- By composer: while seemingly logical, it results in chaos. Your Star Trek collection gets split up all over hell and gone. Those are numbered movies, for Sagan's sake.

- By genre: Put all the sci-fi together, all the horror, all the comedy. But it makes mincemeat of the composers you've collected. And should cartoons like SCHROEDER'S GREATEST HITS (classical, with one jazz track) and BUGS BUNNY ON BROADWAY (classical and opera, as translated by Carl Stalling) be put together with HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, GO SIMPSONIC and SONGS IN THE KEY OF SPRINGFIELD?. They're all cartoons, but really not the same.

- By subject: Star Trek, James Bond, Titanic, Superman. This is good, but not everything fits into a subject. And this puts TV material, like THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN and LOIS & CLARK, together with film. It also puts a Goldsmith (SUPERGIRL), with Williams, and they hate that. It puts a Barry (RAISE THE TITANIC) with Horner.

- By record label, to make the rack look pretty. It really does look nice that way.

- By CD category: film, TV, compilation, song track. It makes a certain sense, but it doesn't really solve anything. Within film, for instance, you still have to arrange things. And subjects are still broken up.

So what do you do?

However, I do keep track of my entire collecting (including song compilation soundtracks) on the computer, where all the scores are arranged by composer.
[This message has been edited by Spacehunter (edited 04 January 2001).]

Not perfect, but I'm looking forward to the day when it gets confusing, because then I'll have a lot of stuff!

I print up up new spines for legibility (except for Varese Sarabande, FSM and Marco Polo which are nicely readable already.

Star Trek and James Bond and other related titles have special spines that identify them prominently.

I want to keep them in one rack, but I've already had to put compilations in a separate area.

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np: http://www.geocities.com/kyle_beatty" TARGET=_blank>www.geocities.com/kyle_beatty

Soundtracks: Alphabetical by composer, then title. With composer specific compilations at
the end of each composer's section.

Various soundtracks: All in alphabetical order. This section contains, either soundtracks that are of the compilation variety, or ones that I have no idea who scored it. There is also discs that have several (More than 4) composers.

Compilations: This is Alphabetical as well.

Misc.: All the non film music related discs, in alphabetical by composer, then title.

Videos: Alpha by title, With VHS and DVD separate from each other.

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Regards,
Sean Robert Abbey

Great topic by the way, I've often wondered about this!

Classical music is sorted alphabetically by composer, then more or less chronologically (although e.g. symphonies are kept together).

Soundtrack section: Song compilations (only a handful) at the beginning, then non-composer oriented score compilations. The rest alphabetically by composer (except for Goldsmith and Williams, who share a board on their own as they make about a third of my collection), then chronologically, although sequel scores are placed together at the correct position for the first score of the series, e.g.: Midway - Star Wars - Empire Strikes Back - Return of the Jedi - Phantom Menace - Phantom Menace Ultimate. Expanded releases are placed after the earlier releases.

A real problem is deciding if a composer should go to the classical or soundtrack section, and if it's not non-ambiguous, I just put the discs where I feel they fit better, although in some cases I can't really decide. E.g., Prokofiev is in the classical section, but Philip Glass is on the soundtrack board. In the soundtrack section, non-film works are placed at the beginning of each composer's section, followed by compilations about this single composer, and then the "normal" scores in chronological order (as described above).

Oh yeah, and the deluxe Ben Hur set lies on top of the "other soundtrack composers" section, because it's so large. http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/wink.gif">

Nesius: A little warning. http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/wink.gif"> A year ago or so, I had about as much CDs as you have now. Now, they're over 300, and my shelf is bursting (a year ago, I still had Doyle in the same section as Goldsmith and Williams). In fact, there are now a couple of piles on top of each section. I have to get a new shelf soon, but I'll be rearranging my furniture, so I have to know HOW I'll do this before I can decide on which shelf to get.

...you're still reading?? http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/wink.gif">

At the top of the shelf is my John Williams collection, first and foremost because he is my favourite composer, second because I've got more than 100 CD's related to the man. The John Williams section is sorted chronologically, except scores that "belong" together (the STAR WARS CD's, The INDY CD's, The IRWIN ALLEN boxed set). These exceptions are bound together by the first film in the series (i.e. all STAR WARS CD's are placed at 1977, the INDY CD's at 1981, the IRWIN ALLEN box at the very beginning - although I own a few CD's from before that period as well). After the JW score section comes the JW Concert Works section, followed by the JW compilation section followed by the "JW-related" section (interviews, video discs, Boston Pops recordings etc.). All these subsections are also systemized, but I won't go into that.

Second comes my Danny Elfman collection - he's my second favourite composer and he's the one I've got the most CD's of after Williams. Sorted chronologically with compilations at the end.

Third is Goldsmith, my third favourite composer, sorted chronologically.

Fourth is James Horner, sorted chronologically.

Other composer sections follow: Goldenthal, Silvestri, Newton Howard, Bernstein, Arnold, Zimmer, Poledouris. My demand is that I have to own at least FIVE scores of a single composer for that composer to have his/her own section. All these composer sections are organized chronologically (internally), with possible compilations at the end. The succession of the composer sections is not accidental - they are sorted after preference and volume (I won't mention the internal criteria).

After the composer sections comes the "general" soundtrack section, which is the biggest. This one is sorted alphabetically. You may find 4 scores of the same composer here, and he/she lacks ONE to be "promoted" to his/her own section.

Then follows my TV Music section (TV series and films), sorted alphabetically.

This one is followed by the Film Score Compilation section, sorted alphabetically.

Last is the Composer Compilations, sorted alphabetically by composer's surname.

We now move on to non-film music, starting with its father - classical music. The classical music section is followed by the electronic music section (which has a separate Jean Michel Jarre section), followed by the rock/pop section (with separate sections for Supertramp, Alan Parsons Project, Pink Floyd, Oingo Boingo and Manfred Mann's Earthband).

All the non-film music sections have complex, internal filing systems as well, but I'll leave it that.

Additionally, there is always a reason for the succession of overarching sections, based on preference or volume.

When there is a coupled CD, I always file it after the first title mentioned on the CD.

There are also several internal nuances within and around all of these sections that I have not mentioned, but since I've already bored you to tears, I'll quit.

Organizing is fun! http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/wink.gif">

I have a bookshelf with five individual shelves. Four of these hold about 72 CDs each, that's 288 discs, in alphabetical order. On the top shelf are the last 30 or so CDs that I listened to, and I can't play them again until they come off that top shelf and back into their alphabetical positions. Double titles and compilations go in a set of boxes elsewhere.

When new CDs are obtained, they go into the alphabetical system (once they've come off the "recently played" shelf, that is). Once that "recently played" shelf has grown to more than forty, I go through the alpha section and remove CDs I haven't played in a while, or that I just don't like. Those discs go in other boxes along with the compilations and double titles, in no particular order. Occasionally I'll go through these as well, and shuffle some between there and the alpha section.

That's for my flat. Up at my parents' house, I keep a further 70 or so scores, more or less random selections from the alpha section. These are stacked neatly in two piles: Varese and Other.

I also keep a computer database of the collection, with catalogue number, title, composer, running time, and my own code number to keep them sortable in alphabetical order. These code numbers run from 5201 for film soundtracks, and 47200 for the compilations and non-film related discs. Guess why those numbers in particular? http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/smile.gif">

NP: CHICKEN RUN

"Stargate" by David Arnold starts off my collection while "The Thin Red Line" finishes it.....