My Musical Universe: A Comprehensive Look at My Digital Music Collection
As music enthusiasts, we often wonder about the vastness of our own music collections. I recently stumbled upon an interesting article that highlighted the enormity of my own music collection. Currently, I own over 33,000 tracks of music, not counting my extensive collection of LPs, 45s, and 78s. This article will delve into the details of my digital music library, revealing the breadth and depth of my musical tastes.
Counting It All Up
Personal Collection: My digitized music library contains 4226 albums, EPs, and singles, with over 53,500 songs in total. It's important to note that there are approximately 9,500 songs with multiple versions, including single edits, mixes, 12-inch extended versions, and live cuts. Though I strive to avoid duplicates, a few dozen have slipped through over time, primarily from physical CDs.
Formats and Platforms: Over 90% of my music is stored in MP3 format, while a portion is in high-resolution digital formats. I also make use of platforms like Qobuz, which offer access to virtually everything ever recorded in high-end resolution. Cloud storage keeps my collection accessible and up-to-date, offering flexibility and convenience.
Genre Diversity
Genre Representation: According to my iTunes statistics, my library spans 60 different genres, ranging from Acoustic to World. There are 836 different bands or artists in my collection. This diversity reflects my broad and eclectic musical tastes. Whether I'm into classical, reggae, or future-genres, I have a diverse collection to explore.
The Grand Totals
For a keen insight into the sheer size of my collection, I decided to perform a Unix command to count the number of MP3 files in the music_library directory. The command :~/Music/music_library find . | grep mp3 | wc provided an approximate count of 31,253 MP3 files. While there may be some other formats like OGGs that weren't counted, the MP3s make up the vast majority of my music collection.
Breaking it down further, the total storage size of my music library is approximately 253GB. The breakdown is as follows:
- 56GB of "global" music, mainly world music including Brazilian MPB, Indian Bhangra, and Eastern European genres.
- 25GB of "global bass," featuring a variety of electronic bass music subgenres including dubstep, drum'n'bass, and moombahton.
- 22GB of "electronic," spanning from experimental 50s music to modern IDM and electronica.
- 14GB of "dance," primarily focused on house and techno, genres I don't listen to very often.
- 15GB of "instrumental listening," encompassing lounge and chillout music, with a focus on jazz and steam organ covers.
- 13GB of "hip-hop" and 4.8GB of "reggae," genres that require little explanation.
- 6.5GB of "classical," which I rarely listen to but maintain for future exploration.
- 20GB of "pop," featuring a mix of 70s disco, 80s synthpop, 90s trip-hop, and contemporary chill music.
- 23GB of "rock," ranging from classic rock to post-punk, with an extensive library.
- 5.8GB of "song-oriented," dedicated to my favorite singer-songwriters and musical artists.
- 19GB of "future-genres," a unique classification system for experimental music that fascinates me.
Why such a Collection?
My extensive collection stems from a wide range of interests and tastes. From classical to world music, and from rock to electronica, I have a diverse collection that reflects my passion for exploring different musical genres. It's a testament to my love for music and my belief that there's always something new and exciting to discover.
Notions of Nerdiness: Talking to music nerds about their libraries can often lead to interesting revelations. This article aims to provide a window into one person's vast and varied musical universe. If you have a collection of your own, consider sharing the details. It might just spark an interesting conversation with fellow music enthusiasts.
In conclusion, my music collection is a world unto itself. From classical symphonies to futuristic beats, my library is a reflection of my journey through the vast ocean of music. It's not just about the quantity, but the quality and diversity of the music that makes it special.