I am just in the process of preparing for a move and have boxes of cd’s stored in the barn. They all mean something to me in terms of memories but they ARE IN THE BARN. Everything has been ripped and stored to three separate locations within the house. Do I now just let go and put them out to anyone who wants them, bin them, or keep them- ‘just in case’.
It’s silly and unusual for me, but I am having difficulty making a decision
Technically, if you no longer own the CD’s, your ripped copies are illegal.
If you are unsure, I would hold on to them for now. I still have my CD’s, but no working player (CD5si is broken). If you move them on and start having second thoughts later, it is too late.
I’ve been running completely streaming for the past 15 years (everything on my NAS), but I’ve kept all my CDs for sentimental reasons. It’s kind of the same reason that I keep books that I like, but are unlikely to read again.
If the house burnt down, I’ve got backups of all my music in multiple locations, and I would be sad that I no longer had the physical CDs, but I don’t actually need them.
As said it’s by the letter of the law illegal not to keep them but I doubt it’s ever been tested at law.
This to begin with.
For my part I placed all the CDs into 2 flight cases under the bed but worked through the jewel cases and disposed of every plastic one. I have retained front covers or cardboard ones and they’re in filing boxes under the sofa should I desire to ever look at them. It’s a rare day indeed when that happens. 1,725 CDs which took up 2 walls in the living room and had started to creep across the floor are now out of sight but very much still here.
I have retained boxed sets in their original packaging and they remain mostly on display, which visitors seem to appreciate far more than a wall of CDs.
Yeah mine were in large plastic storage boxes for years after switching to streaming only - eventually I realised it was pointless I don’t need the money so took the whole lot to a charity shop that re-sold used CD’s as well as clothes etc. Made me feel good!
I’m pretty sure it was tested when the record industry was paranoid about CD copying, however, with the majority of people now paying for a music subscription, I suspect the record company lawyers have moved onto other targets.
UK IPO and the BPI have both clearly stated they’ve no interest in prosecutions. From my perspective I’ve a backup process which follows good practice i.e. 3 different formats plus an off site option. However, digital has a limited life just as much as little silver discs so I consider retaining them to be more about having comprehensive back ups.
Some of my CDs were never available on vinyl, will likely never appear on vinyl and have yet to appear on a streaming service. Many, were masters were lost in fires etc, never will. I would never forgive myself if my streamer crashed, the back ups failed but I’d sold the CD for a quid when it was easy enough to keep it safely.
I have a few cd’s that I’d keep, not for their rarity but just because I like to have them on display. Then I realise that they are the ones that I’ve bought in the last few years and are commonly available. 
If streaming disappears I’d be surprised. I haven’t used the cd’s at all except to test my elderly Nakimichi player. I’m also 71 and if I haven’t used them in the last 10 plus years then add another 10 years, I might just not be able to hear them anyway. 
Logic says don’t take up room on Mr Shiftit’s removals van.
Almost exactly what I’ve done. Except I have also kept my SACDs and other audiophile releases in their cases in the slight hope they may be worth something.
Edit - One reason I keep my discs was exemplified by an experience I had yesterday. I was listening to a recording I hadn’t played since ripping (probably 15 years ago - it was the redbook layer of an SACD). Ten seconds into the piece the music jumped to more than a minute later. Though uncommon, this was not the first time I’ve had an unreported problem with an iTunes rip, despite having iTunes error correction enabled.
Since then I have switched to JRiver, which has always let me know about problem rips. So today, I will re-rip it.
In the UK it is technically illegal to rip CDs even if you keep them.
I kept mine boxed up in the loft for years, but given that I rarely buy CDs I eventually got rid of them. In the unlikely event of anyone prosecuting me the discs wouldn’t help, and I won’t use them again, so it just seemed pointless.
I took the plunge and got rid of the CDs and my CD player. Not looked back….
Tariffs! We all love it!
Keep Keep Keep!
I’m with @DJY the charity shop is a nice solution. Keep some of your favourites or ones with the most sentimental value. These could be kept visible in a cabinet or on a shelf. I’m sure they would put a smile on your face every time you took a look at them.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
If you have the room I would keep the Cd’s. I’m a big fan of physical media so have my CD’s on a SSD drive and boxed up in storage, they are also copied onto a USB drive which is plugged into the media port in my car and set to random, makes for an interesting playlist.
But I have all my box sets in the house and play them frequently.
Personally, I would keep them, but giving to a charity organisation is also a very nice idea. That said, I am slowly building up my (small 400 CD) collection and charity shops are a source of some gems for me!
Once purchased they are ripped using dbpower amp and played thru my NDX2. The physical CDs are on display then I can read the sleeve notes etc and from time to time play one on my TEAC transport. 
I ditched my CD player about 5 years ago after ripping most of them and subscribing to Qobuz. They are all in boxes under various beds, So why am I having a demo of CD transports on Wednesday?
Basically because there has been an insidious change in the way I listen to music that I want to reverse. I find myself drawn to the new release section on Qobuz and listening to anything that catches my eye, but even if I like it I rarely listen to it more than once or twice as I will want to try something else that is new. I hardly ever listen to my ripped CDs. When I visit my CD diehard friend who has a similar Naim system I enjoy the way we listen and am realising I am missing something. I anticipate getting a CD transport for a few hundred quid that will use the DAC in my Nova and I already have loads of CDs so the cost is minimal.
I’m not giving up my Qobuz sub and I still think CD is a poxy format with the rubbish plastic cases and tiny print sleeve notes but I think it’s worth a punt if it works out as I hope.
I’ve sold my CD’s, they were occupying space I could use better. I made quality rips on a NAS plus a copy stored away from the NAS. A number of the booklets I copied to a pdf file. I notice I like to listen to more recent recordings on Qobuz and hardly listen to my own rips. I live in NL and we do not need to keep the CD for legal reasons.
By the way: Your silver discs are made from polycarbonate, a polymer susceptible to ageing by moisture. Eventually they will fall apart.
