Guidelines - 4. Label / Catalog

Label Catalog Number Different Labels With The Same Name Not On Label Multiple Labels And Catalog Numbers

 

PLEASE NOTE! The current label cataloging system at Discogs is currently under review to allow a greater degree of accuracy when adding the labels and companies involved in a release. We are moving to 'as on the release' requirements for labels and companies. This is especially relevant for major label releases, which can have many labels and companies involved. As a start to this process, the guidelines now require you enter the information for labels and record companies as closely as possible to the way it is written on the release. Please be careful of existing labels in the database which may have been 'created' under previous cataloging methods. If in doubt, please ask in the adding and updating forum http://www.discogs.com/help/forums/board/17

Label

If the required label is not in Discogs yet, it will be created when you submit and made live after the first related release is accepted. Please check (using the search function) for slight variations in the label name (for example with or without the 'Records' suffix).

In the interim, this field can also be used for record companies listed on the release. The distinction between labels and record companies for major label releases is the labels are like brands, whereas the companies are business entities. For smaller releases, the term 'label' covers both aspects.

Catalog Number

The catalog number is usually the most prominent number printed on the release - often on the spine, on the back cover, and on the label etc.

The catalog number should be entered directly as it appears on a release - it shouldn't be altered (as has been done in the past at Discogs) for conformity with other catalog numbers listed on the label page.

Where no catalog number exists, you must enter "none" into the catalog number field (note the lower case n).

If the catalog number appears in different formats on the release (for example "ABC-001" and "abc1"), enter the version that matches the other releases on the label page (if available). Be sure to mention the other versions of the catalog number in the Release Notes.

Matrix numbers can be listed in the release notes if required. A matrix number is used during the manufacturing process to keep track of the process, for example to mark the sides of a record. Often the matrix number will be the catalog number followed by a side identifier, for example ABC-001-A and ABC-001-B. If there is no apparent catalog number on the release, use the matrix number as a catalog number, dropping the side identifier suffix. Please mention this in the release notes, such as "No cat# appears on the release; ABC-001 is derived from the runout area etchings."

Be aware that Amazon.com codes (prefix: B000) used as catalog numbers may indicate the submitter has taken the information from Amazon, and not from the release itself. It is forbidden to use any source except from the release itself as the primary source of information, please see the general guidelines {link}. Note, however, that that Universal Records and subsidiaries / sub-labels can have a similar catalog number prefix.

Sometimes individual discs in a multi-CD or multi-LP set will have their own cat#s printed on them, separate from the main cat# on the packaging. These cat#s should be entered in the notes unless the package is just bundling items that were also sold separately.

Sometimes individual tracks on a vinyl release will have their own ID numbers printed on the labels, usually in a smaller font, and sometimes in parentheses, separate from the main cat# of the release. These ID#s should be entered in the notes.

Different labels with the same name

For labels that share the same name, a number in parentheses should be used, for example "LabelName", "LabelName (2), "LabelName (3)" etc.

Not On Label

Releases which have no discernible label, such as self-released albums, limited edition tour merchandise, white labels, bootlegs, etc. should be listed under the "Not On Label" meta-label. Before choosing Not On Label, please check for any catalog number or other markings that could associate a release with a particular label, or labels. Often, white label records can be tied back to a label by the catalog numbers found in the run-out grooves, and some CDs with limited information present might include a label logo, if no catalog number is clearly present.

Not On Label page has grown along with the rest of Discogs, and pseudo-labels have been created to gather distinct series of releases without labels. The most common groupings are based on similar content and catalog numbers, and by artist. The original naming scheme for these pseudo-labels was -Series/ArtistName- (White), implying that the associated releases were white labels. As not all releases of these sorts are white labels, a more common naming scheme was created:

• Not On Label (ArtistName Bootlegs) -- for bootlegs containing music by a certain artist

• Not On Label (ArtistName Self-released) -- for music released specifically by an artist, as found on tours and sold via personal websites

• Not On Label (LabelName Bootlegs) -- for bootlegs that are made to look like legitimate releases from a known label

• Not On Label (SeriesName Series) -- for material with a clear pattern but no actual label name associated, like sequential catalog numbers and similar content, or the inclusion of an email address

Multiple labels and catalog numbers

It is possible to list more than one label on a release. This should be used for a joint release between two or more labels, or where an individual release has multiple catalog numbers on one label. This should not to be used for the same release being re-issued by a different label – this would require a unique Discogs entry.

If a release has both sub-label and parent label catalog numbers, they should all be listed, in order to complete the relevant discographies. If it was released on multiple labels but one label was more involved in the release, list that label first.

For each label field that is added a catalog number field will also be added. These must be completed. The sequence of catalog numbers should match the sequence of label fields, for example if three labels are listed the catalog number assigned by the label in the third label field should be added to the third catalog number field. If all labels used the same catalog number this should be added to all catalog number fields.

Where an individual release has multiple catalog numbers on one label, the first catalog number field should contain the catalog number that best matches the label’s catalog system. It helps to mention in the notes section the location of the multiple catalog numbers on the release.