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Anyone use a database to keep collection info?

KineticKinetic 3,739 Posts
edited November 2006 in Strut Central
I saw that 'my record crate' pot in the announcement section and it reminded me: I've been wanting to find a good way to keep a comprehensive list of my collection for some time. I was gonna use excel but it just doesn't seem to work well.Any other suggestions / good on-line ways of keeping a database?
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  • GuzzoGuzzo 8,611 Posts
    I saw that 'my record crate' pot in the announcement section and it reminded me: I've been wanting to find a good way to keep a comprehensive list of my collection for some time. I was gonna use excel but it just doesn't seem to work well.

    Any other suggestions / good on-line ways of keeping a database?

    I keep mines on Excel.

    just remember to e-mail yourself the file after several updates. When my computer crashed info on nearly 3,000 LP's dissapeared into nothingness
  • KineticKinetic 3,739 Posts
    It's so damn time-consuming too.

    I would lose my brain if I lost 3,000 entris - that's like days of work!

    I might just go with excel. What fields do you use?

    Artist/Title/Format/Label/Year ?
  • DjArcadianDjArcadian 3,630 Posts
    Get an Access Database built. Something as simple as keeping track of your record collection can be made in about an hour. Just go to elance.com and get bids for it. You can probably get it done for like $20 or $30 or just go to Craigslist and post an ad under services.
  • holmesholmes 3,532 Posts
    I use excel. I have seperate ones for LPs & 45s. They are alphabetical. The LP one is just Artist & Title. The 45 one is Artist/Titles(both sides)/Label/Notes(country/promo/variation etc.) It took ages to get them done initially, but if you keep them up to date they are handy as hell. I take a reasonably up to date printout of my 45s digging with me all the time.
  • motown67motown67 4,513 Posts
    Like most people here I keep my record "records" on Excel. I have one list that is just a list of LPs, then a separate list of 45s, then a separate list of when I bought the records, where and how much $$$. Yes, I am anal. I will not going into my Iraq database, or article database, etc.
  • DJ_WubWubDJ_WubWub 874 Posts
    if you want a preformatted excel file that is preformatted for GEMM uploading PM me, that way if you want to have stuff out for sale on Gemm it is easy to just cut and paste and send for listing. I haven't started cataloging (1000lps) for gemm yet as it seems like a mammoth task but my wife is going away with bubby for 3 weeks so i will use the time productively then.

    There are some fairly cheap Collectors database softare around . I have used this one collectorz at the local community radio
    and found it easy to use and works well. If you have stuff that has been released on CD as well and info is in the CDDB and you connect to the net with it it will automatically input track listing and times etc for the entry (pretty cool). Though mainly for Cd collections it would work well with a vinyl collection.

    Another collectors databse software
  • 33thirdcom33thirdcom 2,049 Posts
    Yes indeed... SQL
  • DjArcadianDjArcadian 3,630 Posts
    Yes indeed... SQL

    $10,000 SQL server just to store your record info.

  • ZekeZeke 221 Posts
    Yes indeed... SQL

    $10,000 SQL server just to store your record info.


    Not necessary.

    Maybe a few nerdstrutters could come together and build something like del.icio.us for records. Interactive, taggable, and a great way to keep your collection organized. It wouldn't be too hard to design. That said, I don't personally have the time to design, but I'll donate the hosting and server space at least for round 1 if anyone is interested.
  • roistoroisto 879 Posts
    I have maybe 1/5 of my collection in discogs.com, which can be saved to excel.
  • mattBmattB (FTB) Anywhere 673 Posts
    Kinetic, ive recommended this a couple of times before, but if you're willing to spend US$ 39.95 then CATraxx is definately the way to go. Well worth it IMHO.
    The previous thread is here
  • cpeetzcpeetz 2,112 Posts
    No but this guys does!

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    I keep my sales logs in excel, which is fine; but I recently began work on a large discography project for a colleague's book and decided to try filemaker pro - I found that they have a great catalogue template designed for music collections.

    It's a breeze to use and I will be copping it for my shop at some point too.
  • hammertimehammertime 2,389 Posts
    i have a list of my records on my website. i keep an excel file of everything i've bought/sold in the past couple years...i try to stay at $0 net. I've also started an Excel file to try to predict what ebay auctions will finish at based on what price they're at with X hours left.
  • marumaru 1,450 Posts
    i've always thought it would be amazing to catalog my collection using http://www.delicious-monster.com/

    i use it for dvds and apparently you can use it for anything: books, cds, records. it would almost be like your own virtual collection, but i'm too lazy to get started.
  • BeekBeek 146 Posts
    Maybe a few nerdstrutters could come together and build something like del.icio.us for records. Interactive, taggable, and a great way to keep your collection organized. It wouldn't be too hard to design. That said, I don't personally have the time to design, but I'll donate the hosting and server space at least for round 1 if anyone is interested.

    I would lend my programming expertise to such a project
  • piedpiperpiedpiper 1,279 Posts
    discogs.com

    discogs is quite useful for electronic dance music and Hip-Hop, but does not include a lot of raer stuff/Jazz/Funk aso. It??s very easy to use and you can get a lot of additional information there though.
  • bull_oxbull_ox 5,056 Posts
    discogs.com

    discogs is quite useful for electronic dance music and Hip-Hop, but does not include a lot of raer stuff/Jazz/Funk aso. It??s very easy to use and you can get a lot of additional information there though.

    On another forum dudes were bitching about records they submitted WHICH THEY ACTUALLY RELEASED getting deleted because the mods claimed they 'didn't exist'
  • edulusedulus 421 Posts
    a buddy of mine put together this interface for me....it saves i think to an access file

    http://www.sendspace.com/file/2rr5gh
  • yoigotbeatsyoigotbeats 1,667 Posts
    decided to try filemaker pro - I found that they have a great catalogue template designed for music collections.

    It's a breeze to use and I will be copping it for my shop at some point too.



    I've been using filemarker pro for the last seven-eight years and rock excel for ebay hustle.
  • hcrinkhcrink 8,729 Posts
    Perhaps I'm missing something, but aside from possible insurance reasons, what good does it do to have a text file of your records? It just seems kind of pointless to me.
  • kitchenknightkitchenknight 4,922 Posts
    Perhaps I'm missing something, but aside from possible insurance reasons, what good does it do to have a text file of your records? It just seems kind of pointless to me.

    I (actually, my wife) just got off the phone with the insurance company, and they said that it helps, but it really only does you any good if you also get a formal appraisal of your records.

    Most would be covered up to a certain point as 'daily property,'but after you run out of that, you have to pay for the extra insurance on a collection, artwork, etc.

    Too busy at work to relay all of this, but long & short: keep a list, but if you really want to get serious, you're gonna need an appraisal.
  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Perhaps I'm missing something, but aside from possible insurance reasons, what good does it do to have a text file of your records? It just seems kind of pointless to me.

    I would think cataloging something as massive as one's library collection would make a lot of sense for any collector. The main reason most don't do it is b/c 1) it's time consuming and 2) it's time consuming.

    I remember that, back in the '90s, Davey D paid a few people to catalog his entire collection (at the time). I've been tempted to do the same since then but I've been too lazy to put in the work to find someone to do this.
  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    Perhaps I'm missing something, but aside from possible insurance reasons, what good does it do to have a text file of your records? It just seems kind of pointless to me.

    I would think cataloging something as massive as one's library collection would make a lot of sense for any collector. The main reason most don't do it is b/c 1) it's time consuming and 2) it's time consuming.

    I remember that, back in the '90s, Davey D paid a few people to catalog his entire collection (at the time). I've been tempted to do the same since then but I've been too lazy to put in the work to find someone to do this.

    Okay, but why?
  • rocco2nrrocco2nr 530 Posts
    Yes indeed... SQL

    $10,000 SQL server just to store your record info.


    http://www.sqlite.org/

  • JLRJLR 3,835 Posts
    I expect a "FLOSS YOUR COLLECTION DATABASE" in a few days.

    I once started an Excel file with my collection data, then I switched to Access because Excel only allows 65000 rows.
  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Perhaps I'm missing something, but aside from possible insurance reasons, what good does it do to have a text file of your records? It just seems kind of pointless to me.

    I would think cataloging something as massive as one's library collection would make a lot of sense for any collector. The main reason most don't do it is b/c 1) it's time consuming and 2) it's time consuming.

    I remember that, back in the '90s, Davey D paid a few people to catalog his entire collection (at the time). I've been tempted to do the same since then but I've been too lazy to put in the work to find someone to do this.

    Okay, but why?

    I don't think it's for everyone but for many, I think there'd be some practical value. The most obvious being: to keep track of what you have, especially in cases of buying/selling or needing to cross-reference for research purposes. I'm not saying a database is something you'd use every day, but if it were relatively affordable (either time or money-wise), why not? I own appx. 7000+ albums which is, by far, more than anything else I have. Having a catalog of what's actually in there can prove useful on variety of levels (maybe this is just the sociologist in me though) that may not be obvious in the present but may prove useful down the road (like when wifey divorces you and gets half).

    Actually, for anyone who's using Microwave, in a sense, that cataloging is built into the digitizing/organizing process on some level already. Knowing what you have might also be useful in figuring out what you want to select down the road for digitizing.
  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    Perhaps I'm missing something, but aside from possible insurance reasons, what good does it do to have a text file of your records? It just seems kind of pointless to me.

    I would think cataloging something as massive as one's library collection would make a lot of sense for any collector. The main reason most don't do it is b/c 1) it's time consuming and 2) it's time consuming.

    I remember that, back in the '90s, Davey D paid a few people to catalog his entire collection (at the time). I've been tempted to do the same since then but I've been too lazy to put in the work to find someone to do this.

    Okay, but why?

    I don't think it's for everyone but for many, I think there'd be some practical value. The most obvious being: to keep track of what you have, especially in cases of buying/selling or needing to cross-reference for research purposes. I'm not saying a database is something you'd use every day, but if it were relatively affordable (either time or money-wise), why not? I own appx. 7000+ albums which is, by far, more than anything else I have. Having a catalog of what's actually in there can prove useful on variety of levels (maybe this is just the sociologist in me though) that may not be obvious in the present but may prove useful down the road (like when wifey divorces you and gets half).

    Actually, for anyone who's using Microwave, in a sense, that cataloging is built into the digitizing/organizing process on some level already. Knowing what you have might also be useful in figuring out what you want to select down the road for digitizing.

    I don't know--I hear "7000 albums" and think one's energy would be better spent on getting rid of 80% of them than on cataloging all of them.
  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts


    I don't know--I hear "7000 albums" and think one's energy would be better spent on getting rid of 80% of them than on cataloging all of them.

    Oh, if only.

    But in any case, in order to get rid of them, I'd end up cataloging them anyway (in the case I decided to eBay).

    I'm also a packrat, if that helps.
  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts


    I don't know--I hear "7000 albums" and think one's energy would be better spent on getting rid of 80% of them than on cataloging all of them.

    Oh, if only.

    But in any case, in order to get rid of them, I'd end up cataloging them anyway (in the case I decided to eBay).

    I'm also a packrat, if that helps.

    So I gather.

    Do you still have copies of all of those late nineties Sandbox-type 12"s?
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