Storing Your LPs

Record/LP Storage

  • All labels are stored together and sorted by composer/artist/band

    Votes: 27 49.1%
  • By record label and then composer/artist/band

    Votes: 7 12.7%
  • By record label/catalog number w/no regard to composer/artist/group

    Votes: 1 1.8%
  • They're computerized

    Votes: 5 9.1%
  • Some combination of 1-4

    Votes: 12 21.8%
  • I have a good memory

    Votes: 11 20.0%

  • Total voters
    55

MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
11,236
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1,725
New York City
Deleted
 
Last edited:

vinylphilemag

WBF Founding Member
Apr 30, 2010
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www.vinylphilemag.com
Here's today pop quiz :eek:

How do you arrange and catalog your records for easy retrieval - or to avoid losing a record?

Definately the former. Roughly by genre (rock, pop, and jazz, followed by classical, then soundtracks. Oh, and 12" singles and boxed sets.), then alphabetically by artist and title.
 

jadis

Well-Known Member
Apr 28, 2010
12,347
5,460
2,810
Manila, Philippines
This has actually been quite difficult for me all my record life. I TRY to store them by labels, but only for the audiophile pressings - like Sheffield, RR, Chesky, etc. For jazz, I can still stick with labels groupings, but for pop that's where I go by male and female artists. Classical will be in a bunch too. But problem is with my newly acquired bunch. I have to group them as a separate category regardless of genre because when I shove them into their genre bunch, I tend to forget their existence. So definitely, I did not vote for the last choice. LOL.
 

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
8,570
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Calgary, AB
Couldn't vote as I've always alphabetized by group/performer name. The only exceptions are Classical recordings, Soundtracks and Boxsets.
 

nsgarch

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
88
2
915
None of the above! Et tu Myles?

Myles, can I suggest you re-title this thread because it's about cataloging and/or arranging a record collection, a very interesting topic. But it's definitely not about record storage, something that's been discussed ad nauseam anyway! I voted 'Good Memory' (NOT!) just to view the poll. In fact, my LP and CD collections are organized by content! Because, to me, that's what this whole thing is all about -- listening to music that you want to hear.

My primary motivation when selecting/retrieving something for playback is either, "What kind of music (including instrument and/or performance) am I in the mood to hear?" -- or, if I haven't got something in mind, then I just browse my (content-based) categories until something winks at me :D I've found that content-based LP/CD organization leads to less vacillating and much more music listening -- important these days when time always seem to be in short supply. For years, even before computers, I used to divide my collection between classical and everything else, then alphabetically by composer or writer/performer. And you know what? It took me forever to find something to play, and often as not, it wasn't what I really wanted to hear!

I guess one could also maintain a searchable computer database, if desired. What led to my rethinking all this though, was a few years back, when I became friends with a truly compulsive collector, as in: thousands of records! And yet, his 'thousands of records' were organized only by content. Not a slob by any means, yet he is the complete opposite of "anal retentive", whatever that is called. He had nothing written down or databased, and when I asked why he didn't maintain some kind of list, he said it would be a waste of time; that he knew where all the "special goodies" were; and if anyone had a request he wasn't sure about, he could find out if he had it in about ten seconds! And he could care less about having instant info about all his Toscaninis, or 1/2 speed masters, shaded dogs, or whatever. What's important to him is: What kind of music do I want to listen to right NOW!

I was defintely intrigued, but of course, resistant to change, especially change which meant dismantling everything I worked so hard to organize! :mad: But I slowly began creating little sections for certain content I listened to a lot, like Guitar, Jazz, Orchestral, Brass. Later these became Guitar:jazz, Guitar:classical. Or Jazz:instumentals, Jazz:vocals, Jazz:soloist, as my preferances became more defined. The result was a kind of confidence I could quickly find something I would enjoy right at that moment. I would no longer be intimidated by my own record collection -- and damn the Dewey Decimal System!!
 

Joe Galbraith

Senior Member/Sponsor
Apr 22, 2010
214
0
0
www.arsetmusica.com
Unfortunately, mine are in random order, with the exception of the rack of "heavy rotation" titles (<1,000), these are in bins arranged only by genre. Having well over 5K LPs makes life interesting this way. My reel to reel tapes are in reasonable order though. Somehow I know pretty much the neighborhood where things reside.

This surprises a lot of people given the fact that I am a Library Director. That is precisely why I do it. I am surrounded by cataloged, described, arranged information all day. I like a little disorder in my personal life
 

theophile

Well-Known Member
Alphabetical.

I know the artist. I know the alphabet. No problem.
 

kach22i

WBF Founding Member
Apr 21, 2010
1,591
210
1,635
Ann Arbor, Michigan
www.kachadoorian.com
I have mine set up to closely resemble that of a record store, music categories "genres". And do the same with my CD's.

Alphabetical from there.

In lieu of new releases I have a stack of stuff which I've never listened to and have yet to clean and sort.
 

COF

Well-Known Member
Sep 29, 2017
150
126
148
Ok, this is obviously a very old thread. But as it seems stuck at the top of the forum I have to ask: Why would the original post about storing LPs possibly have been deleted?
 

theophile

Well-Known Member
Ok, this is obviously a very old thread. But as it seems stuck at the top of the forum I have to ask: Why would the original post about storing LPs possibly have been deleted?
Here's a clue:

Have a close read of post number #2. The original post was captured in that quote. Definitely good form by Rich to quote the post, even if he spelled definitely in a wonky manner. Good show Rich.
 
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TooCool4

Well-Known Member
Feb 7, 2013
960
939
925
England
They are stored in Alphabetical order by LP, 12”, 10”, 7”, Cassettes, CD’s, Box sets, ect.

I also use a software call Music Collectorz, mainly to stop me buying duplicates like I have often done before. I have the software on my home computer plus I can access it on my mobile phone, so when I see something I want to buy the first thing I do If I cannot remember if I have it or not is do a search on my database with my mobile.

This software has saved me a lot of money, a link to my database on that software here.
 
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COF

Well-Known Member
Sep 29, 2017
150
126
148
Here's a clue:

Have a close read of post number #2. The original post was captured in that quote. Definitely good form by Rich to quote the post, even if he spelled definitely in a wonky manner. Good show Rich.

Apparently I'm clueless, as I can not divine from post #2 why the original post was deleted.

????
 

theophile

Well-Known Member

Solypsa

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Jun 7, 2017
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I'm in the camp of 'somewhat random'. Muscle memory and visual cues help me find what I want. And sometimes I search a bit and thats ok because it forces me to consider other records in the process. Of course I have a general area for music genres but the library position morphs over time.

A bit like back in the day when I DJ'd edm on vinyl. I'd start with a few records sequenced in my box but pretty soon it was a free for all. That was part of the fun for me....
 
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Folsom

VIP/Donor
Oct 25, 2015
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Mine are be genre and if the genre is big enough then within it there's different eras. I may have to get more formal as it grows.

But I list everything on my discog page for insurance purposes.
 
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astrotoy

VIP/Donor
May 24, 2010
1,547
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SF Bay Area
The OP moved on to form his own website. I try to organize most of my vinyl collection (15K records almost all classical) by the standard compulsive collector method, label and catalogue number. Also have spreadsheets for those records. For lesser records and all pop/rock/jazz/comedy/soundtracks/ I do it by genre and artist or composer. With that many records, I do occasionally lose a record because I had returned it to the wrong place and then find it sometimes years later, often after buying a replacement copy. I do keep my 600+ records of the TAS Superdiscs in a separate section by genre and label.

My tape collection is getting big enough that I have divided it into 3 categories, classical, rock/pop and jazz, listed by composer or artist. Some of the major labels, like Tape Project, Analog Productions - Ultra Tape, Ed Pong - Ultra Analogue, Jonathan Horwich IPI, and Bob Attiyeh Yarlung, I keep separately by label.

Larry
 

PhonoDac2704

Well-Known Member
Oct 31, 2020
34
9
75
They are stored in Alphabetical order by LP, 12”, 10”, 7”, Cassettes, CD’s, Box sets, ect.

I also use a software call Music Collectorz, mainly to stop me buying duplicates like I have often done before. I have the software on my home computer plus I can access it on my mobile phone, so when I see something I want to buy the first thing I do If I cannot remember if I have it or not is do a search on my database with my mobile.

This software has saved me a lot of money, a link to my database on that software here.
I've been surfing across
musiccollectorz webpages, and as a low end theory collector minded. Why dont you listing all of your collection by simply upload to discogs.com? It's also integrated to another device.

It pays nothing a.k.a for free (no subscription) only require internet connections
 

TooCool4

Well-Known Member
Feb 7, 2013
960
939
925
England
Why dont you listing all of your collection by simply upload to discogs.com? It's also integrated to another device.

It pays nothing a.k.a for free (no subscription) only require internet connections
I do use discogs to buy some music, but I don’t feel the need to upload my music to discogs. For me the Music Collectorz has a much better interface plus even if I don’t have internet connection I can still have access to my database at home.

With Music Collectorz I don’t have to pay anything to use the software, since I bought the software before they changed the subscriptions. Since I like what they do and want to keep supporting them I keep paying, but I can stop paying at any time. If I stop paying the only thing that would happen is I will not receive any new updates, but the programs still has full functionality all be it without new features.
 
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Rensselaer

VIP/Donor
Mar 23, 2021
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Three sectioned shelving units from Ikea in a row, two rows of three compartments in each unit, each compartment holds (varied depending upon number of LPs in jacket and/or box).

Top row from left, in alphabetical order by musician: 45 RPM crooners, classical, world music, (some test pressings) etc.: next compartment: 45 RPM Jazz: next compartment: World Music, mostly Bossa Nova (mainly those with Stan Getz, Byrd, etc), then French singers (Charles Aznavour), Argentine tango (Astor Piazzolla), Irish (Dubliner's, etc.), Japanese (Sukiyaki Kyu Sakamoto, Jean-Pierre Rampal), Cuban (Ry Cooder, et al), etc.: Then Jazz; starting with box sets called "jazz" or mixes of artists, or unknowns playing well known pieces, then known players in alphabetical order, continues to end of top row.

Bottom row from left: Classical, done in alphabetical order of composer: Next space: mixture of vocalists from different genre's that stand out (I like) for different reasons. Next four compartments Rock and Roll from different era's, a fair amount in mono, in alphabetical order.
 

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