My Spotify-Powered CD Collection!

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Click pic to view:

Ripping your CDs? Pah! That’s so last-year. Instead, what I’ve done is create some image maps of my CD collection then made each CD a clickable link into Spotify. I’ve grouped the hotspots by artist, so clicking on a CD by a certain artist will open Spotify at that artist’s page. I can then click the Play button and listen to my tunes without the effort of actually putting the physical disc into a drive.

I’ve built up my CD collection over a couple decades: my first CD was a New Order compilation I bought back in 1987. I’ve since filled two bookcases full and have a pretty good mental map of what’s where. If I feel like a bit of chilled downtempo grooves, I know exactly where to look (2nd case, just below half-way down). This kind of musical map is something that’s missing from Spotify which (for now at least) only lets you organize things in one big long list of playlists down the side.

To make a Spotified CD collection, here’s what to do:

  1. Take some photos of your CD collection. Crop and size as necessary.
  2. Search for each artist in Spotify and note the artist’s Spotify URI. Either right-click on the artist’s photo, or on the artist name top-right in Spotify. I put all this into a google spreadsheet to make the image-mapping stage a little easier.
  3. Create an image-map for each photo. I used the OpenOffice Writer: import the photo (Insert > Picture) then save as HTML. Right-click on the image then select ImageMap. You can then draw around each set of CDs, entering the Spotify URI in the Address field.
  4. Save the HTML and upload somewhere.

Of the 296 different artists I have on CD, Spotify has 202 of them. That’s a hit-rate of 68% which is not too bad (and hopefully will only get better). The biggest gaps are in the Industrial, modern Synthpop and Trance genres.

UPDATE

Andres from Spotify has written a post about my Spotified CD collection on the official Spotify blog – he says “the CD Collection site is awesome” and that it’s “amazing and really creative … so cool” Thanks Andres!

I’ve also seen some nice feedback today on Twitter and FriendFeed:

  • KENKEN – Twitter “OH! Spotified CD collection!! Nice!“
  • Jeppe Jazzjeppe Isaksson – “the coolest thing ever. A guy has taken pictures of his CD collection and linked every CD to the corresponding album on Spotify! Awsomeness!“
  • Eschnou – “Really nice use of Spotify indeed.. but must have been quite a time consuming task“
  • iblitz (via Ubiquity translation) – “The collection of cds from a user Spotify, which has bound the roofs of their club with the discs in Spotify“
  • steilo –“Pretty cool Spotified CD collection“
  • Jeppe Jazzjeppe Isaksson – “User created SpotifyCD shelf! Briliant!“
  • gerrymoth: “Totally cool website for Spotify users”
    jazzjeppe: “Totally awsomeness! A CD shelf with CDs linked to Spotify“
  • oscarbarber: “Spotify addict?? Take a look here and choose your music from the desk“
  • pwiger: “Creative: Afront’s Spotified CD Collection“
  • mattots: “cool Spotified CD collection“
  • Renate: “so fresh: @afront has taken a pic of his CD shelf and linked the cases to Spotify“
  • geetarchurchy: “that is genius! What a great idea 🙂“
  • utku “*Very* cool sir 🙂” – he also kindly posted about it on his blog (“The Digital CD Rack”)
  • talentbarometer: “OMG what a cool idea! Just checked it out – a totally fun way to introduce a music playlist (…cos Spotify rocks!)“
  • markgould13: “RT @afront Spotify-powered CD collection: awesome virtual expression of a physical collection #spotify #km #flow“

Thanks guys!