Modern CD storage solutions?  

lexan
How about creating some kind of lexan display - you could even take up an entire wall. A sort of sculpture created for and completed by your awesome collection of cds.

If you can afford it......
Corner Me CD Rack
$498
Designer
Stefan Patte
* Adjustable shelves.
* Simple assembly.
* Compact size.
* Holds DVDs, CDs, VHS tapes and paper back books.
* Exclusive to Design Within Reach.
There are numerous CD storage units on the market but very few with classic lines, superb function and an ease of installation that render them timeless. The efficient Corner Me CD Rack was designed with adjusting shelves to provide over 6 feet of vertical storage for CDs (432 single), paperback books (165) or videos (121). With its ladder-like design, it fits neatly into compact spaces and easily mounts to the wall with two hidden screws. A durable aluminum build makes for light scaling and years of use. Hardware included. Assembly required. Made in Germany.
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It's nifty but hellishly expensive.

Convert them to MP3 and put...
Convert them to MP3 and put the originals in a box in your basement?

MP3? no way, Jose
will never give up my CDs

......or your vinyl,...
......or your vinyl, eight-tracks, reel to reels, cassettes, betamax tapes, etc.
I'm not suggesting that anyone get rid of their cds.....just that they store the music in a more compact format and put the cds somewhere that they don't need to be seen.
Its not like cds and the majority of cd racks are all that great to look at...are they?
if you really want access to the artwork liner notes, etc..... take them out of their jewell boxes and store them in cd binders
Id rather look at one of these.
IMHO, the title of this thread is oxymoronic in and of itself.... there is nothing really modern about cds or the racks that store them.

Isokon Loop Shelf, cant link ...
Isokon Loop Shelf, cant link pictures from the site but its in the 'product' section
http://www.isokonplus.com/

Here:
Here:

Thanks Robert 🙂
Thanks Robert 🙂

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Hesitated on this one becuase I collect lps' + vintage electronics and even have a few 8 tracks lying around.
Anyway! The compression on .mp3 is noticeable on a good sound system compared to a .wav (a dj I know looked at me in horror when I asked if he played .mp3) and I think I can hear bass lines on lp that I can't hear on cd, but thats my drum and its just me beating it.
The new thing apparantly will be music on dvd which will apparantly be quite good, I'm not an expert at all though.
As for shelving I like the clear acrylic idea, perhaps get a sheet of 200mm x 600mm x 10mm plexiglass, (or whatever you guys call it over there) and get it bent sharply along the length and have it cut so that you have 2 tabs bent up at the ends to form 'bookends'. If it is slightly undersized so that the cds' stick out over the edge of the shelf you should get a floating sort of look. It wouldn't cost much at all to have something like that made.
Aha! I see the never ending bent plywood problem of not being able to butt things up against an edge!
Do we have any New Order or Smiths fans here?

There's a few options out the...
There's a few options out there that are quite utilitarian and acceptable...a lot of it depends on how it will be positioned in a room. To me, the shelving/rack should be almost invisible. The steel racks I have used are set up in the room so that you never even see the racks, or the sides of the racks, as they are against the opposing wall. Just rows upon rows of orderly media.
As for MP3s and MP3 players -- handy now & then, yes, but a pallid replacement over CDs or well mastered LPs. This is a case of convenience and trendiness trumping fidelity and interface. For someone who is truly serious about their music collection, condensing and distilling it to be played back on stylish but cheaply made gadgets with built in obsolescence is a dreary idea. There was an article in the New York times a month or so ago that boiled this phenomena down thusly; people no longer seek the next echelon of fidelity, rather, whatever is 'good enough.' Talk about moving backwards.

hear! hear! I applaud you.
hear! hear! I applaud you.

Brilliantly said!
Don't...
Brilliantly said!
Don't get me wrong MP3 players are handy. I like being able to carry my music library with me in my car wherever I go, but I really enjoy the physical artifact. Many artists put alot of time into the packaging and I love to appreciate it. The other big thrill is the resale hunting. I love scanning the racks until my neck aches and my eyes burn. I like to buy cds of artists I never heard of based on the name and the artwork. Sometimes I am pleasantly suprised others not so much. I do own some vynl, there is a great deal of amazing music that never made it to cd, and I honestly worry about "the death of the cd" I have been reading about. BTW I will be purchasing the new Radiohead CD to show there are still some of us that prefer to have that option.
Thanks all for the suggestions but for the price I think I will just go with some low key racks and concentrate on blending them in like has been suggested.
Josh

i'm with jesgord. never...
i'm with jesgord. never seen. i'm not fond of the plastic.
newly bought are in the turntable credenza with the daily player. 2 dozen or so. transfer to i-pod.
then off to the basement office storage. still shelved. but no need for a prominent display.
(stored with vinyl,45's, some classic 8-tracts, and even some hard to give up cassettes.)

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The trouble with generation y is that its impossible to understand anything they say or type.