I've heard a rumour of a CD revival and industry data shows evidence of this with a bit of an upturn. The vinyl resurgence shows no sign of slowing down, with new print on demand options springing up. I'm mad about vinyl as many of you will already know but I got thinking that CDs don't always get much love...so I decided to create a new blog post spotlighting CD collectors...

I put a call out in Inner Echo, the Whitelabrecs and Driftworks community, to ask if there are any CD collectors who would like to share photos of their collection and set-up, as well as respond to a few interview questions. I got plenty of interest; so much so that we'll split it up into a few parts so that more people can get involved. First up, we're joined by Erwin, Jason, Pedro, Sam and Will who share their CD collector stories.

When and why did you start collecting CDs? How big is your collection?

Erwin: I started collecting CDs in 1987, when the CD players started to get affordable for the general public. It was the next big thing at that time with the best possible sound. A sound without crackles and pops and the convenience of skipping to the next song for instance, were the main reasons for collecting CDs. My first CDs were Pink Floyd’s A Momentary Lapse Of Reason and The Cure’s Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me. I still like and own these pressings.

It would not take long for the CD to push vinyl from the market and there were almost no vinyl left in the shops at one point. Can you imagine that now?? It was also the time that you would go to the shops for your music. There was no internet and streaming. You would go to the shop and asked for that hard-to-find CD and maybe a few weeks later it would arrive at the shop. What a difference now, even harder to imagine!

I still collect CDs and must have more than 10,000 by now. I also buy vinyl - despite the hit and miss of some 2nd hand or new pressings, I still like to play a vinyl record from time to time. But when I have to choose between a vinyl or CD pressing, it will be the CD! For the sound with no crackles and pops and for the convenience (But I do like intended crackle like on Burial records). And I also play them in my car when driving to work (an hour, so perfect for one CD).

Jason: I started buying CDs in the late 80’s, but have only been collecting since very recently, over the past 3 or 4 years; over the years I’ve bought and collected cassette releases from boutique labels and independent artists, and I suspect this laid the foundation for starting a collection of CDs, rather than just accrue digital downloads, for a similar reason. My collection is modest, probably around 50 to 60 CDs.

CDs by their very nature being “compact” are of course much easier to keep – not as tactile as vinyl or tape, but much easier and lighter to store, which could be another reason?

Pedro: I was all in on CDs when they appeared in the mid 80s, despite some of them having an atrocious sound (I guess mastering and even manufacturing took a while to catch up) - but the ones which sounded good sounded a lot better than vinyl, to my ears. And of course you didn’t need to get up to flip them :) Plus all the stuff they allowed like metadata built in, seeing the running time on the player’s display, shuffle, and all the other niceties the technology supported, like CD changers and so on.

I still collected vinyl through the 90s but when I left university and got my own place it was a CD-only house! I had a Myryad system with pre and power amps and a CD player, with Mission floor speakers, and it was amazing.

One thing CDs changed for me (for the worse) was remembering the track order and titles. As a teenager I was very proud of remembering all the songs and their order in the albums I owned, and CDs made me lose that: track 1, track 5, and so on. I guess I didn’t spend as long looking at the plastic boxes as I did holding record sleeves, plus you always asked “play track 3” because it was how you navigated the player’s UI.

Sam: Right now, my CD collection is quite small by design. I've made the intentional choice to only buy Ambient music on CD, without any particular goal in mind. I have a pretty addictive personality, so I try to stay mindful of that. Growing up and in my teens I had around 300–400 CDs, but I sold them to save space while moving frequently. After so many relocations, I adopted a minimalist lifestyle. Now that I’ve finally settled in a place that feels like home, I’m slowly opening back up to collecting again—mainly books, cassettes, and CDs that genuinely resonate with me.

Will: I started collecting Ambient CDs in the 2000s. My entry point was through Labradord, Pan American and the Kranky Label, which I followed religiously. I guess the collecting really took off with the discovery of Bandcamp and Discogs and a whole new Ambient world opened up for me. I have about 2,000 CDs and I am culling earlier CDs in jewel cases that I no longer relate to.

What system or setup do you use to play your CDs?

Erwin: In my car! But that’s not very suitable for playing Ambient records…

And in my living room, at the moment I have the best CD player I’ve ever had. It’s an Audiolab 6000 and it has a playback error correction feature. It plays flawlessly, also with slightly damaged CD’s.

I have learned over the years that you also have to be careful with CDs, because they can get damaged quite quickly if you are not careful.

Jason: I don’t have a CD player; I listen to a CD's content using online streaming services, such as Bandcamp or occasionally Spotify and other online streaming services, including Mixcloud etc. I use an old iPhone to connect to a Bluetooth receiver which is connected to a vintage 1979 Sony Hi-Fi receiver-amplifier.

Pedro: My current system is a hodge podge of separates: Cambridge Audio amplifier, Denon cassette deck, Audio-Technica record player, and Cyrus CD player. The speakers are Monitor Audio R6. I have an armchair across the room so I can sit comfortably with my tea while listening.

Sam: My setup is modest at the moment. I use a faux-wooden Bush CD player that also has an AUX input, which I run my Sony cassette deck through for tape listening. Eventually, I’d love to upgrade to something higher-end, but for now, this setup suits my needs perfectly.

Will: I used to have an old Cambridge separates set up, but had problems with the CD player. I traded it in and now have an Omnia Audiolab all-in-one system with a set of Q speakers. I do miss my Cambridge separates though.

What's your listening routine with CDs? Do you listen to the physical CD regularly, or are they mainly there as part of your collection and you listen in another way?

Erwin: Sometimes I will play the CD, but when I’m lazy I’ll go for the stream. I stream with Roon and have the possibility to stream 24 bit files, sometimes I prefer that.

Jason: I rarely if ever listen to any actual CD; I generally put CDs into protective plastic wallets and add to the growing collection as soon as I get them; every now and then, quiet times and rainy days, I might look through the package and booklets whilst listening to the sounds online.

Pedro: I listen regularly to the physical CDs, I will only choose the downloads if I’m out of the house or doing chores. If I’m listening to music I sink into my armchair and stick to physical media.

Sam: I work from home full-time, so CDs and tapes are part of my daily life. I’d say I spend most of my day listening to physical media. I also have a pretty extensive Bandcamp library, where many of my favourites live digitally—but if we’re talking Ambient, I tend to gravitate toward the tactile, physical listening experience.

Will: It depends on what room in the house I'm in. The system is set up in the living room and I will listen to CD’s there. I will wander around the rest of the house and garden with my Sony headphones on and stream from my iPhone.

What do you enjoy most about collecting and/or listening to CDs?

Erwin: As I said before the clean sound and convenience. And the fact that they are handy. But then again the small artwork makes it hard to read sometimes. I think CD’s are collectable, just like vinyl. The look of a wall filled with CD’s makes my heart start to beat faster.

Jason: Collecting, for me, it’s about buying a physical release and supporting the artist and or label directly, many of which produce beautiful and collectable packages; I love the added creativity.

All said, more recently, it's buying/gifting and sending CDs to friends; recently, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that doing this with Whitelabrecs even comes with a 20% discount on physical items as a subscriber. I used this discount to send a special CD to a special friend in the USA. Give it a go!

I rarely sell my CDs; however I do have some very collectable items for sale on behalf of a friend who is down-sizing his collection – see pictures below...

Pedro: The music :) I have to say if there is a vinyl or tape option I will probably buy that instead of the CD! More seriously, the sound is amazing, for reasons that elude me - exactly the same data as on a file, going through a DAC. There’s no reason they should sound this good (I’m sure I could spend a few thousand ££ on a file/network streamer that would sound as good!) And they’re convenient to handle and store.

Sam: In a world that moves so fast and is overflowing with content, I find value in slowing down and being intentional with my listening. There’s something deeply nostalgic about picking a CD off the shelf, taking in the artwork, and engaging with the music as a full experience—not just background noise. It’s about presence and appreciation.

Will: I love the sound quality of a CD over streaming. I love handling the CD sleeve and reading the artist's notes whilst listening. It gives me a deeper connection with the artist.

What are your thoughts on CD packaging styles? Are there any particular types you like, dislike etc?

Erwin: Jewel cases are one of the ugliest things ever invented. I got rid of them all! And replaced them for space saving wallets (called Softcover, made in Switzerland). I cherish LP style digipacks (Whitelabrecs CD’s for instance!) and handmade items. There is so much you can do with a nice CD packaging to make them collectable. A good example of very nice CD packaging is the 3” CD series from the Dronarivm label. Or for example the nice Japanese CD pressings (often with an OBI strip). They release some titles on CD that are only on vinyl in the EU.

Jason: CDs by themselves can be a bit boring, can’t they; which is why, for me, collecting CDs can now be worthwhile, rather than just opting for a digital download; the opportunity for creativity to experiment, including with the CD size (and shape?). For example I have a few 3” CDs in my collection. I think the plastic jewel case has had its day?

Pedro: Jewel cases are my favourite because they make it easy to find what I’m looking for! Some “fat” digipacks are also easy to read, but the ones that are just a sleeve are terrible - because they’re hard to find and easy to lose. I love special editions, especially from independent labels or artists, because there is clearly so much care and thought put into them, and I like going through everything, feels a bit like Christmas morning. The downside is the storage, as the sizes and shapes are not standard. To be fair not as bad as on special edition cassettes! But I like a tidy shelf!

Sam: I tend to prefer card or paper-style packaging, whether handmade or not. They take up less space and have a more natural, tactile quality that I love. I often display them with the artwork facing out, rotating them regularly so I can appreciate them visually as well as musically. That’s one of the perks of having a smaller, curated collection—it’s easier to enjoy each piece fully.

Will: I hate jewel cases or any form of plastic. I love card four panel fold out cases. I love the cases and design of Organic Industries and the artists they worked with - Hakobune, Nobuto Suda and Hirotaka Shirotsubaki to name a few. Also the beautiful label Cotton Goods and the love and care that has gone into each release.

What’s your favourite or most cherished CD in your collection, and why?

Erwin: As a Factory fan I really like the sandpaper sleeve for The Return Of The Durutti Column LP. But that one is very expensive so I’m glad to have a CD pressing with a sandpaper slipcase sleeve.

I’m also proud of my (almost complete) collection from the Em:t label. All very nice ambient-like music in beautiful digipacks and not likely to be re-pressed any time soon.

Jason: “Lorenz Variations” by Kymatik; Mac is good friend since many years, and he made and gave me a personalised CD of a special composition that he produced for an arts council performance, which included 15+ of us in white coveralls with egg box eye goggles floating in a pool in a mansion in the Devon countryside circa 1998 with the main track playing from a quadra/ambisonic 4 “mono tracksquare”, created using an Audio Dimensions Azimuth Sound System PA.

Pedro: A box set from a Portuguese band, Mão Morta. I’ve been to dozens of their gigs and shot an entire tour on film, including backstage, rehearsals, etc. Several years later I bumped into one of the guitarists on a train, we got talking and he had just picked up his copy at a band rehearsal, and he just gave it to me. More recently, Eliane Radigue’s anthology box… it blew me away and it’s been next to the CD player since the day I first listened to it.

Sam: Lately, I picked up all the available Blochemy CDs from Whitelabrecs—some of my absolute favourites in the Ambient genre. Another standout is Grønland by Glasbird. The album itself is a gem, and the cover art is stunning. Both feel really special to me.

Will: This is a tough one. I probably need to choose two. The Humble Bee's Morning Music is a work of art in every sense. Wonderful design, handmade, only 100 copies and sublime music. Also Stars of the Lid's And The Refinement Of The Decline is an album I come back to again and again and again. It moves me in a way nothing else can.

How do you usually discover new CDs and decide what to buy next?

Erwin: First of all, I have way too many CDs. Probably thousands I will never listen to again. I have to narrow this down and I do sell via Discogs, but for now I have a hard time in organising that. I have a broad taste in music and listen to everything from Ambient to Pixies and from World music to Pet Shop Boys. I mostly discover new music through sites as Bandcamp, A Closer Listen or Growing Bin. Or via Electronic Sound magazine. I would love to have a physical magazine devoted to all things Ambient. There is so much great music nowadays and so easy to access. It’s hard to choose what to purchase next…

I also buy vinyl from time to time, mostly the ones that are not available on CD. And my taste is progressing so what I like now may not be so good in 10 years. I do like to collect series in a beautiful uniform packaging.

But most of the time I buy ambient on CD. Especially the more serene and minimal. I think this music is not so suitable for vinyl, because the background noises distracts from the actual music. Recently I’ve been listening to a lot to new age music. Most off which come out on cassette (aaaaaarghhh why???). I would love to have a CD version of the intense beautiful and serene IKSRE record Awake Within The Dream.

Jason: Bandcamp, by following or subscribing to artists and labels; Twitter/X, Instagram… Mixcloud is also a goldmine.

Pedro: Bandcamp, friends, and fora. I usually listen to an album a couple of times to decide whether to get a CD, but for “my” artists I just buy them automatically.

Sam: I mostly buy from Bandcamp, directly from labels. That’s how I plan to keep collecting—supporting artists and labels directly. I also read a lot of blogs and listen to podcasts, which often lead me to new finds. Honestly, just browsing the back catalogs of my favourite labels—like Whitelabrecs or Home Normal—is enough to keep me discovering great music for a long time.

Will: I am heavily influenced by following artists on Bandcamp, particular labels such as Whitelabrecs, Archives, Quiet Details, Dronarivm, Stereoscenic and Home Normal, to name a few.

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