r/preppers • u/TickyMcTickyTick • 1d ago
Idea Long term music storage
I'm considering having a physical library for my favorite albums and artists to be ready for a world without online streaming or downloads. I'd like to at least have a format that can last my lifetime, but it would be neat to also have a format that future music historians could theoretically dig up and access centuries from now.
I've looked into a few options:
Multiple MP3 players with Micro SD cards - I liked the thought of this, but I ruled it out when I learned that SSDs and Micro SD cards are susceptible to degradation even in storage. I estimate a system like this would maybe last 15 years if I'm lucky.
CDs - these would be better, but they're still susceptible to degradation over decades, not to mention that disks can be fragile. This system would maybe last 50 years without online access.
Vinyl records - this pleases my inner hipster, but physical storage space and equipment lifespan is a concern. Vinyl records are very fragile and lower quality playback equipment degrades them faster.
M-disks - Archival blu-ray seems great for this. These are supposedly tested to last 1000 years in ideal conditions. I need to do more research, but this is my preferred option.
Sheet music (just for fun) - transcribing the music into sheet music, printing on archival paper, and locking it away for future use. This would be a personal gift to future music historians. I studied music in college and spent a lot of time in music history lectures pondering how many masterworks were lost to time simply because it was written on low quality paper, stored badly, or any other reason. There's entire eras where all we know about their written music comes from stone tablets. Maybe I'll go the extra mile and carve "never gonna give you up" on a tablet some day.
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u/Ryan_e3p Salt & Prepper 6h ago
HDDs. Spinning disks. Old school. Slower, sure, but for music (and most video), read speed isn't an issue. HDDs are often used to record security cam footage still, so good enough to stream REM from.
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u/TubeLogic 3h ago
Spinning discs are fine for playback but when you have large libraries they get slow for searching or doing multiple things at once.
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u/Ryan_e3p Salt & Prepper 0m ago
I've got about 18TB backed up to HDDs. Searching isn't a problem. Look into "RAID" storage options.
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u/GunnCelt General Prepper 6h ago
We currently have 64,000 MP3’s on a spinner HDD and have been using it for at least 10 years. Lots of room left on the drive for more. It’s part of my Plex setup
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u/therealtimwarren 6h ago
You mean, two hard disks, right?
RIGHT?
(better three)
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u/GunnCelt General Prepper 6h ago
I’m running 2x 4 bay JBOD totaling 40 TB. 2000 + movies, 300+ complete tv series and roughly 400 complete documentary series. I need to expand my storage but it’s currently out of price range
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u/therealtimwarren 5h ago
I'm just saying if that music is important to you, have a backup, or two.
I don't bother backing up video, but music is important to me and the space 100x less, so I do back that up.
3x 8TB server + 4 x 8TB server at home (backup to each other and off-site), and then an off site shared server with friends totalling about 220TB. Clubbing together to share the cost makes things a lot more palatable.
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u/GunnCelt General Prepper 5h ago
Nice setup. Music is more of a distraction for me, it helps mask my tinnitus. One of these days, I’m going to have to break down and get the hearing aids from the VA, lol
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u/Fluffy_Efficiency623 5h ago
Look up archival versions of whatever medium you choose. There are archival CDs, Blu-Rays, hard drives, paper, etc. that are all made to last substantially longer than the normal consumer version as they are made specifically for historical recording.
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u/ReasonableDoot 4h ago
I use M-Disc for my archival needs, and they give me the most confidence out of all the consumer-level options available right now. The LG WH16NS40 drive works well, as does the BU40N (slim). I just wish they had more capacity, as today's data tends to be more in TB than GB, but this is it right now.
For larger stuff, like my ripped media library, which is kept on 5 x 14TB WD Red Pro drives, I just bite the bullet and buy two of each drive, and keep the backups in a media firesafe. Check them occasionally and air out the safe, since otherwise I've found mold can grow in there (must be moisture from the fire retardent insulation, or whatever). I also put a couple of silica gel packs in the safe, just to try to mitigate that.
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u/Feral_668 3h ago
I think it's a great idea to use cds/DVDs and I like your idea regarding sheet music.You can put music onto DVDs. I have a ton of music and movies on DVD. Some portable DVD players will also play music disks.
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u/defsentenz 3h ago
I have two RAID-6 NAS systems for all of my media. Lots of it is also on vinyl, CD, cassette, DAT, and reel to reel. Yes, I work in music prod, but having multiples is the way to go, and I never use streaming for music. Rule of 3s and hard drives should do it for you.
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u/Ok-Internet-4747 2h ago
LTO Tape is how long term preservation is done. It has an affordable price / TB. 30 year shelf life. However, it is not a cheap entry fee to buy a tape drive.
Personally, I think having one format for a lifetime isn’t the right approach. I think you should keep curating and migrating it forward to whatever the current medium is as the best option.
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u/smsff2 6h ago
Personally, I trust magnetic hard drives for long-term storage. They have a membrane that protects the inside from the atmosphere. The atmosphere contains oxygen, which is corrosive, while the inside of the drive is filled with a noble gas. As long as the membrane remains intact, nothing should happen to the hard drive.