How Do You Track Your CD Collection?

[Metalhed]

I have been looking for sometime for a way to track my current CD's, my want lists and what I have on order. I tried Excel, I've tried creatingmy own database, and last week I downloaded OrangeCD (which I find easy to use).

How do many of you track your collections?

 

[sh0kr0k]

Honestly, I've given up. I'd like to start again, so I hope that someone has some good advice for you that I can steal too.

 

[ashaman7122]

I started databasing everything with Microsoft Access, loading it into Excel if I need to sort albums, genres, print hardcopies, etc.

Didn't know about OrangeCD, but, after checking their website, I am very intruiged.

Rock on!

 

[skyrefuge]

Since I'm fully electronic (don't use CDs anymore), iTunes is my de-facto database of stuff I own. Wanted stuff is also tracked there (by tagging downloads) or by using the Want List features of eMusic or the iTunes Music Store. Since all of my "orders" are delivered immediately, I don't track that. I do however keep a spreadsheet (now on Google Docs, so I can access it anywhere) of stuff I've downloaded and deleted, with comments, so I remember not to download stuff that I've already heard!

Then, I've also set up a website that reads my iTunes database and then allows me (or anyone else) to browse my collection online. That also tracks my play counts, so I can see exactly how many times I've listened to any song in my collection, and I can also run all sorts of reports ("Which 1999 album did I listen to the most in 2006?"). I've thought of releasing that for public use, but it's pretty custom and messy right now, and I haven't put much effort into cleaning it up. And I also know that you have to be a real data hound to even care about such stuff, so I'm probably the only one who gets excited by that.

Neil

 

[Exploding Ned]

Usually, if I can actually find a CD from my collection, I call it "tracking". If not, I call it "hiding it from myself".

Seriously, excel is a good program to keep track of everything. Simple, easy to use and easy to add to/delete from.

I have been looking for sometime for a way to track my current CD's, my want lists and what I have on order. I tried Excel, I've tried creating my own database, and last week I downloaded Orange CD (which I find easy to use).

How do many of you track your collections?

 

[jhallum]

I use iTunes. Every CD I own is ripped onto a hard drive and added to iTunes, and I can just look in the Music Library Browser to see if I have a CD or not.

 

[jhallum]

Then, I've also set up a website that reads my iTunes database and then allows me (or anyone else) to browse my collection online. That also tracks my play counts, so I can see exactly how many times I've listened to any song in my collection, and I can also run all sorts of reports ("Which 1999 album did I listen to the most in 2006?"). I've thought of releasing that for public use, but it's pretty custom and messy right now, and I haven't put much effort into cleaning it up. And I also know that you have to be a real data hound to even care about such stuff, so I'm probably the only one who gets excited by that.

Neil

Well Neil,

I know that I'd be interested in such a beast if you ever opened it up. I've been slowly looking into such a thing after you announced you did it on pmx2, but I'm not a very good web/db programmer.

 

[James Murphy]

Delicious Library. The best for Mac that i know of. tracks all your media: CD's, DVD's, Books, Games.... with excellent graphic user interface.

 

[Iced Dog]

I started using cd-tracker.com this year to keep track, but the site is closing down at the end of the year. But the site lets you export your list as an excel, so I'll just use that in the future.

 

[spag]

I wish I knew the name, but a friend has a program that keeps tracks of CDs, DVDs, etc, all by entering the UPC code on the back. He even got a little bar code reader a while back, and just scanned in all the items. It was pretty cool, it looks up the cover, shows tracks, etc. It can then dump all of it to a website so others can see your collection. I think it also has a way for you to lend stuff out, and it tracks who has it.

Maybe if I had something like that, I wouldn't have had to buy 2112 three times...and that was probably just in LPs...

 

[General Zod]

Excel.

Zod

 

[eppst1]

I use Frontpage and post it to my website. I use it like an Excel spreedsheet.

 

[Metalhed]

I have spent the last week entering my 1100 CD's into OrangeCD. You can use bar codes if you have a reader, you can search Amazon by band and pull the info in, or you can place the CD in the drive and let it download the info from freedb or Amazon (I've spent most of the week doing that). It also downloads the cover images. After I got all my CD's loaded, I was able to get all the images for the ones that didn't have images from the online sites like CDUniverse and cut and paste them in. So now all 1100+ CD's have images. You can add custom check boxes (up to 10 of them - I use one for "Wanted" and one for "Ordered") or text boxes (up to 10) per album. You can query all the fields (and print the results). I like that you can add in bulk from an online catalog instead of having to have the CD (do an Amazon search in the app for a band and choose the albums to add - easy way to find what you are missing and add them to your lists).

What I thought was really cool was the one-click upload to www.mygenres.com. Create an account there and it will place your whole collection there. Feel free to check mine out: http://mygenres.com/metalhed/ (it should be open to the public). The only thing I don't like about mygenres is that all the titles are uploaded, including the ones I have entered as 'Wanted' that I don't actually have yet. But that seemed a minor irritation.

After a few days with it (30-day free download) - I ended up paying the $35 for it. Now when I see a new CD I want, I can import it from Amazon, set the wanted flag and it will show up on my list. Then when I get it, I uncheck Wanted and check In Collection.

I have tried a few different packages over the last few months, and I have finally found one I like...

 

[Pellaz]

dBase III.

I'm old-skool, beeotches.

I have it export the database as a comma-delimited text file, and then massage it using Qedit into an HTML table for my website. Ancient DOS programs rule.

 

[Rezz]

I've been using Collectorz.com Music Collector for years. You can scan barcodes or scan CDs and download all info from the internet. It makes it pretty simple to export to many formats, including HTML. You can view my collection (4127 CDs) at http://mharris.pixelthugs.com/. Ive recently boxed up most of my collection due to an iminent remodel of my basement and this app made it very easy to catalog which CD went into which box, in case I absolutely need to hear some particular disc in the near future.

 

[KaptainKrude]

I've been using Collectorz.com Music Collector for years. You can scan barcodes or scan CDs and download all info from the internet. It makes it pretty simple to export to many formats, including HTML. You can view my collection (4127 CDs) at http://mharris.pixelthugs.com/. Ive recently boxed up most of my collection due to an iminent remodel of my basement and this app made it very easy to catalog which CD went into which box, in case I absolutely need to hear some particular disc in the near future.

This piece of software rules through time and space and continually gets better...

 

[mëtålspëd]

I also rock the Collectorz.com Music Collector

 

[rms]

I just double click on my Music folder

 

[EJC_74]

I have been looking for sometime for a way to track my current CD's, my want lists and what I have on order. I tried Excel, I've tried creatingmy own database, and last week I downloaded OrangeCD (which I find easy to use).

How do many of you track your collections?

No clue what you mean by "tracking" it, but, I just keep all my CD's; well, most of them; in CD rack stands in my living room! & while I do have quite a bit, around 5-600 I think. I haven't counted in forever. I do not have anywhere's near as much as many of you do! Maybe if I won the lottery!??? I do need to get another stand though, as many are in printer paper boxes from when I last moved, as I have nowhere else to put them!

 

[Havermout]

I use CATraxx for many years now (http://www.fnprg.com/catraxx/).

Very good and solid database with connections to several CD databases for CD data and cover images (CDDB etc). It also gives you the opportunity to add datafields and design your own templates.

H.