wwkirk
Celestial
At this point, over 90% of the music content I have I first obtained digitally. The remainder came on CDs, which naturally I digitized in the usual manner. (I don't have any vinyl whatsoever.) But in spite of digital dominance, I still find myself occasionally purchasing CDs. Sometimes to take advantage of a bargain, multi-album collection, sometimes because the music in question isn't available at a reasonable price in digital format. In one instance I actually opted for the CD version when I couldn't assure myself that the digital offerings corresponded to the specific release I was interested in.
The two best databases I know of for information on all aspects of CDs (and vinyl), such as track listings, personnel (both artistic and others), packaging artwork, differences among, and dates of, the various releases, etc. are:
www.allmusic.com
and
www.discogs.com
There is a lot of overlap between them. Between them, you can find out for example, who was the singer on a particular track when it is not mentioned on the CD.
I should mention that most of the time when I consult these sites, it's not for a CD. Well, not directly. But it so happens that most of the music I listen to had been previously released on a CD before it became available digitally.
My impression is that AllMusic is more sophisticated. It has both in-house and user reviews for many, many releases. However, a central aspect of Discogs is that it is a place to buy and sell CDs and records.
Today I made my first purchase at Discogs because there was a comfortably priced offer for a CD set I was interested in. Amazon was absurd. Ebay was an option, but I thought that since Discogs caters to a specialty consumer base, a high rating for a seller there should count for a lot.
The two best databases I know of for information on all aspects of CDs (and vinyl), such as track listings, personnel (both artistic and others), packaging artwork, differences among, and dates of, the various releases, etc. are:
AllMusic | Record Reviews, Streaming Songs, Genres & Bands
AllMusic provides comprehensive music info including reviews and biographies. Get recommendations for new music to listen to, stream or own.
www.allmusic.com
and
Discogs - Music Database and Marketplace
Discover music on Discogs, the largest online music database. Buy and sell music with collectors in the Marketplace.
There is a lot of overlap between them. Between them, you can find out for example, who was the singer on a particular track when it is not mentioned on the CD.
I should mention that most of the time when I consult these sites, it's not for a CD. Well, not directly. But it so happens that most of the music I listen to had been previously released on a CD before it became available digitally.
My impression is that AllMusic is more sophisticated. It has both in-house and user reviews for many, many releases. However, a central aspect of Discogs is that it is a place to buy and sell CDs and records.
Today I made my first purchase at Discogs because there was a comfortably priced offer for a CD set I was interested in. Amazon was absurd. Ebay was an option, but I thought that since Discogs caters to a specialty consumer base, a high rating for a seller there should count for a lot.
