How To Organize A Music Collection 

I think it's really cool that Brendon has his music room in the attic.

I've been collecting for 61 years and I simply find a space and file it. Boxes, shelves, cupboards etc. Now I'm older I realise how it has helped to train my memory . 😉

Classifying and organizing is part of the fun of collecting! I group by genre, and the head-scratchers about what band fits what genre can be enjoyable, making your pause to really think about what defines a genre or a band's sound/look. Classical is alphabetized by composer, and within each composer, discs are grouped by subgenre (symphonies, chamber music, etc.). All other genres (jazz, rock, soul/R&B, country, metal, etc.) are alphabetized the traditional way: leading articles omitted and last name, first name for individuals. For any side projects or offshoots, I just rely on my mental music encyclopedia to find what I'm looking for. I wouldn't group them with their parent band. Like L.A. Guns and GnR wouldn't occupy the same dedicated space or box, but they would both be alphabetized in the glam metal section.

I currently live at home with my parents but when I have my own places I plan on organizing my music collection with different genres of rock and metal such as heavy metal, hard rock and horror punk. I still have a small collection but it’s going to get there.

I just recently organized my cds in chronological order, or what year I associate the artist with. It's a really fun way to display them, and gets you back into certain artists you forgot!

A class way of showing your music collection for a class collector 🎉

Been using your box storage method, been a huge difference 👍

Man, Brendon is a thorough CD collector. Just like me. CDs are amazing and although I collect vinyl as well, for me nothing beats CDs!

Smart man to keep the music out of the basement. Very smart! I'm building a barn for me 60K plus piece collection which are all on cd.

I no longer have a CD collection, but when I did, I organized my 2,000 CDs alphabetically by artist and title for non-classical, and by composer's last name and featured work for classical. For example, Genesis and Peter Gabriel solo albums went under G, but Phil Collins went under C. Various artist or composer CDs went alphabetically by title under V. I put 38 Special under T for Thirty; and Jimmy Buffett's four-CD box set Boats, Beaches, Bars, and Ballads under B for Buffett as Ballads, Bars, Beaches and Boats, because those were the titles of the separate CDs.

Great video really interesting to hear how others organise their collection. Keep up the great work Brenden 👍

Smart decision to keep ypur collection out of the basement . A few years back on New Years Day I had a water pipe break in the basement above my KISS '70's stuff ( remote control van , model kit , individual notebooks , Aucoin posters and Colorforms ) , everything got soaked and ruined . It was tough having to throw it away .

Music is such a big part of my life but so many people and friends I know just aren't as passionate about it

*I organize by genres, then in alphabetical order within the genres. Then each album in order of the year of release.* Alternative Music, Rock & Classic Rock (ie Sonic Youth/ The Who) Hard Rock & Heavy Metal (ie Rush/ Metallica) Punk Rock, Hardcore & Crossover (ie The Misfits/ DRI) Electronic, Industrial & Experimental (ie Portishead/ Skinny Puppy) International, Non English & Folk (ie Bob Marley/ Autour De Lucie) Orchestrated, Classical & Opera (ie Preisner/ Beethoven/ Pavarotti) Soundtracks (Film/ TV/ Stage) Various Artists (Label Compilations/ Benefits/ Tributes)

Another great video Brendon. I have a suggestion for a top 10 list. How about a list of best comeback albums after an album fail?

Some really good ideas on organizing a music collection very cool. It was really neat to see around your house as well your basement & that closet was really cool idea to. I liked how your boxes stepped down as the ceiling came down in the closet. Thanks for the tips Brendon.

Great video Brendon, and it's interesting to hear your thoughts on organizing your collection. I used to also break my collection by genre, but found that there is a lot of overlap for several artists and could never decide on the best way to split them, so I ended up going straight A to Z (exceptions are Christmas and humor). However I also group solo artists and side projects with their main groups, when it makes sense to do so, and then chronologically within that group. I also agree that solo artists should be alphabetized by their last names, regardless of how they may be alphabetized by a digital medium. I also disregard "The", "A", and "An" when alphabetizing. My OCD tells me that I have to have all of an artist grouped together, and it would bother me to split the catalog for an artist apart. I currently have room for my whole collection in one spot in my basement, but in the past when I didn't, I preferred to leave out the compilations and/or part of the alphabet, rather than splitting artists into studio vs. live or whatever. I know you have a "Wall of Wonder" that stores some of your collection, and so you could have some CDs for an artist there, some displayed on your shelves, and some in boxes... but that would stress me out!

This is great. Then there's me. Toss em all on a shelf and end up looking for albums for awhile. I have 1k albums by the way. A new collector vs. you. Although I've been collecting since 1992.

Great video Brendon. I mostly listen to metal, so a few years ago I split my collection in to "metal" and "mainstream". I hate it! I wish I had never done it, and someday I will switch it back but have to work up the motivation to do a complete overhaul again.

I really enjoyed this post. For years I've pondered over where to put certain artists. Glad to report I (mostly) arrived at the same solution as a few you recommend. Keep the videos coming!

Brendon .................. YOU ROCK ............. Love the Show

I like these videos. Good work!

Love this video. I just moved from NJ to Jax, FL. In NJ I had an extra bedroom that became the Dave Cave. I had shelving on the walls. CDs, music DVDs/BluRay occupied most of that space with collectible figures/Funko taking up the rest of the space. I did alphabetical. Alice Cooper Band under “A” while Alice Cooper is under “C” and no “the” except for the band The The. Various artist compilations went at the end but alpha’s under the title of the compilation. After I got alpha’d, I then placed the albums in chronological order by release date. Since work relo’d me to FL, I am temporarily renting a condo so I can’t transform any of the rooms with massive shelving, so I’m gonna opt for racks, even though I’m not a fan of racks. I gotta check out that box video because I’m in banker’s boxes right now. I still need to know what that DefLep box set is on your top shelf! Hah…. Great video! Will you one day get everything out for display?

Thanks Brendon!!!

Interesting video. I have a much smaller CD collection (under 300). I’ve been “collecting” CDs since around 1986/1987 when I was a kid. I keep my CDs on two standing CD racks. They are organized alphabetically BUT I am not always consistent. Some artists are by first name and some by last. It’s just kinda based on how I remember it.

Great job Brendon

Interesting, informative and cool video. 👍

I organize mine autobiographically😎

I usually sort alphabetically but in case of Screaming Trees, I kept Mark Lanegan's solo albums together

Step 1. Actually, have the space to have a music collection. Which I don't have lol 😢.

Man Brendon I’m exhausted and my head’s spinning 🤪 after this video 😁

Nice Video Brendon, I personally just have around 1,200 CDs, so I just do Genre, then Alpha. I don't have to store anything in boxes as one wall is enough to show my entire collection. I would go nuts if I had to dig through boxes to find something.. I do have some floating shelves above my main shelves where I like to showcase things I really really like. Plus, I'm not a huge collector. I maybe buy 25 CDs per year....So running out of space isn't an issue.

I have my CDs in many different places at home and another place at the moment, and they are mixed in a chest of drawers, some in racks and a few on shelves, but in my bedroom, I have albums I listen to the most in here, but I like to mix it around every now and again. But when I get my own place one day and my own shelves, I love to put my albums by the name of their albums from A-Z & 123, but at the moment, I have most of my favourite artists and I put their album names alphabetically instead of chronologically, which makes it easy for me, and sometimes when it comes to Greatest Hits, Ultimate Collection or Best Of Albums, I usually put them in by Artist name before the Greatest Hits on my list, unless it's named something else before Greatest Hits or Best Of, like 'Cross Road' by Bon Jovi, or 'The Dio Years' by Black Sabbath or 'Decade In The Sun' by Stereophonics for example, or 'Rotten Apples: Greatest Hits' by Smashing Pumpkins or 'My Prerogative: Greatest Hits' by Britney Spears for example. My Vinyl Collection is all in alphabetical order by album name from A-Z & 123, with having the numbered albums at the bottom of the list following the same as iTunes/Apple Music or whatever you use. But at the moment it's just mixed all over the place at the moment, until I get my own place and sort my collection out my way soon.

For display, I go by the year the album was released, besides the compilations. I stopped because it just didn't make any sense because I went for the oldest song on the album. I just don't see a reason to organize the compilations anymore, besides the digipacks, which is easier by going with their debut album.

11,000 cds? Wow! I'm jealous!

A very enjoyable and useful video Brendon. I have over 6500 albums spread over CD, Mini-Disc & vinyl. I have 3000 CD's displayed on custom made shelves from A-Z, which works for me. I keep bands and solo albums separate. I store around 100 boxsets on top of my CD shelves and also store around 3000 Mini-Discs in A4 sized plastic boxes, again from A-Z. My vinyl collection is small and is kept in standard sized record cases. Out of interest, Brendon, do you keep an index of your album collection on your PC? I devised an Excel spreadsheet for mine highlighting band name, album title, release date, format, record label, catalogue number, duration and any other relevant comments, e.g. re-mastered versions or band info. Love your videos, keep 'em coming.

That is a very cool and interesting subject. In recent years I have pulled out of my massive collection of female vocal artists out o my A-Z and put them sepearatly for a couple years just to have some more space on my 4 shelves /racks. ( About 3000 CDs) I found out that was pretty dumb when I was looking for a certain CD as I forgot some or it was just not clever. Put them back but have storage problems and limited display space. //// The "problem" you brought up I also had: For example all my CHASTAIN stuff, of course David C. Chastain is standing there, too, but the CJSS albums technically go to "C" right? 😀 Then the LEATHER album, totally sounds like Chastain and of course she is singing on it, hell she even has a David J. Chastain song on it "It's still in your eyes" this time with lyrics, David produced the album, but it should go to "L", right?!?😅 Where do you put the "Shelton / Chastain" album ?!? 🤔( to all the other Chastain stuff or to "S" just because Shelton was the first name ?!?!) 😏

Great video brendon, i organize my Cd collection by alphabet and last name. But organize my movie collection by Genre.

Uff Thanx Bro - You help me save lot of money for doctors hahaha, becouse i also had many questions how to split/unsplit collection etc. Now i know, i'm not alone with this :)

Step 1 is the hardest for me to commit to…with the vinyl. I usually end up changing my organization after a couple years…when I began to run out of room! Classical and movie scores? Combine them or two separate genres. Boxed sets and regular artist releases…uggg. Sometimes, the space I’m stuck with informs how I categorize and separate by genre.

I always put all my cds in alphabet order. I do something a little different and that was with solo projects like, Michael Sweet, Alice Cooper etc, i hated putting them by last name first. It just never looked right to me. I had them in alphabet order by first name. I know i'm weird lol

I currently do a flat out A-Z, going by the artist's first name (as I consider their full name their artist name, if that's what it says on the album cover.) I mean, solo Alice Cooper is still a taken artist name, so it wouldn't make sense in my brain to sort him under C. I ignore The, though. I did try to sort by genre but my collection isn't that big, so some genres were too thin. I may try to split it into everything metal, and everything else. I think that these sorting "problems" is the fun part about collecting! Finding the best way to display for yourself.

I don't focus on Genre to confusing and too many classifications , to extent maybe rock or metal examples Rock(Heart, Joplin, Pink Floyd) Metal( Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Judas Priest) and am old school rocker mostly before 2000 with few exemptions. as have over 150 cassettes , 40 vinyl albums, 40+ CD's and some collections are in many forms. thou fire in 83 , flood in 2017 , I lost over 200 selections. and I list by group and release date as at one time with BMG or Columbia House , at 58 , I didn't have computer til 2010 now no record stores here for over 100 miles , have to use ordering from artist websites or ebay. Thanks for show Brendon.

great vid. what I want to know is, what band or person do you have the most number of cd's by? the rule for this is, it can either be a band or an artist. you can't count say, yes solo albums in with the band yes, it has to be either a single band, or a single person. Mine is The Fall, I have 177 cd's by that band, and if you aren't shocked enough by that, there are about 20 or so cd's by them I have not purchased yet, and thats excluding the way to many "greatest hits" collections they have, if the cd only has the exact same material I already own, I don't buy the comp. but I do buy live albums and consider that a different release even though its live versions of songs that are on the studio albums.

Any thoughts on categorising 'various artist' compilations?

Think of all those zeros and ones that could've been put on hard drives instead. The booklets put in a book. 😂 Well, we live in a physical-Spotify.

Due to the fact I live in an apartment I have areas where I keep my CDs in 2 Rooms the living room and bedroom.

An interesting topic again. I think the size of the collection is crucial here. A minor collection will be fine to have organized from A-Z while a very big collection might benefit from some break down. Another question is for whom the collection is available; is it for only youself or are there many people having access and a need to find the things?

What type of box was used for your Scorpions collection? Are they available in packs like the Staples boxes? Item Number? Thanks!

Hey Brandon, great video. I'm new to collecting vinyl. I only have about 600 vinyl records but I'm running out of space in my entertainment system, it will hold about 1,000 vinyl records. I'm in the process of finishing my basement converting into a kick ass music man cave. My question is: Do I need some sort of climate control device being a basement is cooler and damper than the upstairs. I afraid it will ruin my vinyl.

In alphabetical order, where should IV and the Strange Band go? Should it go under "I" or "F"? I am leaning toward "F" but it's really bugging me, haha. Also, say two bands have the same name, but a gap in a different place. Let's say Bush and then B ush. What do you do there? One last thing, I'm seeing some people talking about chronological order and I am debated switching to that. An interesting way to see a collection grow!

Where did you get the black shelving units behind you for the 4500 on display? Who makes them?

Hi, Brendon. How often do you change out the CDs in your display and replace them with the ones in your boxes?

Basically music collectors just want to be librarians 😂. Great video Brendan

Hi, great video......do you have someone you can leave this collection to?

My entire collection is alphabetical by the first letter of the artist's name, with soundtracks mixed in alphabetically by title. This way, you don't have to waste any time thinking about it deciding where something goes and you know exactly where everything is. Bruce Springsteen = B, Judas Priest = J, Halford = H. This also lines it up with Discogs sorting.

I’m against organized records .. I like to flip through mine not knowing what is next and being pleasantly surprised

When are you going to hit 12,000?

Great video. btw, Alice Cooper is not a name per se, but a band-name (yes based on for/sur-name, but it is still not!), so it goes under A. E.g. same with Pink Floyd, which is based upon putting two surnames together. You don't put that under F do you? No. E.g. Emerson Lake & Palmer is not put under P, but E. If Ozzy used John Osbourne instead, you'd still put it under O. Cataloging is challenging as some characters may run out of space before others. In my own collection I have extremely little under N and I. If you use Kallax as A-Z compartment for vinyl records, this is sometimes impossible, so you have to make an extra room for some characters in the alphabet on the side. Say you have 100 records with Beatles etc. or Beethoven.

I already have enough on my plate with a 5 day a week, full time job & cleaning my/my family’s 3 bedroom town home every. single. day. (zero exceptions.) So “organizing” my extremely modest “collection” of 400 CD’s, 200 cassettes & 100 LP’s on even a semi regular basis is not an option. As always though, love your video’s, Brendon. And a very Happy Easter to you & yours. Cheers!!! ✌🏼

Will cds make a comeback?!?Here in s.a. you can not order anything and cd shops has closed. I want the 5 disc binge and purge from Metallica. It is not even on Amazon. Then my Metallica collection is complete. My collection is 300 metal cds not that many. But it is quite alot lol. Have much more on a hard drive lol. Well... you can always cover the front if the sun comes in now and then. My cds is in a big tower with a door that opens and closes. Mine is just metal. Not even amazon has binge and purge.

Early bird

I organized mine by Genre and further by region

I put Billy Idol on B. Coz if I write Billy Idol on the computer it gets on B. or I have to write Idol Billy

I have about 53000 LPs and 3000 CDs. I have a Rolodex which lists what level and cubby they are located.

I have everything alphabetacle.I have three racks of box sets each one is alphabetized.But I also have two racks of box sets that are in no particular order I just know where they are

Speaking of Music collections, have you seen the story that in 5 years no more CD’s? It was mentioned in a article from David Coverdale concerning what he may due with his Coverdale/Page project, have you heard this? Any truth?

I am A-Z -soundtracks - tributes - various

If someone guesses the number of CDs here, they win them all. Makes my 2000 look small. My guess 5649

You have an amazing collection, but in my humble opinion, I think you're thinking too much. When l had my CDs displayed (before l got married 😢), it was simply by alphabetical order by band then in release order within the band. But then l only have a couple thousand CDs, not 11k. If/when I get to that number, my thoughts may change. Best to ya.

Look at all this junk!😱