I'm generally an unorganized person, except when it comes to things I collect. Even then, I tend to leave things out and not put them back. After a move, all my records were haphazardly tossed onto the expedit for a while. I had to alphabetize some of them just so I could locate records.
Funk/Soul LPs is the bulk, and is alphabetized. Hip hop I also recently alphabetized, but it barely warrants it. I have unalphabetized groups for funk/soul/disco 12" singles (OGs, Alpha Omegas, whatever), straight jazz (which for me is pre-70s ish), and goodwill finds (misc. yacht rock heat b/w outlaw country). The straight jazz is needing to be alphabetized, but I'm not ready to do it. I'm waiting for a cold rainy day.
Basically, your level of organization depends on how (1) hard you're willing to look and (2) how many records you've got in a particular category. For me, I can stand to flip through 100 records to find something. After that, it becomes tedious.
double rap 12" arranged in alphabetical order double rap lps arranged in alphabetical order rap 12" arranged in alphabetical order rap lps arranged in alphabetical order libs - sorted by companies mindblowing one tracker lps 7" - unsorted ... .. .
i just click at the top of iTunes and it sorts it all for me.
really though, i have always sorted/filed/whatevered by genre, and used to get all pissy when id get stuck on an album, but now since the big cull/sell-off i have made a decision to keep it within genres, but have no system whatsoever within each section.
This frees up more time to do things like:
going outside talking to humans bathing interacting with my family posting on internet forums about filing my records
top shelf - left side: favorite records of mine top shelf - rest: good records and 7inches top middle: okay records and libraries bottom middle: not so good records / one-trackers bottom: hip hop
Jazz, eurojazz-free, smooth jazz soul, male,female,group funk modernsoul hiphop rock psych folk quebec ost/library latin brazilian african reggae classical
I used to have genres (don't really know why I changed) but now all my LPs & 45s are alphabetical. CDs are still in genre & then in order of most titles I have by an artist, followed by alphabetical labels sub-ordered by the number of releases I have on the label, followed by alphabetical CDs I have only one of by the artist then various artist CDs withing that genre. Genres for CDs are something like Punk/Hardcore, Jazz, Blues, Soul/Funk, Rock, Reggae/Ska, Rock & Roll, Surf, Hip Hop, Soundtracks, Country & stuff that doesn't fit in any of the above (comedy etc.)
I used to have genres (don't really know why I changed) but now all my LPs & 45s are alphabetical. CDs are still in genre & then in order of most titles I have by an artist, followed by alphabetical labels sub-ordered by the number of releases I have on the label, followed by alphabetical CDs I have only one of by the artist then various artist CDs withing that genre. Genres for CDs are something like Punk/Hardcore, Jazz, Blues, Soul/Funk, Rock, Reggae/Ska, Rock & Roll, Surf, Hip Hop, Soundtracks, Country & stuff that doesn't fit in any of the above (comedy etc.)
I thought about alphabetizing everything. It's absolute, without having to interpret genres. It also makes the most sense, in many ways.
I think we divide into genres because we simply emulate the record store/book store/library model. Genres help shoppers with browsing. So if you have people over who are interested in your records (and many people without records still tend to be interested), then genres will help them. But since we should already be familiar with our own collections (and should theoretically like all of our selections), we don't really have to browse when we look.
Then again, if you're often in the mood for a certain type of music, but you don't know what, maybe genres are the key. I'm usually trying to locate something specific, but not always. I suppose genres may lead to heavier rotation.
Who the hell knows -- I've thought about this way too much!
Hip Hop LPs Hip Hop/RnB 12s 1980-1990 Boogie/Disco/Funk LPs 1960-1979 Disco/Funk/Soul LPs Boogie/Disco/Funk 12s Electro/Old School rap 12s Comps Jazz/Latin House/Dance LPs, Comps & 12s 80s/90s Pop/Becky Favorites 12s All Rock/Pop Misc
Things I am finding hard to categorize are sample based beats/ contemporary re-edits/remixes etc. I guess I???ll have to wait until I get more of them and then give them a whole crate to themselves.
Comments
I'm generally an unorganized person, except when it comes to things I collect. Even then, I tend to leave things out and not put them back. After a move, all my records were haphazardly tossed onto the expedit for a while. I had to alphabetize some of them just so I could locate records.
Funk/Soul LPs is the bulk, and is alphabetized. Hip hop I also recently alphabetized, but it barely warrants it. I have unalphabetized groups for funk/soul/disco 12" singles (OGs, Alpha Omegas, whatever), straight jazz (which for me is pre-70s ish), and goodwill finds (misc. yacht rock heat b/w outlaw country). The straight jazz is needing to be alphabetized, but I'm not ready to do it. I'm waiting for a cold rainy day.
Basically, your level of organization depends on how (1) hard you're willing to look and (2) how many records you've got in a particular category. For me, I can stand to flip through 100 records to find something. After that, it becomes tedious.
double rap lps arranged in alphabetical order
rap 12" arranged in alphabetical order
rap lps arranged in alphabetical order
libs - sorted by companies
mindblowing one tracker lps
7" - unsorted
...
..
.
really though, i have always sorted/filed/whatevered by genre, and used to get all pissy when id get stuck on an album, but now since the big cull/sell-off i have made a decision to keep it within genres, but have no system whatsoever within each section.
This frees up more time to do things like:
going outside
talking to humans
bathing
interacting with my family
posting on internet forums about filing my records
FUCK ALL THAT!!!!!
Other Music
top shelf - left side: favorite records of mine
top shelf - rest: good records and 7inches
top middle: okay records and libraries
bottom middle: not so good records / one-trackers
bottom: hip hop
basement: can't sell them records
BLACK & WHITE
FACES
HATS (not pictured)
MATCHING OUTFITS
BIKINI
SCREENPRINTED
FUTURE MIX FODDER
JAMES BROWN
45s filed by condition.
rock
reggae
everything else
45's are done the same way
Every genre alphabetical by first name
Keep It Simple Suckas
soul, male,female,group
funk
modernsoul
hiphop
rock
psych
folk
quebec
ost/library
latin
brazilian
african
reggae
classical
Jazz
Soul/ Funk
Rap
Reggae
White
Latin
Beats/Play out/12s
Junk
I thought about alphabetizing everything. It's absolute, without having to interpret genres. It also makes the most sense, in many ways.
I think we divide into genres because we simply emulate the record store/book store/library model. Genres help shoppers with browsing. So if you have people over who are interested in your records (and many people without records still tend to be interested), then genres will help them. But since we should already be familiar with our own collections (and should theoretically like all of our selections), we don't really have to browse when we look.
Then again, if you're often in the mood for a certain type of music, but you don't know what, maybe genres are the key. I'm usually trying to locate something specific, but not always. I suppose genres may lead to heavier rotation.
Who the hell knows -- I've thought about this way too much!
this is the point of my organization in genres
Rock/Rock-N-Roll(Punk/Metal/Grunge/Math/Emo/Glam/Psych....?
Folk
Classical
[Becky] U have a cool selection of White music over here[Becky]
Well, where do you keep Steely Dan?
Who's Steely Dan?
Hip Hop/RnB 12s
1980-1990 Boogie/Disco/Funk LPs
1960-1979 Disco/Funk/Soul LPs
Boogie/Disco/Funk 12s
Electro/Old School rap 12s
Comps
Jazz/Latin
House/Dance LPs, Comps & 12s
80s/90s Pop/Becky Favorites 12s
All Rock/Pop Misc
Things I am finding hard to categorize are sample based beats/ contemporary re-edits/remixes etc. I guess I???ll have to wait until I get more of them and then give them a whole crate to themselves.
That's how I do it - works for me.