Thursday, March 27, 2008

oh lawd...



I saw it coming, but it's finally happened. I'm officially out of LP storage space. I don't have the wherewithal to go through and get a count, but I'd estimate I'm somewhere around 600 LPs at this point. A respectable, though I'd like to think not excessive collection. (But really, a geek like me is unlikely to call any collection "excessive.")

Thus begins another media storage crisis. Two years ago it was books and files. Got that taken care of. Last year it was cds. I was able eventually find a storage unit to match the two I already had. Now this. It isn't a pressing issue. For now, they're cozy, and I don't plan on doing any serious record shopping until my next Pittsburgh visit in May. And I will likely not purchase any new storage until after I move in August. But I've started to look.

I found this great blog/website, Living With Music. Informative reviews and links to a lot of great products, but most are European, and out of my price range. I love my music, but I'm not interested in spending $1000+ on storage. I've found Gothic Cabinet Craft, which looks to be domestic, quality and affordable. I can put this on the backburner for now, but it's on my mind. The current storage (which is actually an old bookshelf into which I attached supports) will do just fine for the remainder of my time here. But I'm curious - what do y'all use for LP storage?

I think my record collection has grown most significantly in grad school. This is curious, as the wrecka stows in Iowa City are crappy. But I of course make a point to spend a good deal of time and money every time I visit Jerry's Fine Used Records in Pittsburgh. I've also started to find myself in the store having the internal dialogue, "Piss! Do I have this? I can't remember!" I have actually come back to Iowa recently with a 12" that I already owned. Snap. To that end, I'm also looking for software (free) or a web service (free) where I can organize my collection. Really, I'm interested in something where I can just type in the UPC and get all of the info. Suggestions welcome.

2 comments:

jd said...

If you are looking for some software to catelogue your collection, you can try http://www.collectorz.com/. I do not work for them but have been very happy with the software for CDs. There is a free version that lets you add about 100 CDs I think and then you can buy a key for unlimited use.

Gonzo said...

Looks like a great program. Unfortunately, I'm looking for something to catalog LPs. Thanks for the tip though, and thanks for stopping by!