Peter,
You might want to ask some database developers how much it would cost to develop a custom database that would do the job you want. It shouldn’t be terribly hard — I just looked up MARC record (I’ve never used them) and though they’re a little complicated they do seem to be pretty well described. Probably the cost would be more than you want to pay … but you might find enough other people interested that a group of you could get together. As I understand your needs you definitely want a “relational” database but those are available for Windows, Mac, and (I’m sure) for Linux.
I do a lot of custom database programming for myself — quick and dirty things to get the job done (I teach law). My rough guess is that it would take me a day or so to get a functional, not pretty, version working, and I’m not nearly as good as a professional would be. Moving from “functional” to “pretty” and “elegant” involves a lot of work.
I don’t know of anything available off the shelf. I’ll be following this thread to see if there is something.
-Lofty
> On Nov 20, 2014, at 5:06 PM, Peter Hirsch <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> I think the area of software for cataloging a personal library of
> recordings has had some discussion on the list but I don't recall that it
> has come up recently and my recollection is that most of the programs put
> forward did not readily allow for linking up specific performers with the
> particular work they performed if there were multiple pieces with varying
> artist groupings on a recording.
>
> I am interested in software that can download full MARC records and not the
> sort of program that uses crowdsourced info like GraceNote and cddb to
> populate its records. I realize that even a MARC record has its limitations
> as far as what I want to accomplish is concerned but it is far better than
> the other system which tends to produce sketchy records at best and are
> more involved with assigning genres than creating meaningful access points.
>
> Is there such a product as the one I am seeking available at a reasonable
> price (up to a few hundred $) out there?
>
> I have no exact count on the number of recordings that would need to be
> cataloged, but I figure roughly 10-15K, so I don't think creating a
> database from scratch without downloading records is a practical reality. I
> have some professional experience as a cataloger, though very little at all
> in the area of sound recordings, so I don't mind a system that gets a bit
> technical (within reasonable bounds).
>
> Thanks,
>
> Peter Hirsch
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