CD Junkies: Collector Sarah Mullett
360°Sound was in search of another young CD collector to spotlight, so we looked to – where else? – TikTok. A simple ‘#cdcollector’ search brought up numerous CD-related TikTok videos from Sarah Mullett, a 20-year-old living in the Quad Cities area of Illinois. We reached out to Sarah, and fortunately, she agreed to be featured in our long-running CD Junkies series. Sarah has been collecting CDs for four years and has already accumulated over 800 discs. In this interview, Sarah dishes on her favorite artists, the CDs at the top of her wantlist, and why Gen Z is helping further the longevity of the CD.
360°Sound: How did you get into CD collecting? What was the first CD you ever bought?
Sarah Mullett: Like many of us during the pandemic, I had a lot of free time on my hands, so I began to spend more time rediscovering my old passions, and I got really nostalgic for simpler times. I started by buying a few DVDs, but one day while at a garage sale, I found two CDs for a quarter each. One was Essential Elvis Presley and the other was a compilation of Frank Sinatra’s greatest hits. I didn’t have a CD player at the time, so I just listened to them on my DVD player for the time being. It was a gradual start as I was a broke high school student, but I was hooked. After a few months, I began to buy more and bought my first CD Player.
What do you love about the CD format?
I have always been as equally curious as I have been perplexed by the way different physical media works. My music sounds clearer and it stays consistent, unlike with many streaming services, where the music can be deleted and altered after the fact. I like knowing once I have the disc in hand, it is mine forever.
What’s it been like sharing your collection on TikTok? Have you received feedback from other CD collectors around your age? And do you think CDs are catching on with Gen Z?
I started my TikTok eight months after I bought my first CD, so I had little knowledge of the CD collector community. At first, no one really paid my videos any mind. I didn’t have anyone in my life that really collected so I was learning on my own. As time went on and my account grew, more and more collectors began to reach out. I was receiving comments and messages from them expressing their joy in finding another collector to connect with. Now, I know so many different people thanks to TikTok. While I have met some people more “protective” of the hobby, I’ve met so many more who love to share their advice.
From my experience as a Gen Z and being friends with many who also collect, I would say that we are helping to further the longevity of the CD. Many of us still support our favorite artists and bands by buying their CDs, vinyl, and cassettes. We love to celebrate and recreate things of the past. Most of us grew up with CDs, VHS, and DVDs. We are not these strangers to it that some of the older collectors like to claim. It is something very familiar to us.
Tell us about your favorite genres and artists.
I grew up with a music-obsessed dad, so much of my taste was formed off his. Much of that music being dad-rock, naturally. But as I got older, I forced myself to expand that taste. I now enjoy a wide variety. My playlist will go from punk to pop to musicals, and then to some classical. But most of my music does fall into the punk and pop genres. Some of my favorite artists are Waterparks, Matchbox 20, Hozier, Bôa, Peter Gural, and Green Day.
What do you use to listen to CDs?
A few years ago, I upgraded my CD player from a busted CD radio to a Sony CDP-CE215 CD 5 Disc Player Changer.
What are some of your most prized discs in your collection and what makes them so special?
I have two copies of Intellectual Property by Waterparks that came with signed photo cards that I always have proudly on display. These were the first and really only things I have that are signed. I’m also really fond of my Green Day and Matchbox 20 collection. They aren’t rare, but they were the two bands I was the most excited to collect when I first started out.
What CDs are at the top of your wantlist? Or perhaps a genre or artist that you’d like to add more of to your collection?
My wantlist is long but two CDs I’ve been wanting for a while are the Funeral Grey signed CD single by Waterparks and 5 Seconds Of Summer’s “Don’t Stop” single. I also have been wanting to get into jazz a bit more. It’s one genre I’ve dabbled in but want to expand more on.
How do you feel about the future of the CD? Do you think it will continue to be produced in the age of streaming?
With tech growing and evolving, I think the true art and science that goes into creating CDs and vinyl and other physical formats goes unappreciated. I won’t try to claim that streaming music and movies isn’t more convenient at times, but with its growing popularity among Gen Z and its already long history with the older generations, I don’t see CDs going out of style anytime soon. As long as there is a demand from their audience, most artists will most likely continue to produce them.
For more great CD content from Sarah, follow her on TikTok and Instagram.
