Inventory of vinyl - what software do you use?

I have 8,000 LPs of which 75% are classical. I am currently using Visual FoxPro, though when I get the time I will switch over to FileMaker. You could use any spreadsheet or other flat file data base. However, you will have a lot of redundancy, paarticularly if you have a lot of classical albums. Since the files are small, performance will not suffer. However, you will need a lot of extra key strokes to enter the same amount of data versus a relational data base. For many of the fields in my data bases I have choices set up (mono/stereo) (33 1/3/45) (classical/movie/show/rock/pop) so that just one click is required to enter the data. If you are familiar with a relational data base such as MS Access and you have a more than 1,000 albums I would think you could save yourself a lot of data entry time by using the relational data base.

Fields In Manufacturer File:
Record Label
Secondary label (Shaded Dog/White Dog/Dead Dog, etc.)
Stamper Number
Manufacturer's Number
Genre (movie/classical/rock, etc.)
Price
Artist
Title
Key (for linking data bases)
Condition
Speed
Number of disks

Fields in Album File
Stereo or Mono
Composer
Title
Conductor
Orchestra
Year
Filed under
Category (solo violin, violin concerto, guitar, wind, etc.
Performer
Key

Using a spreadsheet you construct from scratch is a horrible idea. Why would you want to type all of that in when it has already been done?

There are a number of programs spefically designed to do what you want. Google "cd database software" or "music database software" and variations.

here's an old thread on the topic http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?gmusi&1098242973&openfrom&1&4#1

Quite a few responses here, and some very good ideas. I am going to try the two "specialized" programs mentioned here first - Music Label 2007 and the Gracenote AV Cataloger. Both companies offer free trials of their software, so there is nothing to lose. If neither of them are sufficiently customizable, I will probably give Excel a try. (I am surprised that more people haven't gone with Access or another database application, but if Excel works, that's fine with me.)

I agree that backups are essential - you must have been heartsick, Dan_ed. I try to back up about once a week, but if I put together this database/vinyl catalog, I will back it up separately to a DVD disc as well.

Styx - I don't know anything about programming, so can't do what you did, but I will add some of the categories you listed to whatever program I end up using.

Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions.

Holly

I use CDTrustee for both CD's and records. For CD's, you can just slip one in and it will automatically cross-reference a web-based datbase and fill in all the data. I find that it will locate about 24 of 25 CD's successfully. For records, I use the artist and title to search one of several databases until I find the one of interest, then fill the fields. In the event of a CD where there are extra tracks or they are in different order, it is eay to change Same with realese number, etc. Easier than typing EVERYTHING into a database worksheet. Now, if one is ONLY interested in LP title, such is not a big deal.

If someone would develop an electronic database for LP's that is comprehansive as the ones for CD's, I'd love to find it.

"Using a spreadsheet you construct from scratch is a horrible idea. Why would you want to type all of that in when it has already been done?"

Has it been done? I bet not. If so I sure would like to know where I can find it. I believe the topic was vinyl inventory, not CD. The programs mentioned here seem to be useful for a CD database, but limited or nonexistant for LP's. And of the databases that do exist for vinyl do they differentiate all of the different labels and pressings of a specific title? Even if it did, by the time you search through several data bases to find your specific pressing and then fill in the fields you probably would have spent much more time than it would have taken to type in the information yourself. No matter what you do inventories require work and spreedsheets are a useful tool.

I guess it depends on what you are trying to accomplish with your inventory. The reason I like a spreedsheet is because it gives me the ability to arrange my collection alphabetically and it's all on a single page I can easily scroll through and print out if need be. Having a separate screen shot for each title is just not useful to me and requires too much work to look through.