From 100s to 1s and 0s

Photo: Jabari Zuberi

It’s no secret that the CD format has entered its autumn. CD sales in the first quarter of 2008 dropped 25 percent from the same span in 2006, according to Nielsen SoundScan. And the format’s future looks increasingly bleak: Only half of all teenagers bought a CD in 2007, according to a study released by market-research firm NPD Group earlier this year.

But with projections suggesting digital sales won’t overtake hard-copy sales until 2012, you’ve still got time to salvage some sort of return on your investment in those Radiohead, Feist and Reality Bites discs that have been gathering dust on your IKEA shelves.

Besides ripping everything to a computer and smashing your CDs with a hammer to make disco balls, the obvious option is to drag all those jewel cases to a used-record store. Reckless Records in the Loop, Lakeview and Wicker Park remains the best option, but beware—the market flooded long ago. Save yourself the inevitable eyeroll from a jaded counter clerk by not expecting serious cash when you dump a shoebox full of Goo Goo Dolls and Duffy discs on the counter. Reckless also will purchase collections, sending an employee to your home for estimates before schlepping the stuff away. However, Reckless warns that sellers will not get as good a deal as they would from an in-store appraisal.

For those who don’t want to sell their CD stash into the bargain bins, we tested three alternative methods of collection disposal. Whether you’re looking to go hi-fi with an in-home digital jukebox or just looking to mulch Alanis Morissette booklets, we have the option for you.

For the sentimental audiophile
We recently converted all of our CDs—nearly 4,500—to digital format. Why now? Put simply: We needed the space. But after checking out several online-conversion services, such as RipDigital.com and ReadyToPlay.com, we were stunned by the amount of legwork they require, not to mention their high fees. Our service of choice has no shipping charges, is responsive to phone and e-mail and is well versed in the audio-format wars conversion projects like this often ignite. We found Fred Way’s service, TheMusicRoom-web.com, through Craigslist. He charges a variable rate, depending on the volume of CDs. It cost us 25 cents per CD. If you choose, he’ll even sell your converted discs for you (and cut you in on the proceeds). “I especially think there’s a large group of people over 40 years old who have CDs sitting around that they’re unsure of what to do with,” says Way. He might just be the perfect blend of professional mover and music geek. —Matthew Lurie

For free-swag seekers
Some music fans want to go totally CD-less and are happy with iPod-quality sound. So why not get a free Apple gizmo in the process?

The most convenient service we tried for getting the CDs out of the condo forever is MetroRip.com. Previously known as Podpacker, the Brooklyn-based company takes your CDs in increments of 100 in exchange for iPods (or sometimes Apple gift certificates). It wants saleable CDs—so if you come up short or have cracked cases, you simply pay the difference for the iPod of your choice. You’ll have to send off 500 CDs to get that 8GB iPhone. But all that music won’t be lost. MetroRip sends you back all the music files on data DVDs, so you can choose what you want to load onto your new device—and what you’d rather not hear again.

Billing itself as a “recycler,” AbundaTrade.com sounds like a dream. You submit a list of CDs in good condition (as well as DVDs, video games and books), box ’em and ship ’em, then choose from a wide range of gadgets and electronics—from a handheld Garmin GPS to a Philips 47-inch LCD—to spend “trade credits” on. You still get your digital library back (192kbps MP3 unless you ask for another format), and someone else can buy your CDs—AbundaTrade runs its own online CD/DVD shop. —John Dugan

For tree huggers
More than 45 tons of CDs become waste every month—there’s probably a barge somewhere with a lot of awesome jams on it. Keep your conscience as well as your shelving clean with CdRecyclingCenter.com, a national service sponsored by CD and DVD manufacturers. The bad news: You must separate the discs, cases and inserts, and then pay to ship everything to Salem, New Hampshire. The good news for you greenies: These specialists will help turn regretted impulse purchases into plastic for the automotive and construction industries. The Fray’s How To Save A Life might do just that when melted down and converted into a Toyota Prius bumper. —Brent DiCrescenzo