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Discogs and Release Identification

Deadwax can differ, same pressing different location, like Winchester, and Jacksonville. All pressing plants in the country, and around the world pretty much simultaneously released records in the 70's, and 80's I presume. That's what deadwax can set straight, the pressing order. That's my take anyway...
 
sjfloat said:
But if and when I do, I'll want to be as exact and accurate as I can possibly be.
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And that's the best thing to do and whatever you post to your collection becomes discogs data, in Members Have.
If you have a really hard time and you only get close add that one to your collection and grade it. Below the media and cover grading there is a comment box, put your Matrix number in there.

One thing you have to understand is the discogs data gets changed all the time, it's fluid. They then send you messages that a title you logged in your collection has revisions. In other words nothing is written in granite.
 
4-2-7 said:
And that's the best thing to do and whatever you post to your collection becomes discogs data, in Members Have.
If you have a really hard time and you only get close add that one to your collection and grade it. Below the media and cover grading there is a comment box, put your Matrix number in there.

One thing you have to understand is the discogs data gets changed all the time, it's fluid. They then send you messages that a title you logged in your collection has revisions. In other words nothing is written in granite.
Click to expand...

For that matter, you can add custom fields. I added a location field, so I know where the LP physically is. One could add a matrix field (I think it should be a standard field).
 
Depending upon the year of the release, some albums have a barcode on them. You can scan it with your phone's camera while in the Discogs app, and bobs-your-uncle, add it to your collection. Works for me.

- Jeff
 
hertzdonut said:
Depending upon the year of the release, some albums have a barcode on them. You can scan it with your phone's camera while in the Discogs app, and bobs-your-uncle, add it to your collection. Works for me.

- Jeff
Click to expand...

That'd be really nice. But albums with barcodes are an exception in my collection. I just thumbed through a batch sitting next to my desk here. Out of about 50, there was one; a Satriani record.

My records and I are generally pre-barcode. :)
 
I have spent most of my cataloging time using CATrax. Has an API to the Discogs database to make grabbing track info etc much easier. Also brings in the cover art but sometimes it's not that great. Unfortunately Discogs provides absolutely no importing function and has, based on exchanges with them, no plans to provide that. The other thing I like about CATrax is the ability to export in a number of formats. So I export to an Excel spreadsheet. Copy that to Google Drive and then use that from my iPhone or iPad when in the record store to check if I already have the LP or that release or pressing. Very helpful.
 
MRL_Audio said:
I have spent most of my cataloging time using CATrax. Has an API to the Discogs database to make grabbing track info etc much easier. Also brings in the cover art but sometimes it's not that great.
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I poked around and found that, thanks. But it looks like it's windows-based and I own no windows machines. However I'm a developer myself and I've considering writing my own. The only thing I like about discogs is its community database. I don't find the software itself particularly pleasant to use. But knowing that the CATrax authors were able to use the discogs api to pull from their database is encouraging.

Unfortunately Discogs provides absolutely no importing function and has, based on exchanges with them, no plans to provide that.
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This doesn't surprise me. I think their revenue is generated by sellers and they're really trying to drive users to do that. Hence, you can upload to an "inventory" but not a "collection".
 
sjfloat said:
I poked around and found that, thanks. But it looks like it's windows-based and I own no windows machines. However I'm a developer myself and I've considering writing my own. The only thing I like about discogs is its community database. I don't find the software itself particularly pleasant to use. But knowing that the CATrax authors were able to use the discogs api to pull from their database is encouraging.



This doesn't surprise me. I think their revenue is generated by sellers and they're really trying to drive users to do that. Hence, you can upload to an "inventory" but not a "collection".
Click to expand...


BTW, you can download the database in XML format: http://data.discogs.com/
 
4-2-7 said:
While you guy's are getting frustrated most the time the last alphanumeric etching is the most important in a lot of cases.
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Thank you for chiming in and sharing your expertise. I'm learning something here. I admit I have been pretty ignorant about what those codes, letters and numbers in the dead wax actually mean. Maybe this explains a recent observation: I was listening to two different issues of the same album, and I could swear one sounded better than the other. But since both have the same catalog number, only different label designs, I assumed I was simply dealing with two different reissues/pressings of the same album, and there should be no reason for any difference in how they sound. I have to educate myself on these things. Truth be told, I don't know how to tell whether two different copies of an album could potentially sound different because they're two different masterings, or whether they should sound identical.
 
Just on a side note: What does this thread tell me about the owner of a local used records store who always makes snide remarks when I take a record from its sleeve and inspect it...? ;)
 
DesertTwang said:
Just on a side note: What does this thread tell me about the owner of a local used records store who always makes snide remarks when I take a record from its sleeve and inspect it...? ;)
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He should be kissing your ass considering 99.9% of used stores are struggling. Maybe you're putting the sleeve in wrong or the outer plastic.
 
LOL. Seriously, though, no, the owner always takes my inspecting the vinyl as a distrusting move. According to his logic, I should trust that the price of an album accurately reflects the condition. I think he doesn't understand different issues, pressings etc. Not long ago, I bought two albums, only to find out the original inner sleeves with artwork were missing. In light of that, both were way overpriced. I took them back and two other employees who seem to at least know something about records helped me find the missing sleeves from other copies they had. Still annoying.
 
MRL_Audio said:
Given where used prices are headed I find that statement hard to believe... but what do I know... ;)
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One of our popular local stores gives that owner a take-home of $35k a year, I consider that struggling. BTW a majority of money made is on the handblown glass pipes.
 
I've just been cataloguing my modest collection. Out with the reading spectacles to read the fine print on the CDs. Some of the printing on CDs is tiny! LPs are bad too.

Bought a couple of hard to get CD's in the process. One was an Ed Kuepper mailing list only release, the other an Abbey Road mobile studio recording of a Pixies gig I went to back in 2012(?).

I tried adding an Australian pressing to a LP release......someone had to come along and tidy up the mess later on. I felt bad about that one. Too timid to try some releases that aren't even listed.

It's been fun though.
 
This might be Too Much Information for you folks, but some may be interested: the following cribbed from Discogs -can't remember exactly where)

LABELS

Record company codes (the letters after "ST")

A = Atlantic Records
C = Atco
CAP = Capricorn
CTN = Cotillion Records LPs
CO = Cotillion Records 45s
FC = Famous Charisma
SS = Swan Song
AS = Asylum
MC = Manticore
RS = Rolling Stones Records
HT = Hilltak Records
IL = Island Records

Pressing Plant Codes for LPs:

PR = Presswell Records Mfg. Co., Ancora, NJ (they handled most of Atlantic's LP's during much of this period)
LY = Shelley Products, Huntington Station, NY
SP = Specialty Records Corp., Olyphant, PA
MO = Monarch Record Mfg. Co., Los Angeles, CA
PL = Plastic Products, Inc., Memphis, TN
RI = Philips Recording Co., Richmond, IN
AR = Allied Record Co., Inc., Los Angeles, CA
CT or CTH = Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Terre Haute
CP = Columbia (Pitman, NJ)
CS or CSM = Columbia (Santa Maria, CA; very infrequently)
BW = Bestway Plastics, Mountainside NJ
SO = Southern Plastics
MG or MGS = MGM Record Mfg. Division, Bloomfield, NJ
FT = Fidelatone Mfg.

LP label matrix example: (Led Zeppelin I)
ST-A-681461-MO

ST = stereo
A = Atlantic Records label
68 = last two digits of the year Atlantic first received source (tape) and started working on mastering
1461 = tape master number (for side one in this example)
MO = Monarch Records pressing plant

London Records label matrix suffix:
AL - Allentown Record Co.
P - Columbia, Pitman, NJ
TH - Columbia, Terre Haute, IN
SM - Columbia, Santa Maria, CA
SH - Shelley Products, Ltd., Huntington Station, NY
BW - Bestway Products, Inc., Mountainside, NJ
GL - Decca/MCA, Gloversville, NY
K - Decca/MCA, Pinckneyville, IL
PH - PRC (formerly Philips) Recording Corp., Richmond, IN
W - H.V. Waddell, Burbank, CA

Columbia "360 Sound" Label Progression
1962 - 1963 Black "360 SOUND STEREO 360 SOUND" (no arrows)
1963 - 1965 Arrows were added on either side of "360 SOUND"
1965 - 1970 White "360 SOUND STEREO 360 SOUND"

Warner Bros. Label Progression
Mono:
1958-62 - Grey label, black WB Shield, WB in gold print
1962-65 - Same, but in white print
1965-67 - Gold Label

Stereo:
1958-67 - Gold label
1968-70 - Green Label, Warner Bros. - Seven Arts Records. W7 logo under that.
1970-73 - Green Label, Warner Bros. Records. w/ WB Shield
1973-78 - "Burbank" Label
1978-83? - White or beige label w/ Narrow horizontal lines -OR- ghost WB shields in background
1983?+ - White or tan label, no lines, large WB shield
 
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