Your CD Collection is Rotting: Library of Congress Research Suggests Format Is In Trouble (Hint: Go Vinyl)

One of many things the internet was supposed to fix: the loss of music. Researchers and music fans everywhere had reason to fear that decades of music stored on less-than-durable 78-rpm records could be lost with as much as a clumsy intern. Many organizations have already made moves to store historical music digitally, but what about more recent music? At one point the compact disc was believed to be the savior. But time has proven that CD's aren't nearly as hardy as we would've liked to believe, and researchers fear that less popular genres such as classical and world music discs might not survive as a result.

An excellent feature from NPR.com sheds light on the Library of Congress's research into "CD rot," a problem that causes the outer coating of the CD to fade away, causing the exposed areas to tarnish, which of course ruins the listening experience. So what causes the problem? High temperatures and humidity are a major cause, so researchers are looking to find optimal conditions in which to store CD's as to prevent the "bronzing." The problem is that libraries are already facing budget cuts in cities across the country. The likelihood that they could invest in the condition-controlling measures necessary to preserve CD's optimally. Another problem: The more you listen to a CD, the more likely it is to undergo rot.

The biggest of problems however: The process of producing CD's has so many variables that ideal storage varies across both years and the producer. In short, back up your CD's while you still can. The hip kids may have been onto something jumping back to vinyl.