Music CDs or data? Music CDs have built-in error correction, data CDs don't. You can certainly extend the lifetime if they're stored in the dark in a cool, dry place (UV light, heat, and humidity all damage the dye that gets burned to encode them) but they're not reliable archival storage without error correction.
Eufalconimorph
joined 2 years ago
They don't last very long. About 5-10 years at most, and that's if you bought special archival burnable DVDs. If you depend on them for backups, you should check the integrity annually (always include a checksum like SHA256 with any backup archive).
Source is The Onion. There's more than just the headline, and it's a classic.