Speaking of getting acts together, my public library (Brookline MA, with a network throughout eastern Mass.) will pull up requests for, say, Beethoven's Symphony 2, but no search by conductor or orchestra! (Every CD is specced at 4 3/4 inches, however.) One must go first to Amazon and find the label and issue date, to select the wanted entry. Is this typical? On Tue, Nov 25, 2014 at 12:21 PM, Rodriguez, Sandy <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > I believe the music industry is trying to get their metadata act together, > although their specs don’t quite jibe with the library world. > > > > http://musicbiz.org/press-releases/music-biz-music-metadata-style-guide/ > > > > Throwing that out there and running like hell. ☺ (…because I haven’t > actually reviewed them) > > > > Best, > > Sandy > > > > Sandy Rodriguez > > Special Collections Metadata Librarian > > University of Missouri-Kansas City > > 410 Miller Nichols Library | 5100 Rockhill Road | Kansas City, MO > 64110-2499 > > Phone: (816) 235-2229 | Fax: (816) 333-5584 | [log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > > > > ARSC is looking for new members for 2015! Check out our member benefits< > http://www.arsc-audio.org/member-benefits.html> and please consider > joining us<http://www.arsc-audio.org/join.html>! > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List [mailto: > [log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Peter Hirsch > Sent: Monday, November 24, 2014 9:48 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Sound recordings cataloging software > > > > Tom, > > > > Yes, consistency which is maintained by authority control (in > > library-speak) is absolutely essential and no decent system can function > without it. That is why I prefer to use MARC records created under the > cataloging rules generally accepted by libraries. I believe, though, that > once I find software that enables me to download these records from Library > of Congress, OCLC or wherever, I will still need to tweak them to get the > full depth of access to all (recorded work, all individuals involved in > performing and recording to whatever degree this is discoverable) > information attached to each recorded unit (I hate using the term track, > but that is roughly what I mean here) level. > > > > All this discussion has been very useful so far and I hope to explore as > many of the avenues mentioned as possible. > > > > Thanks, > > > > Peter Hirsch > > > > > > On Mon, Nov 24, 2014 at 8:24 PM, Tom Fine <[log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> > > wrote: > > > > > The downfall of all these database programs is where they're pulling > > > information. The more I think about it, the more sense I see in > > > Peter's idea of using MARC data. At least MARC aheres to relatively > > > strict conventions. They may be klunky, but they're designed to be > consistent. > > > > > > As one who has filled in tags for 150+ classical CDs, trying both > > > iTunes > > > (Gracenote) and dBPowerAmp (which draws on a number of sources > > > including freedb, Allmusic and others), there is ZERO consistency out > > > there. The same conductor and orchestra may be listed differently for > > > each album, even on the same label. Composer names are screwy and > > > sometimes just wrong. A lot of data, especially for DGG and EMI CDs, > > > is in German (useless to an English speaker who wants an English > > > database). The whole experience was infuriating, and in fact convinced > > > me it wasn't worth my time to suck all my CDs into a hard drive > > > library. The worst of all this is that Gracenote is a FOR PROFIT > > > company and they have never lifted a finger to clean up their database > > > from its dark early "crowdsourced" days. You can expect crowd-source > > > cluster-you-know-what from freedb, but a real "company" should value > > > their brand more. Apparently, customers who pay license fees, like > Apple, don't pressure them hard enough. > > > > > > Even though MARC's naming conventions may not be near what I would > > > think of, I assume the same conductor and orchestra show up under the > > > same names in every entry. If not, that's terrible! > > > > > > From Day 1, record companies could have kept all of this consistent > > > and > > >> uniform by using the CDText > > >> > > > layer always in Red Book, and getting together on standardized naming > > > conventions, perhaps under an ISO standard. This would have required a > > > few extra minutes per CD to enter the data, but it should have been > > > standard practice all along. Instead, a lazy attitude by everyone who > > > could control a standard led to crowd-sourced inconsistent garbage. > > > > > > -- Tom Fine > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "L. Hunter Kevil" > > > <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> > > > To: <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> > > > Sent: Monday, November 24, 2014 8:00 PM > > > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Sound recordings cataloging software > > > > > > > > > I wonder if anyone has extensive experience with jRiver, media > > > library > > >> software for digital files. It has received wide praise over the > > >> years. It can read and process into libraries CDs. It can handle - I > > >> believe - all the sundry audio file formats. > > >> > > >> I have thousands of lps as well.The question is this: will jRiver > > >> handle the cataloguing of lps, even if there is no digital file > > >> attached? I harbor the hope - optimistic for sure - of digitizing > > >> some of my most cherished lps. > > >> > > >> L. H. Kevil > > >> Out to pasture, Univ of Missouri > > >> > > >> > > >> On Mon, Nov 24, 2014 at 1:14 PM, Stephen <[log in to unmask]<mailto: > [log in to unmask]>> wrote: > > >> > > >> I use Collectorz's Music Collector software for my collection of > > >> about > > >>> 2800 > > >>> recordings (CD, vinyl, and digital files), and find it extremely > useful. > > >>> It's not perfect--it pulls info from sources (Amazon, for example, > > >>> or data uploaded to the Collectorz database by other users) that are > > >>> not always 100% accurate, so I usually have to do some editing. But > > >>> it does allow easy searching of artists, conductors, orchestras, > > >>> labels, genres, etc. It allows for recordings with multiple > > >>> artists, composers, orchestras, etc. > > >>> And you can specify where the recording is stored. > > >>> > > >>> You can catalog recordings in several ways: 1) Place a CD in your > > >>> computer's CD drive, and let the program scan it; 2) Use a barcode > > >>> scanner on the back of the CD case; 3) Type in the UPC or title, and > > >>> let the program search for matches; 4) Point the program to digital > > >>> files on your computer or backup device, and let it scan those; or > > >>> 5) Enter info manually. > > >>> With > > >>> #1-4, covers are downloaded automatically from various sources; with > > >>> #5, after adding the recording, you use the program to search for a > > >>> cover, which is then downloaded and added to the database. (This > > >>> last method can also be used with methods 1-4 to get a different > > >>> cover than the one automatically > > >>> downloaded.) > > >>> > > >>> I've been impressed by the constant improvements in the program since I > > >>> purchased it several years ago. My only complaint is that there is > yet > > >>> no > > >>> simple search-and-replace that allows you to replace (for example) > > >>> "G-Dur" > > >>> with "G major". > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> Stephen Peithman, Producer/Host, “Connections” > > >>> Capital Public Radio | capradio.org | 7055 Folsom Blvd, Sacramento, > > >>> CA > > >>> 95826 > > >>> Listener supported Public Radio | Licensed to Sacramento State > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> -----Original Message----- > > >>> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List > > >>> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Marsha Maguire > > >>> Sent: Monday, November 24, 2014 9:35 AM > > >>> To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> > > >>> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Sound recordings cataloging software > > >>> > > >>> Hi, Peter, > > >>> > > >>> As discussed earlier, there are some free and inexpensive > > >>> applications out there that should allow you to capture existing > > >>> MARC or other descriptive metadata and load it into a database. A > > >>> good place to start looking for such software is the American > > >>> Library Association's Automating Libraries: A Selected Annotated > > >>> Bibliography (ALA Library Fact Sheet 21, 2014), available at > > >>> http://www.ala.org/tools/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet21. One > > >>> product mentioned there (although it doesn't seem to work with MARC > > >>> data) is Music Collector at Collectorz.com: > > >>> http://www.collectorz.com/music/ I have no idea how complete the > > >>> Music Collector database is (from which you can download records > > >>> into your home database), but according to one review, Amazon is > > >>> also searched. There is an optional barcode reader add-on. > > >>> > > >>> A similar product is Readerware Music Database, which lets you scan > > >>> in the UPC barcode (or enter other info like Title, etc.). It then > > >>> "collects full information from a number of different sources > > >>> including reviews, cover art, full disk and track listings" for your > > >>> home database: > > >>> http://www.readerware.com/index.php/products/details/music_details > > >>> Both these products offer free trials, and both are very inexpensive. > > >>> > > >>> Another option is CollectiveAccess, which, although it's intended > > >>> primarily for archival and museum collections, can import MARC and > > >>> other data (how simple this process is I'm not sure): > > >>> http://collectiveaccess.org/. You could download MARC records and > > >>> export them in various formats with the wonderful MarcEdit, which is > > >>> free: http://marcedit.reeset.net/ Presumably, you could then load > > >>> them into CollectiveAccess. > > >>> > > >>> As far as I know, All Music Guide metadata isn't free, but if that > > >>> is inaccurate, I'd love to be corrected. > > >>> > > >>> I hope you find software that works for you, Peter, and if you > > >>> discover something fabulous, please let us know! > > >>> > > >>> Marsha Maguire (retired LC cataloger) > > >>> > > >>> > > >> > > >> >