Cataloguing LP's on Discogs

brianlux

A good while back I read a thread elsewhere that talked about cataloguing a record collection on Discogs.  I finally got around to doing so (I'm about half way through my 800 or so LP's).  It's a lot of work and can be tedious for some titles, especially if you use the album matrix to narrow it down to the specific pressing, but I like this kind of detail work and it seems like a good idea to have a record of which LP's I have, both for insurance purposes (although I haven't confirmed it can be used for such) and for thinking about which relative I want them to go to when I'm dead and gone (although I hope to have several years left to enjoy them!).   I'll do my box of 7" 45's later as well.

It's really cool that Discogs has this feature.  Anybody else here use it?

HesCalledDyer

Yep, so far I only have my Pearl Jam stuff on there and only about 70% of it.  I use it for vinyl & CDs, including official bootlegs.  I really like being able to put parts of a collection into a sub-folder, so I can keep studio albums in one group, official bootlegs in another, Xmas singles, Vault series, etc.  What's also nice is if there isn't an entry for something, it's user-managed so you can go ahead and add it yourself. 

PJ_Soul

I recently mentioned discogs to my insurance agent, and while he hadn't heard of it, he said that that sounded like a great idea and that it should work well for insurance purposes. I have to get on that. I only have maybe half my collection logged, and even those are only listed by title and matrix, not by condition. I need to finish that and keep it up to date, but yes, as you say Brian, it is a tedious job. But I figure just a list of the specific titles/versions will be enough - an insurance company will likely be happy to just look at the average value that it quotes? Anyway, there aren't any other options unless you take a photo of each and every album, including the matrix #. I think a discogs catalogue plus just one photo of the entire collection will be adequate.

brianlux

PJ_Soul said:

I recently mentioned discogs to my insurance agent, and while he hadn't heard of it, he said that that sounded like a great idea and that it should work well for insurance purposes. I have to get on that. I only have maybe half my collection logged, and even those are only listed by title and matrix, not by condition. I need to finish that and keep it up to date, but yes, as you say Brian, it is a tedious job. But I figure just a list of the specific titles/versions will be enough - an insurance company will likely be happy to just look at the average value that it quotes? Anyway, there aren't any other options unless you take a photo of each and every album, including the matrix #. I think a discogs catalogue plus just one photo of the entire collection will be adequate.

That's the big ? for me.  As much as this may sound snobbish, I'm very finicky about condition and care of my vinyl. The vast majority of my LP's are near mint and all of them in archival inner and outer sleeves.  I'm guessing the medium value is lower than the actual value of my collection, but how do I prove that?  That's what I need to ask my insurance agent when I'm done cataloging* my collection.  I dread the thought of losing them but that's also why I figure this is a good thing to do. 

I've also heard it's a good idea to have someone go around your house with a video camera and video everything.  I'm not sure I'll do that because books and records are difficult to document.  Photo every one inside and out?  It would take way too long!

*side note, "cataloging"  and "cataloguing" both appear to be correct spellings.

brianlux

HesCalledDyer said:

Yep, so far I only have my Pearl Jam stuff on there and only about 70% of it.  I use it for vinyl & CDs, including official bootlegs.  I really like being able to put parts of a collection into a sub-folder, so I can keep studio albums in one group, official bootlegs in another, Xmas singles, Vault series, etc.  What's also nice is if there isn't an entry for something, it's user-managed so you can go ahead and add it yourself. 

I need to learn how to set up folders!

PJ_Soul

brianlux said:

PJ_Soul said:

I recently mentioned discogs to my insurance agent, and while he hadn't heard of it, he said that that sounded like a great idea and that it should work well for insurance purposes. I have to get on that. I only have maybe half my collection logged, and even those are only listed by title and matrix, not by condition. I need to finish that and keep it up to date, but yes, as you say Brian, it is a tedious job. But I figure just a list of the specific titles/versions will be enough - an insurance company will likely be happy to just look at the average value that it quotes? Anyway, there aren't any other options unless you take a photo of each and every album, including the matrix #. I think a discogs catalogue plus just one photo of the entire collection will be adequate.

That's the big ? for me.  As much as this may sound snobbish, I'm very finicky about condition and care of my vinyl. The vast majority of my LP's are near mint and all of them in archival inner and outer sleeves.  I'm guessing the medium value is lower than the actual value of my collection, but how do I prove that?  That's what I need to ask my insurance agent when I'm done cataloging* my collection.  I dread the thought of losing them but that's also why I figure this is a good thing to do. 

I've also heard it's a good idea to have someone go around your house with a video camera and video everything.  I'm not sure I'll do that because books and records are difficult to document.  Photo every one inside and out?  It would take way too long!

*side note, "cataloging"  and "cataloguing" both appear to be correct spellings.

Yes, ask your insurer. But I'm guessing that if you want anything other than the median value, you'll need to enter the condition in your catalogue.
Yes, I also read that you should do a video walk through of your home for insurance purposes. They don't expect that to be detailed though. I asked. So no, there is not a need to have a photo or video of every single item in your home like that... However, taking a photo of your most valuable items is probably a good idea, including any particularly valuable vinyl and any other valuable collectables. An remember, your home insurance likely has a collectibles add on, so look into that clause if you haven't already.

MedozK

Love Discogs. I'm on it all the time... if you need any help with anything, let me know.

brianlux said:

It's a lot of work and can be tedious for some titles, especially if you use the album matrix to narrow it down to the specific pressing, but I like this kind of detail work and it seems like a good idea to have a record of which LP's I have,

I love the detective work finding out what pressings I have and where they came from. To me it's fun.

brianlux

PJ_Soul said:

brianlux said:

PJ_Soul said:

I recently mentioned discogs to my insurance agent, and while he hadn't heard of it, he said that that sounded like a great idea and that it should work well for insurance purposes. I have to get on that. I only have maybe half my collection logged, and even those are only listed by title and matrix, not by condition. I need to finish that and keep it up to date, but yes, as you say Brian, it is a tedious job. But I figure just a list of the specific titles/versions will be enough - an insurance company will likely be happy to just look at the average value that it quotes? Anyway, there aren't any other options unless you take a photo of each and every album, including the matrix #. I think a discogs catalogue plus just one photo of the entire collection will be adequate.

That's the big ? for me.  As much as this may sound snobbish, I'm very finicky about condition and care of my vinyl. The vast majority of my LP's are near mint and all of them in archival inner and outer sleeves.  I'm guessing the medium value is lower than the actual value of my collection, but how do I prove that?  That's what I need to ask my insurance agent when I'm done cataloging* my collection.  I dread the thought of losing them but that's also why I figure this is a good thing to do. 

I've also heard it's a good idea to have someone go around your house with a video camera and video everything.  I'm not sure I'll do that because books and records are difficult to document.  Photo every one inside and out?  It would take way too long!

*side note, "cataloging"  and "cataloguing" both appear to be correct spellings.

Yes, ask your insurer. But I'm guessing that if you want anything other than the median value, you'll need to enter the condition in your catalogue.
Yes, I also read that you should do a video walk through of your home for insurance purposes. They don't expect that to be detailed though. I asked. So no, there is not a need to have a photo or video of every single item in your home like that... However, taking a photo of your most valuable items is probably a good idea, including any particularly valuable vinyl and any other valuable collectables. An remember, your home insurance likely has a collectibles add on, so look into that clause if you haven't already.

Yeah, I might have a friend who has a good video camera do the walk through.

I've been entering both vinyl and jacket condition plus added notes which is making the process take a long time but it should be good and accurate.  Once I'm caught up it will be easy to just add things as they come in.

brianlux

MedozK said:

Love Discogs. I'm on it all the time... if you need any help with anything, let me know.

brianlux said:

It's a lot of work and can be tedious for some titles, especially if you use the album matrix to narrow it down to the specific pressing, but I like this kind of detail work and it seems like a good idea to have a record of which LP's I have,

I love the detective work finding out what pressings I have and where they came from. To me it's fun.

I agree, it's fun.  The only question I have so far is what to do when there are no values.  For example, I have a copy of Robert Fripp, Brian Eno's bootleg, Air Structures.  The Discogs listing says, "This release has been blocked from sale in the marketplace. It is not permitted to sell this item on Discogs."  I couldn't find a price for it anywhere.  Just guess?  And what about a more common title that has a less common Matrix/ Runout such that there are no sales data.  Just go with something similar?

Thanks M!

scurtis

Do I?!  haha

Love Discogs, it took me days to catalog it all, but once it was done, easy to keep up to date.

lolobugg

love it and use it a lot

Of The Aggie

I have my vinyl cataloged.  I didn't go so far as listing condition, but I tried to find the correct pressing of each item. 

brianlux

Of The Aggie said:

I have my vinyl cataloged.  I didn't go so far as listing condition, but I tried to find the correct pressing of each item. 

That can be a bit maddening!  I'm finding my jazz LP's to be the most difficult and/or tedious that way (but I still enjoy doing it!).  So many pressings of some of them! 

Of The Aggie

brianlux said:

Of The Aggie said:

I have my vinyl cataloged.  I didn't go so far as listing condition, but I tried to find the correct pressing of each item. 

That can be a bit maddening!  I'm finding my jazz LP's to be the most difficult and/or tedious that way (but I still enjoy doing it!).  So many pressings of some of them! 

Yeah.  I'm not sure I got the right one for every album.  Some just had so many to choose from and I got frustrated and just picked one!

brianlux

Of The Aggie said:

brianlux said:

Of The Aggie said:

I have my vinyl cataloged.  I didn't go so far as listing condition, but I tried to find the correct pressing of each item. 

That can be a bit maddening!  I'm finding my jazz LP's to be the most difficult and/or tedious that way (but I still enjoy doing it!).  So many pressings of some of them! 

Yeah.  I'm not sure I got the right one for every album.  Some just had so many to choose from and I got frustrated and just picked one!

Exactly!

reesdog

Whats your Discogs handle Brian? I'll link up with you on there.. Mines https://www.discogs.com/user/Reesdog

brianlux

reesdog said:

Whats your Discogs handle Brian? I'll link up with you on there.. Mines https://www.discogs.com/user/Reesdog

I had to look, lol.  I'm logged in as xulrb

Cool!

brianlux

I spent a good bit of time this evening cataloging my Stones LP's.  Thank goodness I only have eleven right now.  Dang, them sons o' guns were tough to look up.  Man, they there are a bunch of different pressings of those babies.

I notice that occasionally I can enter the matrix info stamped in the dead wax (AKA vinyl, I don't like calling it "wax" but, hey...) and the version I have will come up, but most of the time I have to enter the catalog number and then search through each version of that number to get the same pressing I have.  With some one like J.B. Lenoir, not so difficult.  But the Stones or Reatles?  Fuggedaboutit!  Pain in the butt.  Now, if some bright programer at Discogs could just figure out how to put those matrix numbers in the search, that would be very cool!

reesdog

brianlux said:

reesdog said:

Whats your Discogs handle Brian? I'll link up with you on there.. Mines https://www.discogs.com/user/Reesdog

I had to look, lol.  I'm logged in as xulrb

Cool!

Friended you there Brian, superb collection you have..

brianlux

reesdog said:

brianlux said:

reesdog said:

Whats your Discogs handle Brian? I'll link up with you on there.. Mines https://www.discogs.com/user/Reesdog

I had to look, lol.  I'm logged in as xulrb

Cool!

Friended you there Brian, superb collection you have..

Thanks reesdog.  I friended you too.  You've got a lot of great stuff!  Excellent!

As of this evening, I'm about 95% of the way through cataloging the LP's.  Just classical and Jethro Tull LP's to go plus my 7" singles.  I'm starting to see matrix numbers floating before me, probably will start dreaming about them, lol!

MedozK

reesdog said:

brianlux said:

reesdog said:

Whats your Discogs handle Brian? I'll link up with you on there.. Mines https://www.discogs.com/user/Reesdog

I had to look, lol.  I'm logged in as xulrb

Cool!

Friended you there Brian, superb collection you have..

brianlux said:

reesdog said:

brianlux said:

reesdog said:

Whats your Discogs handle Brian? I'll link up with you on there.. Mines https://www.discogs.com/user/Reesdog

I had to look, lol.  I'm logged in as xulrb

Cool!

Friended you there Brian, superb collection you have..

Thanks reesdog.  I friended you too.  You've got a lot of great stuff!  Excellent!

As of this evening, I'm about 95% of the way through cataloging the LP's.  Just classical and Jethro Tull LP's to go plus my 7" singles.  I'm starting to see matrix numbers floating before me, probably will start dreaming about them, lol!

Now on to cataloging all your CDs and tapes as well.

i think I have friended everyone here as well, fun to look through everyone's collections.