite completely) made up
for the cut that Amazon takes for fulfillment. The remaining cost was
more than worth it for the time/effort saved. Another subtle
advantage of Amazon Fulfillment is that buyers know that my inventory
is real and sitting in Amazon's warehouse. They don't have to worry
about the seller offering items they don't really have, and they know
that shipment will be quick and prompt. Amazon also offers
international shipment and takes care of all of the logistics thereof.

I don't mean for this to be a commercial for Amazon (with whom I have
no other affiliation), but their involvement was absolutely crucial in
the success of my CD disposal project. I would never have had the
time or patience to create the listings and ship the hundreds of
packages that have shipped to date. They take their cut and deposit
my receipts into my bank account twice a month.

There is only one category where they fall short. I have a number of
CD's that have decent-or-better resale value in foreign Amazon
affiliates but are not listed on the Amazon US database. If it is not
listed in their inventory already, this scheme doesn't really work. A
seller can produce a listing, but this is labor-intensive and is
usually not seen by nearly as many people as a true Amazon listing. I
could sell them on Ebay, but I haven't found the time. I have
approximately 100 or so CD's that fall into this category. I've also
kept all of my SACDs, autographed CD's, a box set or two, and some
other items with sentimental value.

Since I embarked on my project in January 2010 I have removed 5 Boltz
CD racks from my walls. And my music collection is safer than it was
before, backed up multiple times onsite and offsite. I lost a
substantial number of CD's when I moved to California, and my physical
collection was always vulnerable to natural disaster and other perils
while CD's sat on shelves. No more. And as I've repeated ad-nauseum,
my music is infinitely more accessible in digital form than it was in
physical form. It's a major project to undertake for a large
collection, but I couldn't recommend doing so more strongly.

DF

Dufus

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Apr 9, 2012, 1:54:23 PM4/9/12
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>On Apr 9, 11:44 am, Mark S <markstenr...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>I know it's tough, but your intended will appreciate the
> sacrifice.  :)

Indeed. Remember, what's hers is hers, what's joint is hers, and
what's yours is hers, so get a prenup at least on the cd's. At least
the ones with a piano part.

Dufus

Gerard

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Apr 9, 2012, 2:04:23 PM4/9/12
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Dufus <steve...@gmail.com> typed:
Those can be stored in the garage of the 2nd house. Because everything is on
Youtube.

Gerard

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Apr 9, 2012, 2:16:18 PM4/9/12
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David Fox <davidf...@yahoo.com> typed:


>
> Since I embarked on my project in January 2010 I have removed 5 Boltz
> CD racks from my walls. And my music collection is safer than it was
> before, backed up multiple times onsite and offsite. I lost a
> substantial number of CD's when I moved to California, and my physical
> collection was always vulnerable to natural disaster and other perils
> while CD's sat on shelves. No more. And as I've repeated ad-nauseum,
> my music is infinitely more accessible in digital form than it was in
> physical form. It's a major project to undertake for a large
> collection, but I couldn't recommend doing so more strongly.
>
> DF

So Alan Dawes has no point?
(When saying "And of course, whether you give tham away or sell them, you will
destroy
all the copies that you made on hard disc etc won't you?")

wkasimer

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Apr 9, 2012, 2:30:56 PM4/9/12
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On Apr 9, 12:44 pm, Mark S <markstenr...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> > Tell me about it.  I'm probably going to cull maybe 100 of my 6,000 before
> > moving into a new apartment with my intended.  It's still gonna hurt.
>
> That's it? A hundred? That'll save you about a yard's worth of shelf
> space, tops.

I agree - 100 isn't even worth the effort.

> You need to go for a MAJOR cull. If you have six or more recordings of
> any particular piece it's time to separate the great from the nearly
> great. I know it's tough, but your intended will appreciate the
> sacrifice.  :)

I only cull things that I actively dislike (or things that may be
excellent performances of music that doesn't matter much to me, that
will fetch such ridiculously high prices that selling is logical.
Otherwise, I may end up repurchasing them later on...

Bill



Matthew B. Tepper

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Apr 9, 2012, 3:01:21 PM4/9/12
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wkasimer <wkas...@comcast.net> appears to have caused the following
letters to be typed in
news:ea2aec7a-e476-42ab...@t2g2000pbg.googlegroups.com:
I've already begun rethinking my decision long ago to buy lots of obscure
operas that I would only listen to once. ;--)

John Thomas

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Apr 9, 2012, 6:18:55 PM4/9/12
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Only 3,000? It requires at least 6,000 CD's and a $20,000 sound
system to qualify for membership in r.m.c.r.

Thornhill

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Apr 9, 2012, 6:05:24 PM4/9/12
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On Apr 9, 3:41 am, mandryka <howie.st...@btinternet.com> wrote:
> I have about 3,000 CDs. They never get played - when I play my music I
> stream it from a hard drive to the hi-fi.
>
> At the moment CDs are displayed on shelves. But they're starting to
> look so old fashioned, and I could use the space to display something
> more interesting and beautiful. The CDs are, quite frankly, neither
> use nor ornament.
>
> I've kept them because, at the back of my mind, is the idea that
> they're potentially a valuable back up to the hard drive. But this
> line of thinking may be specious. I already have one back up on disc.
> It would be cheap and easy to create a second or even a third.
>
> The CDs must be worth many many thousands of pounds.
>
> What should I do? Keep them stored on the walls? Store them in boxes
> in the loft, where they may be difficult to access? Sell them? Or what?

Like you I have a few thousand CDs that take up a lot of space, and
especially drive up the cost of moving.

In the next 12 to 24 months I'll probably invest in some kind of music
server, rip everything to to it, and put the discs in storage. So far
I haven't really been impressed with the options that are out there.
The Mac mini is by far the best option, but it's also overkill -- a
computer at half the price is all I really need.

I'm not quite ready to sell the discs though. I have some sentimental
attachment to them -- I spent a lot of years collecting them.

Frank Berger

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Apr 9, 2012, 6:45:09 PM4/9/12
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Why this is marked as abuse? It has been marked as abuse.
Report not abuse

"Matthew B. Tepper" <oy兀earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:XnsA03058DC186...@216.168.3.70...
Does your intended know she's marrying 6,000 CDs?

Dufus

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Apr 9, 2012, 7:18:44 PM4/9/12
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>On Apr 9, 1:30 pm, wkasimer <wkasi...@comcast.net> wrote:

> I only cull things that I actively dislike

Anybody want to make an offer on my 2 MDG ( MGD ? ) cd sets of the
German hausfrau duo-pianists playing 2 -piano versions of the Mahler
6th and 7th Symphonies ? Ought to be worth a fortune here, nicht ?

Dufus

whiskynsplash

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Apr 9, 2012, 7:46:39 PM4/9/12
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Ha, ha, ha! A CD Prenup. Only on rmcr.

Randy Lane

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Apr 9, 2012, 7:55:45 PM4/9/12
to
On Apr 9, 12:41 am, mandryka <howie.st...@btinternet.com> wrote:
> I have about 3,000 CDs. They never get played - when I play my music I
> stream it from a hard drive to the hi-fi.
>
> At the moment CDs are displayed on shelves. But they're starting to
> look so old fashioned, and I could use the space to display something
> more interesting and beautiful. The CDs are, quite frankly, neither
> use nor ornament.
>
> I've kept them because, at the back of my mind, is the idea that
> they're potentially a valuable back up to the hard drive. But this
> line of thinking may be specious. I already have one back up on disc.
> It would be cheap and easy to create a second or even a third.
>
> The CDs must be worth many many thousands of pounds.
>
> What should I do? Keep them stored on the walls? Store them in boxes
> in the loft, where they may be difficult to access? Sell them? Or what?

Is there, in the USA, a definitive answer as to the legality of bying
a CD, ripping it to a hard drive, then selling the CD but keeping hte
ripped copy on the hard drive?

whiskynsplash

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Apr 9, 2012, 8:05:05 PM4/9/12
to
On Apr 9, 5:45 pm, "Frank Berger" <frankdber...@gmail.com> wrote:
> "Matthew B. Tepper" <oyþ@earthlink.net> wrote in messagenews:XnsA03058DC186...@216.168.3.70...
> > Tell me about it.  I'm probably going to cull maybe 100 of my 6,000 before
> > moving into a new apartment with my intended.  It's still gonna hurt.
>
> Does your intended know she's marrying 6,000 CDs?

Best to draw a veil over what She Who Must Be Obeyed intends to do
with the 6000 CDs. It won't be a pretty sight.

And Man knows it! Knows, moreover, that the Woman that God gave him
Must command but may not govern - shall enthral but not enslave him.
And She knows, because she warns him, and her Instincts never fail;,
That the Female of the Species is more deadly than the Male.

http://www.potw.org/archive/potw96.html

Dufus

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Apr 9, 2012, 8:19:27 PM4/9/12
to
><On Apr 9, 6:55 pm, Randy Lane <randy.l...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Is there, in the USA, a definitive answer as to the legality of bying
> a CD, ripping it to a hard drive, then selling the CD but keeping hte
> ripped copy on the hard drive?

I believe the answer is you can re-sell the cd, but never rip to your
hard drive regardless what you do with the cd, even if you keep the cd.

William Sommerwerck

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Apr 9, 2012, 8:38:58 PM4/9/12
to
> Is there, in the USA, a definitive answer as to the legality of bying
> a CD, ripping it to a hard drive, then selling the CD but keeping hte
> ripped copy on the hard drive?

Yes, it's illegal.


David Fox

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Apr 9, 2012, 10:06:32 PM4/9/12
to
Under current US law:

Ripping purchased CDs for personal use only: legal.
Reselling purchased CDs: legal.
Ripping purchased CDs and then reselling them: illegal.

This is one of the few laws I know in which then compound action of two
otherwise legal actions is considered illegal. I'll leave you to your own
conclusions regarding the merits of this law and/or the viability of
enforcement.

DF

Dufus

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Apr 9, 2012, 10:17:58 PM4/9/12
to
>On Apr 9, 6:55 pm, Randy Lane <randy.l...@gmail.com> wrote:
here they may be difficult to access? Sell them? Or what?
>
> Is there, in the USA, a definitive answer as to the legality of bying
> a CD, ripping it to a hard drive, then selling the CD but keeping hte
> ripped copy on the hard drive?

Try : http://tinyurl.com/7o7cgtr ( The RIAA's " law" site )

Sounds like RIAA would approve your plan as long as you never shared
the hard-drive copy, and did not make cd-r copies of the original cd
to sell further.

Matthew B. Tepper

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Apr 9, 2012, 11:30:00 PM4/9/12
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"Frank Berger" <frankd...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the
following letters to be typed in
news:ToednXTVFqL3-x7S...@supernews.com:

>
> "Matthew B. Tepper" <oy兀earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:XnsA03058DC186...@216.168.3.70...
>> Kimba W Lion <noreplie...@norepliesbyemail.invalid> appears to
>> have caused the following letters to be typed in
>> news:ols5o75uk13c663fc...@4ax.com:
>>
>>> Alan Dawes <alan....@argonet.co.uk> wrote:
>>>
>>>> And of course, whether you give tham away or sell them, you will
>>>> destroy all the copies that you made on hard disc etc won't you? (-:
>>>> or )-:
>>>
>>> Ignore my previous message. Alan is right. I didn't think about that.
>>>
>>> Anyway, I prefer physical CDs to hard drive copies, so personally I
>>> wouldn't want to get rid of them all. I'd just cull the ones I didn't
>>> care about anymore--both physical and copy. Out of 3000 there must be
>>> some.
>>
>> Tell me about it. I'm probably going to cull maybe 100 of my 6,000
>> before moving into a new apartment with my intended. It's still gonna
>> hurt.
>
> Does your intended know she's marrying 6,000 CDs?

How can she miss seeing them?

herman

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Apr 9, 2012, 10:42:29 PM4/9/12
to
On 10 avr, 01:18, Dufus <steveha...@gmail.com> wrote:

>
> Anybody want to make an offer on my 2 MDG ( MGD ? ) cd sets of the
> German hausfrau duo-pianists playing 2 -piano versions of the Mahler
> 6th and 7th Symphonies ? Ought to be worth a fortune here, nicht ?
>
> Dufus

you'd have to pay me

Kip Williams

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Apr 10, 2012, 12:13:10 AM4/10/12
to
Sounds like it was recorded just for me.


Kip W


whiskynsplash

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Apr 10, 2012, 12:59:34 AM4/10/12
to
How many hammer blows are there in the finale of the sixth? For extra
money describe how the hausfraus produced them.

Ray Hall

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Apr 10, 2012, 4:32:47 AM4/10/12
to
With hammers on the piano of course.
;)

Ray Hall, Taree

Dufus

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Apr 10, 2012, 8:19:36 AM4/10/12
to
>On Apr 9, 6:18 pm, Dufus <steveha...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Anybody want to make an offer on my 2 MDG ( MGD ? ) cd sets of the
> German hausfrau duo-pianists playing 2 -piano versions of the Mahler
> 6th and 7th Symphonies ? Ought to be worth a fortune here, nicht ?
>


I spoke too soon ; the cd is still available at Amazon - US cheaply :

http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphonies-Piano-duo-version/dp/B00000K384/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1334059513&sr=1-4

I also erred : It's not for 2 - pianos, but for piano 4-hands !!!! How
very thoughtful of the arranger ; after all , who has 2 pianos these
days. And think of the benefit for tight symphony budgets these days !
Had only Godowsky got round to a left - hand version ( sigh ) .

On a related subject ( I always have several before, and while,
listening to Mahler ) , the World's best beers :

http://www.cnbc.com/id/46327587

Dufus
Message has been deleted
Message has been deleted
Message has been deleted

wade

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 9:55:59 AM4/10/12
to
On Apr 10, 6:19 am, Kirk McElhearn <kirkmc (at) mac (dot) com> wrote:
> On 2012-04-10 02:06:32 +0000, David Fox <davidfox2...@yahoo.com> said:
>
> > Under current US law:
>
> > Ripping purchased CDs for personal use only:  legal.
> > Reselling purchased CDs:  legal.
> > Ripping purchased CDs and then reselling them:  illegal.
>
> > This is one of the few laws I know in which then compound action of two
> > otherwise legal actions is considered illegal.
>
> I think this would apply to any duplication, such as photocopying a
> book, or copying a videotape or DVD.
>
> Kirk
> --
>
> Kirkville --http://www.mcelhearn.com
> Writings about more than just Macs
> Take Control of iTunes 10: The FAQ:http://www.mcelhearn.com/itunes

theoretically true.

wade

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 9:59:45 AM4/10/12
to
On Apr 10, 6:18 am, Kirk McElhearn <kirkmc (at) mac (dot) com> wrote:
> On 2012-04-09 22:05:24 +0000, Thornhill <seth.l...@gmail.com> said:
>
> > In the next 12 to 24 months I'll probably invest in some kind of music
> > server, rip everything to to it, and put the discs in storage. So far
> > I haven't really been impressed with the options that are out there.
> > The Mac mini is by far the best option, but it's also overkill -- a
> > computer at half the price is all I really need.
>
> One advantage to the Mac mini that you may not find in cheaper
> computers - aside from its size and low noise level - is that it comes
> standard with an optical ouptut. You may find this useful, depending on
> how you plan to get the music from the computer to your stereo.
>
> Kirk
> --
>
> Kirkville --http://www.mcelhearn.com
> Writings about more than just Macs
> Take Control of iTunes 10: The FAQ:http://www.mcelhearn.com/itunes

all you need is a DAC. I have a Musical Fidelity V-link unit and a V-
dac connected to my laptop USB port (with sound set in the laptop to
go to the VLINK rather than the sound card/speakers) then cables from
the V-DAC to the Aux inputs into my Amplifier. Works fine.
Message has been deleted

Thornhill

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 10:14:29 AM4/10/12
to
On Apr 10, 9:18 am, Kirk McElhearn <kirkmc (at) mac (dot) com> wrote:
> On 2012-04-09 22:05:24 +0000, Thornhill <seth.l...@gmail.com> said:
>
> > In the next 12 to 24 months I'll probably invest in some kind of music
> > server, rip everything to to it, and put the discs in storage. So far
> > I haven't really been impressed with the options that are out there.
> > The Mac mini is by far the best option, but it's also overkill -- a
> > computer at half the price is all I really need.
>
> One advantage to the Mac mini that you may not find in cheaper
> computers - aside from its size and low noise level - is that it comes
> standard with an optical ouptut. You may find this useful, depending on
> how you plan to get the music from the computer to your stereo.

Actually, I think it would make more sense to output via HDMI -- it
can handle a higher resolution signal in case I start downloading high-
rez recordings. I'd use my receiver as the DAC.



Thornhill

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 10:15:32 AM4/10/12
to
On Apr 10, 9:59 am, wade <wadewo...@hotmail.com> wrote:

>
> all you need is a DAC.  I have a Musical Fidelity V-link unit and a V-
> dac connected to my laptop USB port (with sound set in the laptop to
> go to the VLINK rather than the sound card/speakers) then cables from
> the V-DAC to the Aux inputs into my Amplifier.  Works fine.

I'd just use the DAC in my receiver.

Matthew B. Tepper

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 10:40:44 AM4/10/12
to
Kirk McElhearn <kirkmc (at) mac (dot) com> appears to have caused the
following letters to be typed in news:4f843362$0$1702
$426a...@news.free.fr:

> On 2012-04-10 02:06:32 +0000, David Fox <davidf...@yahoo.com> said:
>
>> Under current US law:
>>
>> Ripping purchased CDs for personal use only: legal.
>> Reselling purchased CDs: legal.
>> Ripping purchased CDs and then reselling them: illegal.
>>
>> This is one of the few laws I know in which then compound action of two
>> otherwise legal actions is considered illegal.
>
> I think this would apply to any duplication, such as photocopying a
> book, or copying a videotape or DVD.
>
> Kirk

Or perhaps even memorizing a book and reciting it to others, like the book
people in "Fahrenheit 451."

If it prevents some media mogul from getting every goddamn last cent he can
squeeze out of the peons, or if it even appears to resemble that sort of
behavior in a vague manner, then it's illegal.

gg

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 11:03:23 AM4/10/12
to

> That's interesting. Unfortunately, Amazon FR (I live in France) doesn't
> offer that yet. I have about 600 CDs listed there, and if I could do that,
> I would.
>
Just give them to Emmaüs


MA

Mark S

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 12:41:48 PM4/10/12
to
On Apr 10, 5:19 am, Dufus <steveha...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >On Apr 9, 6:18 pm, Dufus <steveha...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Anybody want to make an offer on my 2 MDG ( MGD ? ) cd sets of the
> > German hausfrau duo-pianists playing 2 -piano versions of the Mahler
> > 6th and 7th Symphonies ? Ought to be worth a fortune here, nicht ?
>
> I spoke too soon ; the cd is still available at Amazon - US cheaply :
>
> http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphonies-Piano-duo-version/dp/B00000K3...
>
> I also erred : It's not for 2 - pianos, but for piano 4-hands !!!! How
> very thoughtful of the arranger ; after all , who has 2 pianos these
> days. And think of the benefit for tight symphony budgets these days !

You do realize that there is a major distinction between arrangements
for one piano 4 hands and 2 pianos - in the former, one player plays
almost exclusively in the lower range of the piano while the other
player plays in the treble end, while two pianists seated at two
pianos can play the full range. A composer writing for either genre
knows this and scores the music to take advantage of the particular
situation.

BTW - Mozart wrote his music for piano 4-hands with the intent of
playing the music with his sister. He included any number of spots
where his hands would be asked to reach over those of his sister's on
the keyboard, providing an affectionate touch between the two.

wade

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 1:02:41 PM4/10/12
to
Sounds like 18th/19th Century courting opportunities.

Art

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 1:07:35 PM4/10/12
to
On Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:05:24 -0700, Thornhill wrote:


>
> I'm not quite ready to sell the discs though. I have some sentimental
> attachment to them -- I spent a lot of years collecting them.

And that is a good thing. It's a shame that we now live in a society that
shuns sentimentality in favor of convenience. Music on a hard drive may
be more convenient but, to me, it's not as impressive as a wall of CDs.

Paul Goldstein

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 1:14:18 PM4/10/12
to
In article <353d308b-25bc-4ca5...@v22g2000vby.googlegroups.com>,
wkasimer says...
>
>On Apr 9, 10:23=A0am, "Matthew=A0B.=A0Tepper" <oy=F...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>> > You can buy binders to store the disks and inserts, and discard the
>> > jewel cases.
>>
>> Which will make them all the more difficult to sell when the time comes.
>
>Does anyone have any real-world experience selling such discs? I have
>a rather large collection and have transferred most single CD's into
>Jazzloft plastic sleeves in order to save space.

I don't know the answer to your question, but at the San Francisco Bay Area
Rasputin stores, I see many used CDs for sale that do not have booklets or
jewel-
box inserts. Those CDs are usually going for $2-3. I've never bought one. It
looks like Rasputin is willing to buy them, but they're probably paying very
very
little for them.

O

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 2:00:29 PM4/10/12
to
In article <jm1pcn$8b0$1...@speranza.aioe.org>, Art
Depends on who you're trying to impress.

-Owen

Art

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 2:09:31 PM4/10/12
to
True, that is why I put those two words "to me" in there.

David Fox

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 2:14:02 PM4/10/12
to
On Apr 10, 6:18 am, Kirk McElhearn <kirkmc (at) mac (dot) com> wrote:
> On 2012-04-09 22:05:24 +0000, Thornhill <seth.l...@gmail.com> said:
>
> > In the next 12 to 24 months I'll probably invest in some kind of music
> > server, rip everything to to it, and put the discs in storage. So far
> > I haven't really been impressed with the options that are out there.
> > The Mac mini is by far the best option, but it's also overkill -- a
> > computer at half the price is all I really need.
>
> One advantage to the Mac mini that you may not find in cheaper
> computers - aside from its size and low noise level - is that it comes
> standard with an optical ouptut. You may find this useful, depending on
> how you plan to get the music from the computer to your stereo.
>
> Kirk
> --
>
> Kirkville --http://www.mcelhearn.com
> Writings about more than just Macs
> Take Control of iTunes 10: The FAQ:http://www.mcelhearn.com/itunes

You can also get a relatively cheap ($25) optical output by using the
following on any machine with a USB:
Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro II USB Analog & Digital Audio
Adapter: Electronics
http://amzn.to/ypusIc

I use this on my music server (Linux box) for exactly this purpose.
My server is hidden behind my TV. This device allows me to hook my
server to my home theater receiver via TOSLINK.

DF


David Fox

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 2:16:47 PM4/10/12
to
On Apr 10, 6:16 am, Kirk McElhearn <kirkmc (at) mac (dot) com> wrote:
> On 2012-04-09 17:50:38 +0000, David Fox <davidfox2...@yahoo.com> said:
>
> > Another not-as-obvious benefit of Fulfillment by Amazon is that Amazon
> > Prime members pay no shipping fees.
>
> That's interesting. Unfortunately, Amazon FR (I live in France) doesn't
> offer that yet. I have about 600 CDs listed there, and if I could do
> that, I would.
>
> What about unsold inventory? Do you evenutally have to pay to have it
> shipped back?
>
> Kirk
> --
>
> Kirkville --http://www.mcelhearn.com
> Writings about more than just Macs
> Take Control of iTunes 10: The FAQ:http://www.mcelhearn.com/itunes

The short answer is yes, you have to eventually figure out what you
want to do with unsold inventory. Thanks for reminding me - my
inventory is due for a cleanup. What I've done until now is
periodically review remaining inventory versus current competitive
offerings. I usually sweep through and lower prices. There are
clearly going to be some items that never find buyers. That's ok.
Back to me (for $8 or so) and off to the library they go.

DF

Alan Cooper

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Apr 10, 2012, 2:19:01 PM4/10/12
to
Art <maleune...@yahoo.com> wrote in
news:jm1t0q$hpk$1...@speranza.aioe.org:
Somewhere I have a great cartoon that shows a guy sitting in front of a wall of
LPs, saying something like "I don't even like music; this was my decorator's
idea." I use that line every time someone comments on our houseful of LPs, CDs,
etc.--especially when they (inevitably) ask, "Have you *listened* to all of
those?"

AC

Thornhill

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 2:18:50 PM4/10/12
to
I don't think it's shunning sentimentality. Part of it is convenience.
I've moved three times since 2009; not having to transport my CD
collection would have saved me hundreds of dollars.

John Wiser

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 2:23:18 PM4/10/12
to
"Alan Cooper" <amco...@NOSPAMoptonline.net> wrote in message
news:XnsA03191A447B6Bam...@209.197.15.254...
Huh. My response is, "They were here when we moved in."

JDW

David Fox

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 2:30:38 PM4/10/12
to
On Apr 10, 11:19 am, Alan Cooper <amcoo...@NOSPAMoptonline.net> wrote:
> Art <maleunemplo...@yahoo.com> wrote innews:jm1t0q$hpk$1...@speranza.aioe.org:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:00:29 -0400, O wrote:
>
> >> In article <jm1pcn$8b...@speranza.aioe.org>, Art
> >> <maleunemplo...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> >>> On Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:05:24 -0700, Thornhill wrote:
>
> >>> > I'm not quite ready to sell the discs though. I have some
> >>> > sentimental attachment to them -- I spent a lot of years
> >>> > collecting them.
>
> >>> And that is a good thing. It's a shame that we now live in a
> >>> society that shuns sentimentality in favor of convenience.
> >>> Music on a hard drive may be more convenient but, to me, it's
> >>> not as impressive as a wall of CDs.
>
> >> Depends on who you're trying to impress.
>
> >> -Owen
>
> > True, that is why I put those two words "to me" in there.
>
> Somewhere I have a great cartoon that shows a guy sitting in front of a wall of
> LPs, saying something like "I don't even like music; this was my decorator's
> idea."  I use that line every time someone comments on our houseful of LPs, CDs,
> etc.--especially when they (inevitably) ask, "Have you *listened* to all of
> those?"
>
> AC

It's a very personal issue. I found myself apprehensive at first
about letting go of them. There was a gap of time between the ripping
and the selling. Once I started to get rid of them I felt a
tremendous sense of relief. Once I started, I couldn't wait to
finish. There's some saying about possessions actually possessing the
possessor. I think there's a lot of truth to it.

DF

mandryka

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 2:39:38 PM4/10/12
to
On Apr 9, 6:50 pm, David Fox <davidfox2...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Apr 9, 12:41 am, mandryka <howie.st...@btinternet.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > I have about 3,000 CDs. They never get played - when I play my music I
> > stream it from a hard drive to the hi-fi.
>
> > At the moment CDs are displayed on shelves. But they're starting to
> > look so old fashioned, and I could use the space to display something
> > more interesting and beautiful. The CDs are, quite frankly, neither
> > use nor ornament.
>
> > I've kept them because, at the back of my mind, is the idea that
> > they're potentially a valuable back up to the hard drive. But this
> > line of thinking may be specious. I already have one back up on disc.
> > It would be cheap and easy to create a second or even a third.
>
> > The CDs must be worth many many thousands of pounds.
>
> > What should I do? Keep them stored on the walls? Store them in boxes
> > in the loft, where they may be difficult to access? Sell them? Or what?
>
> I've gone digital and have gotten rid of about 90-95% of my CD's.  I
> couldn't be happier, nor could my wife.  Compact discs are not so
> compact when you have several thousand.  Here was what I did:
>
> I used Delicious Library on my Mac and the built-in camera to scan the
> bar codes on my CD's and check Amazon Marketplace prices.  If the
> cheapest offering of a CD in decent shape was less than $5, I put it
> in the “donate” pile.  These went either to friends or the library.
> Everything over $5 I listed on Amazon (only a few more clicks).  And
> most important of all, I opened an Amazon Fulfillment account.
>
> This last step was crucial for several reasons.  First, the most
> difficult part of the whole process when you are selling thousands of
> CD's is fulfilling orders – packing and shipping.  For a very
> reasonable cut, Amazon takes that off the table.  I'd enter 100-200
> CD's at a time via the method described above, then generate barcode
> labels, paste them over the UPC's, put the CD's in a big box, print
> out my pre-formatted Amazon UPS label and ship it to the fulfillment
> center for roughly $8 a box.  In a few days my items would appear in
> my seller inventory.  There are all kinds of seller tools, from email
> notification every time an item sells, inventory reports, sales volume
> broken down by time period, and many more.  At my peak I was getting 5
> to 10 emails a day notifying me of sales and shipments.
>
> Here's another important factor that favors Amazon over Ebay and other
> line-item sellers:  Amazon has already created 95% of your listing.
> The  labor-intensive factors – scanning cover art, contents
> description, and most importantly a well-established scheme of
> searching and finding your item – has been created already.  All a
> seller has to do is designate condition,  set price, and perhaps
> provide a sentence or two of item description.  I kept a Word file
> with my most-used descriptive sentences per condition category. My
> average time in creating a new listing was less than 30 seconds.
>
> Another not-as-obvious benefit of Fulfillment by Amazon is that Amazon
> Prime members pay no shipping fees.  So, I could price $2 above the
> cheapest offering knowing that Prime buyers would still find my
> offering $1 cheaper.  This almost (but not quite completely) made up
> for the cut that Amazon takes for fulfillment.  The remaining cost was
> more than worth it for the time/effort saved.  Another subtle
> advantage of Amazon Fulfillment is that buyers know that my inventory
> is real and sitting in Amazon's warehouse.  They don't have to worry
> about the seller offering items they don't really have, and they know
> that shipment will be quick and prompt.  Amazon also offers
> international shipment and takes care of all of the logistics thereof.
>
> I don't mean for this to be a commercial for Amazon (with whom I have
> no other affiliation), but their involvement was absolutely crucial in
> the success of my CD disposal project.  I would never have had the
> time or patience to create the listings and ship the hundreds of
> packages that have shipped to date.  They take their cut and deposit
> my receipts into my bank account twice a month.
>
> There is only one category where they fall short.  I have a number of
> CD's that have  decent-or-better resale value in foreign Amazon
> affiliates but are not listed on the Amazon US database.  If it is not
> listed in their inventory already, this scheme doesn't really work.  A
> seller can produce a listing, but this is labor-intensive and is
> usually not seen by nearly as many people as a true Amazon listing.  I
> could sell them on Ebay, but I haven't found the time.  I have
> approximately 100 or so CD's that fall into this category.  I've also
> kept all of my SACDs, autographed CD's, a box set or two, and some
> other items with sentimental value.
>
> Since I embarked on my project in January 2010 I have removed 5 Boltz
> CD racks from my walls.  And my music collection is safer than it was
> before, backed up multiple times onsite and offsite.  I lost a
> substantial number of CD's when I moved to California, and my physical
> collection was always vulnerable to natural disaster and other perils
> while CD's sat on shelves.  No more.  And as I've repeated ad-nauseum,
> my music is infinitely more accessible in digital form than it was in
> physical form.  It's a major project to undertake for a large
> collection, but I couldn't recommend doing so more strongly.
>
> DF

Thank you. I plan to do exactly what you have done.

O

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 2:45:08 PM4/10/12
to
In article <xU_gr.779$%b4....@newsfe21.iad>, John Wiser
There are more buried in the basement.

-Owen

Steve Emerson

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 3:09:27 PM4/10/12
to
In article
<78cd161d-7e26-4162...@m16g2000yqc.googlegroups.com>,
That device, I am certain, uses a ubiquitous and not terribly desirable
single chip that performs A/D, D/A, and the USB interface, while working
off the computer's power supply via USB. I forget the details of this
aspect, but there is some mix-down of the USB digital stream. A lot of
low-cost USB DACs use the chip, with that outcome. Often identifiable by
the fact that they also perform A/D.

It might not be obvious enough to you in listening, but a USB DAC that
doesn't use that chip would probably give you somewhat better sound.
You'd bypass the USB/Toslink conversion device and take advantage of
what would almost certainly be a better DAC.

SE.

John Wiser

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Apr 10, 2012, 3:21:05 PM4/10/12
to
"O" <ow...@denofinequityx.com> wrote in message
news:100420121445086629%ow...@denofinequityx.com...
You've seen the same Charles Addams cartoon!

JDW

David Fox

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 3:21:32 PM4/10/12
to
On Apr 10, 12:09 pm, Steve Emerson <eme...@n-n-nospamsonic.net> wrote:
> In article
> <78cd161d-7e26-4162-aebb-e0b0df353...@m16g2000yqc.googlegroups.com>,
I'm not recommending the device as a DAC. I'm recommending it's use
as an inexpensive
passive digital output device via optical output. If configured
correctly, the device merely transmits
a digital PCM optical stream. My input files are mostly 44.1/16-bit
FLACs. My server expands
them to PCM and sends the stream through the USB which then transmits
the PCM stream to my
home receiver. If the USB sound card is doing any conversion at all
in this context, something is configured
incorrectly.

DF

Curlytop

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 3:29:35 PM4/10/12
to
David Fox set the following eddies spiralling through the space-time
continuum:

> Ripping purchased CDs for personal use only: legal.
> Reselling purchased CDs: legal.
> Ripping purchased CDs and then reselling them: illegal.
>
> This is one of the few laws I know in which then compound action of two
> otherwise legal actions is considered illegal. I'll leave you to your own
> conclusions regarding the merits of this law and/or the viability of
> enforcement.

Understandable though. AIUI (in the UK) the purchased CD is your licence to
listen to the contents, whether from the CD itself, a CD-R backup copy, an
MP3 file or any other format. Sell the CD and you sell your licence. Any
retained copy is then unlicensed hence illegal.

To the OP regarding the overflowing shelf space, buy yourself some of the
specially designed zip-around binders. The largest ones can hold 240 or
more CD's, four discs to a "page". Keep the booklets and the back title
cards, and sell or recycle the empty jewel cases. The binders will take up
much less shelf space.
--
ξ: ) Proud to be curly

Interchange the alphabetic letter groups to reply

Matthew B. Tepper

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 4:03:05 PM4/10/12
to
Alan Cooper <amco...@NOSPAMoptonline.net> appears to have caused the
following letters to be typed in
news:XnsA03191A447B6Bam...@209.197.15.254:

> Somewhere I have a great cartoon that shows a guy sitting in front of a
> wall of LPs, saying something like "I don't even like music; this was my
> decorator's idea." I use that line every time someone comments on our
> houseful of LPs, CDs, etc.--especially when they (inevitably) ask, "Have
> you *listened* to all of those?"

The late Forrest J Ackerman, who prided himself on being the world's "#1
science fiction fan" (and who, unfortunately, also coined the expression
"sci fi"), named his home the Ackermansion, wherein he kept his enormous
and fabled collection of science fiction, fantasy, and horror books.
Whenever anybody asked him, "Have you *read* all of these?" Forry would
simply reply, "Every last word."

You guessed it: When filing a newly-acquired book on the shelf, he would
flip to the last page and read the very last word.

Steve Emerson

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 4:00:17 PM4/10/12
to
In article
<8f63714e-c15f-4890...@h4g2000yqj.googlegroups.com>,
David Fox <davidf...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> >
> > That device, I am certain, uses a ubiquitous and not terribly desirable
> > single chip that performs A/D, D/A, and the USB interface, while working
> > off the computer's power supply via USB. I forget the details of this
> > aspect, but there is some mix-down of the USB digital stream. A lot of
> > low-cost USB DACs use the chip, with that outcome. Often identifiable by
> > the fact that they also perform A/D.
> >
> > It might not be obvious enough to you in listening, but a USB DAC that
> > doesn't use that chip would probably give you somewhat better sound.
> > You'd bypass the USB/Toslink conversion device and take advantage of
> > what would almost certainly be a better DAC.
> >
> > SE.
>
> I'm not recommending the device as a DAC.

I know. My remarks had to do with its USB-S/PDIF conversion, and with
the availability of first-rate standalone USB DACs.

> I'm recommending its use as an inexpensive passive digital output
> device via optical output. If configured correctly, the device
> merely transmits a digital PCM optical stream.

Right -- although I think what it actually does is convert USB audio
output to S/PDIF, which is what TOSLINK transmits. I believe the USB
spec on paper exceeds the S/PDIF spec. That's what I was trying to
remember earlier. --Anyway, for the case at hand it's a more trifling
matter than what I'd been thinking about. More germane when comparing
among USB DACs.

The USB interface in itself is a complicated piece of business.

> My input files are
> mostly 44.1/16-bit FLACs.

For that I'm sure it wouldn't matter.

SE.

William Sommerwerck

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 4:08:59 PM4/10/12
to
"Matthew B. Tepper" <oy兀earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:XnsA031846A3AD...@216.168.3.70...
> Alan Cooper <amco...@NOSPAMoptonline.net> appears to have caused the
> following letters to be typed in
> news:XnsA03191A447B6Bam...@209.197.15.254:

>> Somewhere I have a great cartoon that shows a guy sitting in front of a
>> wall of LPs, saying something like "I don't even like music; this was my
>> decorator's idea." I use that line every time someone comments on our
>> houseful of LPs, CDs, etc.--especially when they (inevitably) ask, "Have
>> you *listened* to all of those?"

> The late Forrest J Ackerman, who prided himself on being the world's "#1
> science fiction fan" (and who, unfortunately, also coined the expression
> "sci fi"), named his home the Ackermansion, wherein he kept his enormous
> and fabled collection of science fiction, fantasy, and horror books.
> Whenever anybody asked him, "Have you *read* all of these?" Forry would
> simply reply, "Every last word."

> You guessed it: When filing a newly-acquired book on the shelf, he would
> flip to the last page and read the very last word.

Harlan Ellison remarked in a screenplay that there was no point to a
personal library that contained only books you'd already read.


David Fox

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 4:10:55 PM4/10/12
to
On Apr 10, 12:09 pm, Steve Emerson <eme...@n-n-nospamsonic.net> wrote:
> In article
> <78cd161d-7e26-4162-aebb-e0b0df353...@m16g2000yqc.googlegroups.com>,
Also, I'm not using this setup to power my main music system. I have
a much nicer player (Logitech Transporter) which is used to as both
receiver and
DAC in my music room. I bought the Turtle Beach USB device to create
another
(cheap) playback option for my family room utilizing the DAC already
in my home theater
receiver. If somebody's looking for an easy optical connection for a
non-SOTA system,
the Turtle Beach card is just fine.

DF

David Fox

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 4:13:05 PM4/10/12
to
On Apr 10, 12:29 pm, Curlytop <pvstownsend.zyx....@ntlworld.com>
wrote:
But the OP said he never plans on playing the CD's again. What good
are they doing him
or anybody else sitting on shelves or in storage in any context?

DF

Curlytop

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 4:24:16 PM4/10/12
to
The first paragraph of my previous reply explains the second.

O

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 4:45:39 PM4/10/12
to
In article <HK%gr.44777$cd7....@newsfe06.iad>, John Wiser
I think I've seen every Charles Addams cartoon. When we were kids, we
bought all the paperbacks, in college, I bought all the hardbounds in
used book stores. Now I have every issue of the New Yorker on DVD-ROM,
with a searchable index.

-Owen

"Are you unhappy, darling?"
"Oh, yes, yes! Completely."

Alan Cooper

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 5:03:52 PM4/10/12
to
"John Wiser" <cee...@gmail.com> wrote in
news:HK%gr.44777$cd7....@newsfe06.iad:
Well yeah, and since my home office in the basement, I explain to befuddled
visitors that the thousands of books are there for ballast, "to keep the house
from popping out of the ground." If I manage to keep a straight face, sometimes
they take me seriously.

AC

Dufus

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 7:13:19 PM4/10/12
to
>On Apr 10, 11:41 am, Mark S <markstenr...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> You do realize that there is a major distinction between arrangements
> for one piano 4 hands and 2 pianos - in the former, one player plays
> almost exclusively in the lower range of the piano while the other
> player plays in the treble end, while two pianists seated at two
> pianos can play the full range. A composer writing for either genre
> knows this and scores the music to take advantage of the particular
> situation.
>

Well I'll be damned. Thanks !

Dufus

David Fox

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 7:49:26 PM4/10/12
to
Mark S <markst...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Apr 10, 5:19 am, Dufus <steveha...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Apr 9, 6:18 pm, Dufus <steveha...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Anybody want to make an offer on my 2 MDG ( MGD ? ) cd sets of the
>>> German hausfrau duo-pianists playing 2 -piano versions of the Mahler
>>> 6th and 7th Symphonies ? Ought to be worth a fortune here, nicht ?
>>
>> I spoke too soon ; the cd is still available at Amazon - US cheaply :
>>
>> http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphonies-Piano-duo-version/dp/B00000K3...
>>
>> I also erred : It's not for 2 - pianos, but for piano 4-hands !!!! How
>> very thoughtful of the arranger ; after all , who has 2 pianos these
>> days. And think of the benefit for tight symphony budgets these days !
>
> You do realize that there is a major distinction between arrangements
> for one piano 4 hands and 2 pianos - in the former, one player plays
> almost exclusively in the lower range of the piano while the other
> player plays in the treble end, while two pianists seated at two
> pianos can play the full range. A composer writing for either genre
> knows this and scores the music to take advantage of the particular
> situation.
>
> BTW - Mozart wrote his music for piano 4-hands with the intent of
> playing the music with his sister. He included any number of spots
> where his hands would be asked to reach over those of his sister's on
> the keyboard, providing an affectionate touch between the two.

Good point. Most of Schubert's 4-handed music is meant for one piano as
well. Another important aspect when two players play on one piano is
agreement on pedaling. Usually, the lower-staff player handles the pedal.
This is very disorienting to the upper-staff player as they can no longer
use the pedal to shape phrases or create legato as they are accustomed to.
It makes the player feel a bit naked. A great deal of cooperation and trust
is required to play this way. Also, each player is seated in an
unaccustomed position relative to the keyboard. So much of piano-playing is
based on keyboard-position familiarity. That's why most decent players can
play without looking their hands or for that matter with their eyes closed.
This "muscle memory" aspect is compromised by shifting to an unfamiliar
seated position relative to the center of the keyboard.

For these and other reasons, some players choose to play these pieces as
2-piano 4-hands. Levine and Kissin did so on their Schubert joint recital
and recording. I think it undermines the character of these pieces and the
very sound when two players don't share one set of dampers.


DF

Matthew B. Tepper

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 7:55:29 PM4/10/12
to
"William Sommerwerck" <grizzle...@comcast.net> appears to have caused
the following letters to be typed in news:jm23v6$9ql$1...@dont-email.me:
I doubt Harlan doesn't have a very extensive personal library, including
books that he reads and rereads.

richard...@gmail.com

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 8:15:20 PM4/10/12
to
I trust this means that the licence conferred by purchasing an LP or
78 also transfers to any digital recording you might have in any
format, however obtained. (Big sigh of relief for UK members)!
Richard

Art

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 8:34:41 PM4/10/12
to
I understand that. I have yet to move my whole collection yet again soon
and the thought has crossed my mind to ditch the CDs, but those CDs
represent alot of time researching, flipping through bins, placing orders
online, years of expanding my tastes and knowledge, etc. There's just too
much of me in there to give it all up.

Kip Williams

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 9:34:36 PM4/10/12
to
O wrote:

> I think I've seen every Charles Addams cartoon. When we were kids, we
> bought all the paperbacks, in college, I bought all the hardbounds in
> used book stores. Now I have every issue of the New Yorker on DVD-ROM,
> with a searchable index.

Keep the books! Not all of his cartoons were originally presented in TNY.


Kip Ww

O

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 10:15:41 PM4/10/12
to
In article <XnsA031AD9748E6Dam...@209.197.15.254>, Alan
Cooper <amco...@NOSPAMoptonline.net> wrote:

> >>> >
> >>>
> >>> Huh. My response is, "They were here when we moved in."
> >>>
> >> There are more buried in the basement.
> >>
> >
> > You've seen the same Charles Addams cartoon!
> >
> > JDW
>
> Well yeah, and since my home office in the basement, I explain to befuddled
> visitors that the thousands of books are there for ballast, "to keep the house
> from popping out of the ground." If I manage to keep a straight face, sometimes
> they take me seriously.

It's that damn spongy soil. It's like a coiled steel spring. Launched
a house 25 feet in the air last summer, landed on a state truck. The
two inside were killed instantly, in their sleep.

-Owen

O

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 10:16:55 PM4/10/12
to
In article <XnsA031ABD139E...@216.168.3.70>,
Matthew B. Tepper <oyţ@earthlink.net> wrote:

> "William Sommerwerck" <grizzle...@comcast.net> appears to have caused
> the following letters to be typed in news:jm23v6$9ql$1...@dont-email.me:
>
> > "Matthew B. Tepper" <oyţ@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> > news:XnsA031846A3AD...@216.168.3.70...
> >> Alan Cooper <amco...@NOSPAMoptonline.net> appears to have caused the
> >> following letters to be typed in
> >> news:XnsA03191A447B6Bam...@209.197.15.254:
> >
> >>> Somewhere I have a great cartoon that shows a guy sitting in front of
> >>> a wall of LPs, saying something like "I don't even like music; this
> >>> was my decorator's idea." I use that line every time someone comments
> >>> on our houseful of LPs, CDs, etc.--especially when they (inevitably)
> >>> ask, "Have you *listened* to all of those?"
> >
> >> The late Forrest J Ackerman, who prided himself on being the world's
> >> "#1 science fiction fan" (and who, unfortunately, also coined the
> >> expression "sci fi"), named his home the Ackermansion, wherein he kept
> >> his enormous and fabled collection of science fiction, fantasy, and
> >> horror books. Whenever anybody asked him, "Have you *read* all of
> >> these?" Forry would simply reply, "Every last word."
> >
> >> You guessed it: When filing a newly-acquired book on the shelf, he
> >> would flip to the last page and read the very last word.
> >
> > Harlan Ellison remarked in a screenplay that there was no point to a
> > personal library that contained only books you'd already read.
>
> I doubt Harlan doesn't have a very extensive personal library, including
> books that he reads and rereads.

My single criteria on whether a keep a book is whether I think I'll
ever read it or refer to it again. I still keep a lot of books.

-Owen

whiskynsplash

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 10:10:35 PM4/10/12
to
On Apr 10, 6:55 pm, "Matthew B. Tepper" <oyþ@earthlink.net> wrote:
> >> The late Forrest J Ackerman, who prided himself on being the world's
> >> "#1 science fiction fan" (and who, unfortunately, also coined the
> >> expression "sci fi"), named his home the Ackermansion, wherein he kept
> >> his enormous and fabled collection of science fiction, fantasy, and
> >> horror books. Whenever anybody asked him, "Have you *read* all of
> >> these?" Forry would simply reply, "Every last word."
>
> >> You guessed it:  When filing a newly-acquired book on the shelf, he
> >> would flip to the last page and read the very last word.
>
> > Harlan Ellison remarked in a screenplay that there was no point to a
> > personal library that contained only books you'd already read.
>
> I doubt Harlan doesn't have a very extensive personal library, including
> books that he reads and rereads.
> Matthew B. Tepper:  WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!!

Well, who admits to having read this author:
J.-H. Rosny aine: ‘Three Science Fiction Novellas: From Prehistory to
the End of Mankind’

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/j-h-rosny-aine-three-science-fiction-novellas-from-prehistory-to-the-end-of-mankind/2012/04/04/gIQA2YuNxS_story.html

O

unread,
Apr 10, 2012, 10:18:55 PM4/10/12
to
In article
<c155377f-ede1-47a0...@f37g2000yqc.googlegroups.com>,
<"richard...@gmail.com"> wrote:

> On Apr 10, 3:29 pm, Curlytop <pvstownsend.zyx....@ntlworld.com> wrote:
> > David Fox set the following eddies spiralling through the space-time
> > continuum:
> >
> > > Ripping purchased CDs for personal use only:  legal.
> > > Reselling purchased CDs:  legal.
> > > Ripping purchased CDs and then reselling them:  illegal.
> >
> > > This is one of the few laws I know in which then compound action of two
> > > otherwise legal actions is considered illegal. I'll leave you to your own
> > > conclusions regarding the merits of this law and/or the viability of
> > > enforcement.
> >
> > Understandable though. AIUI (in the UK) the purchased CD is your licence to
> > listen to the contents, whether from the CD itself, a CD-R backup copy, an
> > MP3 file or any other format. Sell the CD and you sell your licence. Any
> > retained copy is then unlicensed hence illegal.
> >
> > To the OP regarding the overflowing shelf space, buy yourself some of the
> > specially designed zip-around binders. The largest ones can hold 240 or
> > more CD's, four discs to a "page". Keep the booklets and the back title
> > cards, and sell or recycle the empty jewel cases. The binders will take up
> > much less shelf space.
> > --
> > ?: ) Proud to be curly
> >
> > Interchange the alphabetic letter groups to reply
>
> I trust this means that the licence conferred by purchasing an LP or
> 78 also transfers to any digital recording you might have in any
> format, however obtained. (Big sigh of relief for UK members)!
> Richard

Alternatively, what happens when you buy a downloaded file? No
license? Are purchased CD sold with licenses in the UK (or licences?)

-Owen

Matthew B. Tepper

unread,
Apr 11, 2012, 1:50:22 AM4/11/12
to
whiskynsplash <whisky...@yahoo.com> appears to have caused the
following letters to be typed in
news:7c7b5732-4367-483c...@h5g2000vbx.googlegroups.com:

> Well, who admits to having read this author:
> J.-H. Rosny aine: ‘Three Science Fiction Novellas: From Prehistory to
> the End of Mankind’
>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/j-h-rosny-aine-three-sc
> ience-fiction-novellas-from-prehistory-to-the-end-of-mankind/2012/04/04/g
> IQA2YuNxS_story.html

I rather doubt he could have sold to Campbell.

--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!!

Matthew B. Tepper

unread,
Apr 11, 2012, 1:50:22 AM4/11/12
to
O <ow...@denofinequityx.com> appears to have caused the following letters
to be typed in news:100420122216553103%ow...@denofinequityx.com:

> My single criteria on whether a keep a book is whether I think I'll
> ever read it or refer to it again. I still keep a lot of books.

Just think, if one of those books were a dictionary, you might have used the
word "criterion"!

Matthew B. Tepper

unread,
Apr 11, 2012, 1:50:23 AM4/11/12
to
O <ow...@denofinequityx.com> appears to have caused the following letters
to be typed in news:100420122215418683%ow...@denofinequityx.com:
So they were still asleep in the time it took for their house to be hurled 25
feet in the air and come down again? They must have been from California.
We sleep through earthquakes.

herman

unread,
Apr 11, 2012, 3:11:05 AM4/11/12
to
On 11 avr, 07:50, "Matthew B. Tepper" <oyþ@earthlink.net> wrote:

>
> > It's that damn spongy soil.  It's like a coiled steel spring.  Launched
> > a house 25 feet in the air last summer, landed on a state truck.  The
> > two inside were killed instantly, in their sleep.
>
> So they were still asleep in the time it took for their house to be hurled 25
> feet in the air and come down again?  They must have been from California.
> We sleep through earthquakes.
>
> --
Clearly you have not checked the news. The two casualties were the
Parks Dpt employees, sound asleep in their truck.

William Sommerwerck

unread,
Apr 11, 2012, 5:07:21 AM4/11/12
to
> Well yeah, and since my home office in the basement, I explain to
> befuddled visitors that the thousands of books are there for ballast,
> "to keep the house from popping out of the ground." If I manage to
> keep a straight face, sometimes they take me seriously.

Coincidentally, one modern form of house construction (dating from the 19th
century) uses a light wood frame, and was derisively dubbed "balloon"
construction.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Framing_%28construction%29


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