Cataloging Vinyl Question

[Paul-H]

Hi all

Not sure if this is the correct section for this question, perhaps a mod would move it if not

Anyway a quick cataloging question

Now that my vinyl collection is getting large enough to need cataloging to stop me buying duplicates etc I get them all out and started recording them, I was going with a simple A to Z by artist name but then something got me stuck.

Bad company is obviously a B, Dire Straits is obviously a D but what about The Beatles? would that be a T or B what about Artists using the own name, Peter Frampton I assume would go under F for Frampton.

Is there a recognised system that you all use

Thanks for any help with this

Paul

[struth]

Up to you really. If you sign up to discogs, you can catalogue them properly there. Makes a nice job and will even give u values etc. You can print a version of it too.

[blackholesun]

You can print a version of it too.

or you can install a discogs app on your phone for crate browsing, it displays your entire collection

discogs is really nice

[mikeyb]

I use the Discogs app too, takes a bit of time to find the correct version of the LP sometimes but it's well worth it. It's good at giving a right value too and might save you selling off that gem 😉

Newer LPs with barcodes can be scanned using the built in scanner on the app, narrows the versions quickly and efficiently.

[bob4333]

Beatles, The
Rolling Stones, The

[CageyH]

+1 for Discogs

[Cycleallday]

Hi all

Not sure if this is the correct section for this question, perhaps a mod would move it if not

Anyway a quick cataloging question

Now that my vinyl collection is getting large enough to need cataloging to stop me buying duplicates etc I get them all out and started recording them, I was going with a simple A to Z by artist name but then something got me stuck.

Bad company is obviously a B, Dire Straits is obviously a D but what about The Beatles? would that be a T or B what about Artists using the own name, Peter Frampton I assume would go under F for Frampton.

Is there a recognised system that you all use

Thanks for any help with this

Paul

The word "The" is normally removed from cataloging systems to just start with the band name. The most common system - (iTunes) puts The Corrs under C, The Beatles under B, the Rolling Stones under R, etc.

iTunes also use the first name of the artist as the key so Allison Kraus is filed under A, etc

The most problematic discs are Classical where you need to be careful with what are in effect "collections" of Composers, with a single conductor but multi orchestras (and various combinations of the same). I tend to go with Composer then Disc Name (making my own up if not obvious) and make sure they are all identified as single entities rather than collections.

The iTunes approach works well for me

Finally, if you are digitising vinyl then Vinyl Studio is good for downloading tag data and splitting tracks, using track time as its splitting method, without you have to key lots of data.

Mel

[Clive197]

I don't think it really matters, just use the filing system you prefer.

I used (and still do) file my physical media under first name and band name excluding The. My NAS however use's T 1st, hence The Beatles, The Rolling Stones etc.

[rigger67]

From a record store perspective these are the rules :

- Ignore "The" and in most case "A" (eg A Tribe Called Quest were always under T but A Certain Ratio under A, maybe because people called them ACR ?)
- Always use surnames for solo artists (eg Kate Bush under B) unless it's a group where surnames are used, in which case use the first one (Emerson, Lake & Palmer under E)
- Numbers and abbreviations always follow logic (eg B-52s under B and after The Beatles as it's "spelled" B-F-I-F .. 10,000 Maniacs under T for T-E-N)

The big question is whether you want to categorise by genre as well .. then you're in a whole new world of pain

Personally, all my vinyl is just A-Z using the method above, apart from 12" singles which are filed the same way but separately after the LPs and classical, again, after the twelves and by composer surname.
CDs are genre first and then by the above method, so Rock n Pop, Country, Jazz and Blues, Electronica, then Soul/Funk/HipHop, World, Reggae, Classical, OSTs and Spoken Word/Comedy

[Barry]

For me B-52 comes before Beatles, just as U2 comes before Undertones.

But like you everything else is filed by surname (except Blues artists such as Blind Willie McTell, who is filed after Blind Lemon Jefferson under B, and Howling Wolf who is filed under H) for solo artists and for groups the definite article is omitted.

I do roughly segregate music into genre: Classical, Jazz, Blues, Soul (Mowtown and Atlantic artists), Folk, World music. Everything else is lumped into Pop and Rock. There are problems with artists such as John Martin, who's early work was firmly in the Folk genre, but then moved into a sort of pop-jazz fusion.

As has been mentioned, Classical can be a bit of a problem when a disc has performances of works by more than one composer, or even one conductor conducting different orchestras. In those instances, it is filed under the composer who's work was the prime reason why I bought the disc. Thereafter they are filed by composer's name, with individual works filed in alphabetical order: adagios, concertos, overtures, requia, sonatas, suites, symphonies, etc. Where I have different recordings of a particular piece, they are filed in order of conductor's surname.

Finally collections are filed at the end of everything else, again in some sort of alphabetical order.

So individual, slightly quirky, and not strictly rigorous - but it works for me.