Back on track after CD conversion

When I wrote five weeks ago about converting my 2,000-CD collection to MP3 files, I knew the project would be a monumental task. That really hit home after I got everything back. After all, I now have more than 30,000 musical tracks to manage, enough to play continuously for nearly 90 days.

To refresh your memory, I used iPodMeister (www. ipodmeister.com; 1-877-476-3237) to rip my discs after considering the alternatives: doing it myself, paying a company to do it for 99 cents each (www.ripshark.com) or renting an automated CD-ripping machine for $299 a week (www.primera.com/bravorental). IPodMeister returned my converted collection on a 1.5-terabyte external hard drive, along with backup DVDs, two 120-gigabyte iPod Classics and a check for $640. As payment, the company kept my CDs.

I've been extremely happy with my decision. Here are some of the issues that have come up since making it.

Reader reaction: To my surprise, readers were most concerned with copyright issues after my original column ran (www.startribune.com/a/?4603). Could I legally have MP3 files made from my CDs and then sell the discs while keeping the digital copies?

I contacted the Recording Industry Association of America, which pursues copyright infringement, but it had no answers. It was suggested that I consult an outside expert.

So I called Michael Fleming at the Twin Cities law firm of Larkin Hoffman Daly & Lindgren, who has done RIAA work and is the chairman of the Cyberspace Law Committee of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association. He said that my situation falls under the broadly interpreted "fair use" section of copyright law and that I'm not in legal trouble. He noted that it is a gray area, because fair use is not clearly defined.

You can read more in my blog (www.startribune.com/technobabble).

Workers hand-entered the track information for my dozens (maybe hundreds) of CDs that don't show up in online databases, a huge boon. Most encouraging was how iPodMeister handled a mistake: Workers missed a bonus disc hidden away in a boxed set. When informed of the oversight, the disc was quickly located and ripped, and the files were express-shipped to me.

Organizing everything: Each CD got a folder on the hard drive (a nice model from the reputable Seagate). Finding them without a search wasn't always easy. For example, some Beach Boys albums were under the directory "Beach Boys," while others were under "The Beach Boys" and still others under "Compilations." I started relabeling things until I realized with a big "duh" that iTunes (the program that manages iPod content) reconciles much of the data to make it easier to find. I also found an excellent free PC program that does an even better job of keeping track of my catalog, TagScanner (www.xdlab.ru/en).

Sound quality: This has not been an issue, thanks to audio tests I did before making my decision. Everything was ripped at 320 kilobits per second, the highest quality for MP3s. Orchestral recordings sound fine, especially since I never have the opportunity to listen to music in the ultra-quiet setting required to hear a difference from the original recordings.

Change in habits: The biggest impact from the conversion is getting used to the idea of having a virtual collection. Some of that requires technology. For example, I used the cash toward a stereo for my wife's car that can control an iPod (Sony CDX-GT62IPW, $110 shipped from www.crutchfield.com) and, for her to use around the house, a lovely sounding iPod dock (Cambridge SoundWorks' PlayDock MP3, $100 shipped from www.cambridgesoundworks.com). Some people wondered about missing the liner notes from CDs, but I stopped bothering with them as my collection grew and my listening habits changed. Info is available online if I need it.

Future music purchases: I like the Amazon MP3 store (www.amazon.com/mp3) more than the dominant iTunes Store. Amazon offers files that are higher quality (256 to 320 kbps, based on my downloads so far), free of copy protection and priced lower. It even offers some songs for free. But I won't stop buying orchestral CDs, even though I've found surprisingly eclectic offerings on Amazon. I'll rip them myself. There's no online store that can offer downloads matching the selection and prices of the indispensable Berkshire Record Outlet (www2.broinc.com) for orchestral music and the many cool film-score CDs from Intrada (www.intrada.com) and Screen Archives (www.screenarchives.com).

Less cluttered: I used to have CDs lying everywhere -- in the car, on the shelves, in the basement and in all kinds of nooks and crannies. Once they were gone, I had loads of empty shelves.

Until I filled them with some of my 5,000 DVDs.