The not lost but hard to find art of vinyl records

Another outlier maybe...

Like the OP, I have rediscovered vinyl, over the last decades. I have developed a ritual when buying an LP: write in the artist, the title, year etc in a data base. It is a bit of work, but I like it. It forces me to take a closer look at the LP and think about it.

In order to do this, I designed my own database, using the program Commence, back when I had only a hundred LPs. I gradually filled in the records I bought, one by one. Today I have 1800.

Each record in the data base has a note log which I can fill in when listening to it, and fields for sound and content, so I can sort records by sound quality rating for example. I can also connect to relevant web pages like the Discogs info on my version of the LP.  It is easy to find price statistics,  although my base is built for non commercial purposes. 

My basic physical sorting of LPs is just by alphabet, by the artist’s last name, with letter dividers, in my shelves. All records are sorted together, no subdivision into music type etc. They are sorted chronogically from first to last record of each artist. Since the physical library of 1800 LPs is registered in the data base, it is easy to search by album title and other info in the base if I forget an artist’s name or the LP placement in the shelf, and easy to update my evaluation in the base when listening.

A convenient habit, when taking out a record for playing, is to lift the next record a bit out from the others in the shelf – this makes it easier to put it back in the shelf. Generous space in the shelf, since tight-bound Lps are a hassle to deal with, is also a good idea.  

My 3000 plus records are all over the place, some stored on shelves, some behind couch, on floor, under desk, you name it. I forget what I even own lol. Someday I will get organized and weed a few out. I am a border line holder. 

Don't be to hard on yourself. "All over the place" is OK. Music, when it engages us, goes beyond predefined categories.  

@o_holter so true, so true. 

Thanks everyone this is a diverse and excellent set of suggestions. Keep them coming while I look into the various options from discogs, clz, etc. Even @o_holter built their own. awesome. 

thanks so much. very helpful.

@dsv1 

Hi,

Because my collection is so large, I entered everything into Excel and occasionally back-up my file. Simple, easy and private.

Regarding spelling errors, you own the LP and ALL of the data are there ;-)

As a bonus, spell-check is not an issue in Excel.

Regarding organization: I apply peel-n-stick letters to old LPs that have been glued into old jackets, with ~3" left showing.  I found this to be a fun, easy way to alphabetize my collection.

Finally, I deliberately AVOID Discogs:

Too much work AND you give them the right to distribute your personal info, including your musical tastes to the world (this is a AI-marking dream...). 

Have fun with that!

To add insult to injury, if your LP is not in the Discogs database, you must manually enter all of the details or the Disc-police will deny your work. 

By getting users to enter the data, they built their database and profit from everyone else's labor - - making million$ annually, yet none of US get paid for doing the hard work for them  :-(  

Feeling used yet?

Thanks for the rant ;-)

Good luck,