How To Alphabetize Your Music Collection Like a PRO! (dontchaknow) Vinyl Community

[@tommydavidson3401]

This is the first time I've heard someone else discuss this in such detail- I'd consider it a public service! It looks like we break the rules the same way, so I feel validated. My instinct, starting out, was to emulate how music retailers alphabetize. But I started to encounter problems when ripping my collection (vinyl and CD) and maintaining a digital mirror of what's on my shelf. Operating systems and media players even have different ways alphabetizing- going by my setup, as an example, Windows puts numbers at the front and includes A and The, while iTunes puts them numbers at the back and automatically disregards the articles. I was thrilled when the latter introduced "sort fields" that supersede the artist name is grouping, but don't alter it. This is also helpful for grouping together side projects and solo albums. So, my library has "TenCC" and "TenCC; Godley & Creme" as the sort fields, but you don't have to read that ugly mess when navigating the library itself. Anyway, long rant, I know! Look what you started. Keep up the good work.

[@RobertFithen]

Thanks!!! I think many people want to copy their ripped files organization and alphabetize their physical media the same way. I-Tunes has a separate "alphabetized name" section so theirs is more like true alphabetization. Windows simply does everything by first letter.

[@zelphx]

In the seventies, and the early eighties, I worked at Tower Records. It is not possible to express how seriously we held to this... and I still do.

[@YoStabbaStabba]

I don't always lol but when I do it's when you reveal your "Best KISS solo album track list."

[@brianjames5685]

Molly Hatchet would have to have some accuracy to get mine with a hatchet. I'd imagine I'd be scared by that point so good luck finding it. Wait a minute that question may have been answered by Bob Marley with the song "Small Axe" lol.

[@bhouser79]

Discogs needs to watch this - especially the bonus section. It would ne nice to sort our collections the correct way! I am curious the standard of how you organize within an artist - I am guessing it's most likely alphabetized again. For whatever reason, I do chronologically and then comps at the end. I only file EPs and LPs. The 12" singles are filed at the end of the collection.

[@RobertFithen]

Personally, I organize chronologically within the artist with comps at the end, too. The standard is to alphabetize the songs within the artist because it's dealing much more with songs than albums.

[@wernermoritz882]

Here is another example of a band who is difficult to alphabetize: The Stooges vs. Iggy & The Stooges. Actually here we have two different bands, but still they kind of belong together. Same lead singer, almost the same band, BUT different guitar players. Really hard to decide, I totally understand both camps here. One more thing to add: what a great channel! Love your content, energy and even your taste in music. Keep up the good work, Robert!

[@JustFortheRecord66]

I file the Raw Power album in with the other Stooges albums. Iggy Pop solo gets put under P though.

[@cpsedmonds]

Super interesting topic! I may have to reconsider some of my choices from when I originally sorted through my records, though that was mostly based on "easiest method to find whilst stoned". Would love to see an alternative video of you discussing alternative methods of storing records like genre, colour, mood, most played/least played and go through the pros and cons. All the best Rob

[@RobertFithen]

Thanks! Easiest method to find whilst stoned is a great policy.

[@GilyBeck]

YES!! This is the first time I seen someone post it the way it should be done! Thank you Robert!! This is how I have done it myself! I get so tired of everyone following the "discogs format"

[@RobertFithen]

Thanks!! just discovered your channel.

[@tdunph4250]

Great video as always Robert! Useful information. Thanks for the shout out to Molly Hatchet!

[@RobertFithen]

Thanks! Some great music from those guys. I used to have a road trip cd I made that started with "Dreams I'll Never See".

[@alanbecker6147]

I agree with how to alphabet the collection. I go one farther and file them as psych, progg, jazz, hard rock. Classic rock I file them by 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s 90s and 2000s. It helps me refine how to find them. Still working on it.

[@NoEgg4u]

@13:20 -- Why struggle with underscores and trying to accommodate the first space alphabetizing system? The database software should have supported one field for "Display Name", and a different field for "Alphabetized Name". This would require double the data entry for every album entry. But it would need to be done only once. Once done, your sorting would work off of the data entered into the "Alphabetized Name" field (which does not get displayed, so you can make it as complicated as you want), and what gets displayed is what you entered into the "Display Name" field. This was one of your best videos!

[@RobertFithen]

Thanks! This software allows you to make the underscore invisible upon read-out so I would assume it has the advantage over an additional "display name" like i-Tunes because you only have to enter one name. Plus, with radio, artist separation in rotation is very important so it's one less field that someone could enter incorrectly so the margin for error in decreased. "Margin for error" is EXTREMELY important when dealing with some radio people! I have discovered.

[@harrysmusicroom]

Excellent video, but I put Alice Cooper under A. What about The The ?

[@RobertFithen]

Under "The".

[@mikewest1542]

@@harrysmusicroom this was in my mind before I saw your reply, great minds think alike 👍

[@steevenfrost]

With Jethro Tull it's complicated by fan's referring to them as Tull. I go according to genre.Rock/ Folk Rock/Folk/ 60's/70's/British Psyche/American Psyche/Prog/ Acid Folk. I tried alphabetical order, but found it a chore. I wanted to put Byrds/Steven Stills/CSNY/CSN together as they are related. i also recognise titles by the colours and writing on the spine of the cd/L.P.

[@JustFortheRecord66]

The Dave Clark Five have been moved a couple times in my collection. I last filed them under D however I’m thinking that C makes more sense.

[@pttn975]

Thanks for this video, I inherited about 2,000 albums from my dad and I'm trying to organize and get them all alphabetized. Also I loved your comment on the best Kiss solo songs. I was lucky and found Ace's solo album as a kid as a yard sale and it's my favorite.

[@chriskarley384]

I found it helped if I put bands solo projects in chronological order After their primary bands albums. Rick Wakeman after my Yes. Stevie and Lindsey's after Fleetwood mac etc. I would Not do this with Peter Gabriel because I have 6 of his LPs.

[@arblankenship54]

I have absolutely no organization with my collection other than putting the record I just listened last. Granted, I only have 300 records, but I find it fun to look for an album I want to listen to and then in the process of trying to find the record I find several others that I almost forgot about and then I end up having a great listening session.

[@mikecallas8673]

Thanks for your great and interesting video I basically looked at what record stores did with artists and band names

[@rbdreamsart]

I ran into this conundrum yesterday while reorganizing my stash when I got to Huey Lewis AND the News. I decided to file it under L. As for Dire Straits, I agree it should go in the circular file😆

[@RobertFithen]

I think it should definitely go under "Lewis" (also Dire Straits in the trash of course lol)

[@devildart]

Ace Frehley goes with my frehley's comet albums. Big brother goes with Janis Joplin albums Rem goes with dire straits.

[@RobertFithen]

We're gonna need a bigger trash can!

[@R3TR0R4V3]

Great topic! I'm with ya all the way, until we get to the first name part.. Lol. I file it under whatever the first letter is, regardless of if there's a real person in the band under that name or not. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Of course there are exceptions to this rule, (The Beatles under B, of course!) but for the most part, that's how I do it.. It's simpler that way & less thinking involved, at least for me. Bands like 311, I have at the very start, that and because they're one of my favorite bands anyway, so it all works out. 😜 I guess it's all personal preference really, but I definitely get what you're saying! Cheers dude 🍻

[@TKRVideoCentral]

Love this, Robert. All together now - it's Captain & TENNILLE....LOL....seriously, though, I've worked with some doozy software over the years - this method is just the best I've ever seen when it comes to databasing the product - brilliant! Thanks for a great, fun video!

[@RobertFithen]

Thanks! It really makes the aesthetic aspect. "The J. Geils Band" looking so much better than "Geils, J. Band, The", etc.

[@jeffandrews5757]

First letter. Every time. Eliminates all confusion. I saw Steely Dan listed under "D" just a few days ago.

[@Thunderclouification]

I once programmed an eclectic music channel for a public radio station. I got up to 15,000 songs before I left for another job. I used the free RadioDJ software. Boy did I learn quick to pay attention to how I entered names and bands. Here I was feelin' all smart and stuff because I know Lynyrd Skynyrd is not a guy in the band, but I now I feel like a bumpkin for filing The Lynyrd Skynyrd under T for all these years.

[@RobertFithen]

They did do a cover of "T For Texas"

[@NostalgiaPicker]

Great topic, thanks for creating a video to address this. 👍👍

[@brianjames5685]

If you get to beyond 6 minutes and you're still fascinated I look forward to being your padded-cell neighbour at some point in time. Robert will be their too, I watched right to the end obviously, whilst practicing rocking gently back and forth for future reference. One thing I do like about people mis-alphabetising in shops and on the net, and putting records in the wrong genre sections, is I find a lot of missed bargains that way. I always wonder if it was mis-sectioned by staff or whether somebody hid it among the classical section hoping to return later with money to buy it.

[@zoltanszabo4242]

To be honest, I was reluctant to check out this video. I thought it's some sort of guide for beginners. Similar to order by genre vs. alphabet etc. We all have our own preferences so, what can anyone possibly tell us? You proved me wrong! I enjoyed how you presented those exact questions I think about when I order my collection. Super geeky topic, but we are all music nerds. Numbers: This probably is because of my profession, but I consider numbers as values, not as a series of numeric characters. So "2. Műsor" comes before 10CC and 16 Horsepower. I don't worry about it being spelled or not, in my brain they remain numbers. (Where to put 2 Unlimited? I would put it where you gently placed Dire Straits. :D ) R.E.M. Theoretically the periods are there because it is an abbreviation and should be handled as Random... But it is the name of the band, not an abbreviation. In our language spaces and hyphens within phrases are ignored in collation. (I handle these periods the same) That makes it simple: R.E.M. = REM. A few tricky ones I'm never 100% sure about: - Captain Beefheart. C or B? Titles such as doctor, mister shouldn't be considered (B), but it is a made up name (C), but again it is a made up name of a person, posing as a Captain (B). Luckily they aren't too far away wherever you put them. - Dr. John: Do, Dr or J? Same as above, but with a twist that he almost never spelled it as Doctor John. - Stooges, Iggy Pop. Not as clear as band vs. solo. First two albums Stooges, then Iggy and the Stooges. I might be wrong, but today I think we more likely think about them as Iggy (Pop) and the Stooges, than simply Stooges. I almost never place solo and main band material together, but in this case I place them at Iggy Pop. BTW, is Iggy his first name and Pop his last name or is Iggy Pop a name consisting of 2 words? :) I mean it is completely made up, not short for Igor Popovic. - !!! I put it at the very beginning of the collection as a special character, but I noticed that stores in English speaking countries file it at C like this: !!! (Chk Chk Chk). A really bad name when it comes to searching online. Some engines have a character limit, some struggle with special characters. Apart from Discogs, I use Excel for cataloging. The order is completely manual, so I don't have to struggle with spelling in order to make it work.

[@RobertFithen]

Thanks!!! Industry would put Capt Beefhart under Capt because it's a title. Fats Domino goes under D because "Fats" is a nickname. Dr. John and Dr. Hook would go under Dr. if spelled that way (it wouldn't go under J because it's band). They do the numerals at the beginning if that's the way the band presents it's name, but as I showed with .38 Special, it's not always consistent so that doesn't work for me and I break that rule. I put Ray Power with the Stooges because I think it's just the one album credited that way. Iggy Pop solo (which, I think has a different sound anyway) goes under P.

[@sistah_fistahs_antichrist]

I sort my records by release date of the album itself, not the press, which is hard considering a lot of records pre-1970 don't have a definitive release date besides a month and year at most. It alleviates the stress of nomenclature rules, and its really cool to see how music progresses over time. Of course with a radio station, that doesn't make sense, but for a personal collection, I think that's the best way to do it. Also, when i sort numbers, i do it by pronunciation. If its 404 but pronounced Four Oh Four, I would sort it in the F like that instead of Four Hundred Four.

[@lobbymccawker2083]

The Alice Cooprr example is interesting as really the band should come under Alice and the person under Cooper. However I have Japanese box sets which include the band and the person in the same box.

[@delwilliams8129]

Agree with your method have been doing it this way since the beginning your right then in groupings of same group breaking it down to year of release ie The Beatles, The Who dropping the The's...A B C 1 2 3...But keeping my John Cougar and John Cougar Mellencamp under C.

[@RobertFithen]

I forgot to bring up the John Cougar Mellencamp oddity in the video.

[@delwilliams8129]

@@RobertFithen for a follow up don't forget Starship & Airplane

[@glennsmusicchannel]

I always have gone with ignoring "The" and "A", going with the first letter of a band name, and the LAST NAME of solo artists. Elton John goes under J for example. Various artists goes under "V" at "Various". 10,000 Maniacs and even 13th Floor Elevators appear in the number, which are placed first before the alphabet letter. Then I break out classical into its own section, along with 'celtic' and 'jazz'. The main collection is everything else - rock/pop/blues/folk etc. This has gotten easier ever since Wikipedia and Allmusic came along. You can find out if it's a personal name or a band name.

[@RobertFithen]

Yeah, I didn't get into too much separating genres just alphabetizing. I have anything rock/pop in one large collection, a mid-size country collection, then smaller jazz, classical, holiday, and spoken (comedy).

[@lobbymccawker2083]

I do classical differently and not consistent. Most sorted by composer but Nigel Kennedy is all together under Kennedy.

[@pgh45rpms]

Very interesting discussion. My collecting is an ongoing lifelong hobby, with close to 5,100 singles and I haven't even counted the lps and cds. Started cataloging my music when I saw how the college radio station cross-reference groups separate from song titles -- all on 3x5 index cards. Album tracks included. It's old-school, but I can look for a song title, album title or recording artist with ease. How many versions of "White Christmas" or "96 Tears" do I have? What do I own by Van Morrison or Led Zeppelin? Oldie anthologies arranged according to record label. A couple tricky ones -- John Fred & his Playboy Band is under J not F, His full name is John Fred Gourrier, and in Southern tradition, he's known by his first and middle names. (Fred is not his last name.) I file Fleetwood Mac under F; Dave Clark Five under C. Two separate files for the Supremes and Diana Ross & the Supremes. Likewise with Alice Cooper. It's all a metter of personal taste -- whatever works for you.

[@RobertFithen]

I should have brought up the Supremes because that's a tricky one because you have those later Supremes songs that don't feature Diana Ross.

[@SleepingLionGuy1]

Back in the day, the band named as Edward Bear would trip many up. That's why I alphabetize according to label name, and then by catalog number.

[@ArthurNiehaus-xt9rv]

Years ago J&R music world in NYC had Jethro Tull in the T’s

[@cosmicvinyl2937]

Dude this is great! Freaking hilarity throughout! I put the 4 KISS solos in with my KISS albums in chronological order Haha! I do shelve my albums in alphabetical order but I start at the end of the alphabet with “Z” at the beginning just to make it more challenging! LoL! Great stuff Robert! Peace ☮️✌️👽🤘☮️

[@RobertFithen]

Thanks!! I do the same with the Kiss solo albums.

[@DavidMiller-ve4wx]

Make Sense. Like I always add Duane Almann’s Midnight Rambler with The Allman Brothers. The few James Gang songs with Joe Walsh. “Them” songs like Gloria & Here comes the night with Van Morrison. This makes it easier to combine songs with the more dominant popular artist especially when the sound is similar. But the exception is if the “breakaway” singer had a very successful solo career from his/ her previous very successful band. Like I would never add Paul Simon with Simon & Garfunkel. Or any solo Beatle with The Beatles.

[@primeanalogrecords]

Great info! Some is common sense but others stuff is interesting!

[@DavidMueller-kp7sy]

Hi Robert, excellent video. I index my collection the same way. I do have one other variable. Where should I list "? And The Mysterians". I have both my LP and single under Q. Thanks.

[@RobertFithen]

That's where they go, going by how their name is pronounced.

[@bert0522]

I've got about 4-5,000 in my collection. I started in 1963, had them all in order till the movers packed them 4 years ago. I'm disabled so I've one hell of mess in my music room. Jim

[@theartofcollecting2006]

What I do is have genre sections for genres I love like hair Metal, heavy metal, blues and I have one artist collection separated which is Eric Clapton which has all the stuff he’s done like John Mayall and Cream. The rest is alphabetized.

[@thetoyboxthetoybox8305]

Where would you put the band, "The The"? Ironically, while I don't file bands under "The", I do acknowledge bands that start with an, "A" as being under "A".

[@plasticsoundwavecult]

I agree that what ever works for you go with it. That being said, I go by the first name of an artist (ie: Crystal Gayle would be under “C”). It automatically eliminates many of the issues you brought up. If we are sharing, -Alphabetical by artist (Ignoring “The” and punctuation but not “A”; artists first name; “number bands” last. -Reverse Chronological Order by original release date (not reissue date) -Various Artists -Soundtracks

[@RobertFithen]

VA and soundtracks are separate with mine, too. I don't think I have heard of anyone else with REVERSE chronological order. That's interesting.

[@plasticsoundwavecult]

@@RobertFithen The ones I ponder over are albums with two bands doing a collaboration. I have an album by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard with Mild High Club. It’s easy now, because I have no albums just by Mild High Club. I’ve thought about having that record at the end of the King Gizzard albums, since it’s really two artists. Instead I have it in the King Gizzard Chronologically. Thinking of changing that though now I’m writing this.

[@StonersStashbox]

Alice Cooper, band or solo, I place under A. The bands albums in chronology order, followed by solo material in chronology order.

[@TCatsDeepVinylTraxx]

Ever since my DJ days, I have alphabetized exactly the way you described for the most part. Strangely enough, however, all of my Steve Miller Band albums are under "S". I know it's wrong, but when I fixed it a several years back, I found I would still look under "S" for them, even after keeping them like that for a few years. So I moved them back. The only other artist that is like that in my collection is Jon Butcher Axis, but since I only have one album of their's, I don't bother with it. Sometimes it's just best to leave well enough alone. Anyway, I enjoyed your video.

[@RobertFithen]

Yes, like I say, you're the one who has to find it, so whatever works for you.

[@crusheverything4449]

I don’t consider it wrong to have Steve Miller Band under “S”, as the band’s name is a proper noun. Why would you look for it under “M”? That’s how my collection is alphabetized. For instance, I have Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers filed under “T”. Solo artists are filed alphabetically by last name. Each artists’s output is filed chronologically, left to right by original album release. For instance, my new copy of Physical Graffiti is filed just to the right of my vintage copy. I do make some exceptions, such as having the four Kiss solo albums filed to the right of Kiss, alphabetically by first name, mostly so I can find Ace’s quickly, as it smokes the other three! 🤘🏼😆

[@crusheverything4449]

Love the mini-rant about numbers in a band name! Hilarious shit! I file 38 Special alphabetically under T, as well.

[@crusheverything4449]

Question: Where would one file a Prince album from when he was known as a symbol? Don’t own any Prince albums - just asking for a friend…

[@leonardoiglesias2394]

Japanese record shops do Aaron Copland, then Aaron Rosand. They have something like 40 Johns one after the other on the jazz sextion.

[@RobertFithen]

It's the same in the US with bands like Los Lobos being filed under "Los".

[@leonardoiglesias2394]

@@RobertFithen no..haha! Because Los is probably very close to Lobos….haha

[@fcoq5628]

Thanks for a great topic discussion. Never considered how the ‘pros’ do it. What about collaboration records? June 1. 1974. I think Kevin Ayers is the first listed name, but I put it with Eno. How about Capt. Beefheart? Many refer to him as just Beefheart and I am not sure if he called himself Capt B to eliminated your band/personal name reference. I for some reason put the nick name first King Curtis under K. I know his last name but I don’t know Sweet Ema’s so she is under S

[@RobertFithen]

I completely forgot about Captains, Kings and Doctors. The official broadcast way is to put them under their "title" so Capt. Beefhart would go under "C". I should have made that part of the video.

[@CathyLahn]

You got it, Robert! This is exactly how I've always done it, and it shouldn't really have to be explained (other than a few of those weirder anomalies) But man, there just seems to be a lot of dopey, stupid or simply lazy people out there. I mean, how lunk-headed and non-detailed lazy do you have to be than to put The Rolling Stones under "T," or David Bowie under "D". Frank Zappa under "F"?? Sheesh, it just makes me shrug. And my favorite part was your "perfect" list of the KISS solo album tracks! Haha Yes, indeed, ACE FREHLEY (1978) Casablanca is not only true best solo album, but one of the finest hard rock LPs of the late 70s, period! 🛸 Marc

[@chriskarley384]

Straight to the comments to see if people put the solo projects directly after their main band! Perfect example for Not doing this ... Peter Gabriel obviously!!😂❤💛💚💙

[@beatlejeb]

Hi Robert. I agree 100% with your method of organization. I'm assuming you put Paul McCartney, Wings, and Paul McCartney & Wings all under "McCartney". How would you do Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship?

[@RobertFithen]

Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship are next to each other and Starship is on the other side of the room. lol

[@wholelottarock5288]

Hi, Mr. Fithen. Where do I place "Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force"? I guess in "M" as he never released a "Rising Force" album without his name added, as "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow" did.

[@RobertFithen]

Exactly!

[@shaunspins]

I tell you if you saw the way my father and I keep our records it might change your life. I'm glad we all think differently and make sense of things in our own ways and what works best for our minds. What makes sense to one person on order of records/cds/tapes/8 tracks, to another person makes no sense. I wonder when I did radio along time ago what they thought of me.

[@RobertFithen]

You should tell us in a video! I knew a couple of people who had very unorthodox ways of organizing their music and it was fascinating to go through.

[@shaunspins]

@@RobertFithen I actually did a little bit for my last video. My father has an a way of keeping records by when he acquired them, like a time capsule.

[@drimblewedge2789]

What about the first 2 John Cougar albums? Followed by John Cougar Mellencamp followed by John Mellencamp?

[@markfyt1]

All three varieties get filed with Dire Straits.

[@christopherkibler511]

Robert, very interesting. Based upon the comments, it sounds like you could do a follow-up with some of the examples that people had. Thanks, Chris

[@RobertFithen]

Thanks! Yes, I should probably do one.

[@michaelslowack903]

My jazz record collection is extensive, so I have organized it by record label first, then artist last name.

[@RobertFithen]

I've heard of people organizing jazz and classical like this.

[@Thomasgene]

Questions: Jimi's 2 different bands Band of Gypsys The Experience Under J for Jimi or H for Hendrix, or B for Bands or/and Jimi. And what about about ? & The Mysterians? And Solo Artist That had a band with name (Wings) and then Another Band with no name as his (Paul) current line-up?

[@RobertFithen]

When someone has "Band" or "Experience" after the name, it's still under the last name of the person. "Band of Gypsies" would go under "B", normally, but since it's only a one-off, most would place it under "H". "? & The Mysterians" I've always seen under "Question". "Wings" is always under "McCartney".

[@Thomasgene]

@@RobertFithen Thank you So Much! I appreciated your work and humor! Quick Question The Great Album Otis and Jimi The Monterey International Pop Festival?

[@bobhigley8522]

Jazz! Jazz! Charlie Parker is the greatest Jazz Saxophone player who ever lived!

[@nunyabidness4220]

I'm always torn on alphabetizing movies or records. It is a good way to find the thing you're specifically looking for quickly, but just as often I don't go looking for anything specific -- I just get in the mood for a slasher movie or a black metal album or some punk rock or an Italian cannibal zombie flick. So I arrange things by sections, rather than alphabetically. This does suck if there's some title that doesn't really fit a category and so I end up having to search all the shelves when I'm looking for a specific movie... but, on the other hand, by categorizing them by "type" I remind myself of a lot of movies/albums I would otherwise have forgotten. I might never remember how great the band Kraut is, but if I go to my hardcore section, there it is. I love the movie Final Terror, but I might never remember to watch it unless I go to the slasher section and, hey, there it is! There's advantages and disadvantages to both methods.

[@TheEeliciousOne]

You had me up until personal names. When I first visited Japan, their alphabetic by first name (not counting A, or The) was crazy. But I really adopted this because it makes absolute sense. I know the artists names and I can find everything. So John Entwistle, John Cougar Mellencamp, John Coltrane, John Lennon, etc., are under J and then alphabetically by last name. Ten Thousand Maniacs are under T, not numerical. I created a database under Excel, and the first word alphabetizing was best. But you do you.

[@Sammeep02]

I wasn't aware they do that in Japan, but I alphabetize by first name, despite the stores I go to alphabetizing by last name. Same applies with stuff like "The (firstname) (lastname) Band". Numerical and various artists goes at the end. "The" and "A" are ignored

[@DavidMiller-ve4wx]

Another interesting post would be how to alphabetize song titles. What about song titles that begin with an apostrophe word (I’ll, It’s, We’ve etc)

[@RobertFithen]

I just always ignore the apostrophe. But if your ripping them onto files, apostrophes usually are placed at the beginning.

[@Bootradr]

I'm glad you mentioned Big Brother and the Holding Company. I wish Discogs could get that one right. I'm tired of seeing Janis Joplin (and/with) Big Brother and the Holding Company or Big Brother and the Holding Company (and/with) Janis Joplin and the other variations too. Good grief Charlie Brown!

[@knownaigm]

The ones that perplexed me in organizing my own records were the collaboration albums. Like I have numerous albums by Boris and numerous by Sunn O))) and numerous by Ulver but I also have a collab album of Boris and Sunn O))) and a collab album of Ulver and Sunn O)))... so which do I put it under, the first band listed? Even worse, there is the collab album of Boris and Ian Astbury but that project went under the name BXI so do I put it under Boris or BXI? In the end I went with whichever felt like the "main" band that album seemed like to me but boy did I spend some time debating on those lol. What is the radio protocol for collaboration albums?

[@ediblehorse]

Blues guys always gave me a little trouble. Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Little Walter... H, W and L???

[@edejong]

'The The'? I put 'The Lover Speaks' under T. 'The Alan Parsons Project' under A. 'R.E.M' first one under R. I don't see why numbers as a bandname are a problem.

[@RekkidTalk]

So, how do the pros deal with John Cougar, John Cougar Mellencamp, and John Mellencamp. I have chosen to put all of them under M for Mellencamp, even if it was an early album that just says "John Cougar" on it, as that's his real name and he has a strong preference for being referred to that way. I have a hard drive that holds all my ripped CDs and downloads, and I should look into getting better sorting software because it alphabetizes everything by first letter. So The Juliana Hatfield Three gets put under T and Juliana Hatfield under J, where both should really go under H. I know the radio solution is that it's not 1995 anymore and this is a moot point. I've manually stripped out "The" so stuff is listed as Beatles, Cure, etc. which is kind of annoying, and I've lived with everyone listed by their first name even though I don't sort my CDs and LPs that way. Oh, and I have a downloaded song by the band !!! Yes, the band name is three exclamation points and nothing else and is pronounced as three tongue clicks. It gets put before numbers, which in turn are before ABBA and AC/DC. My R.E.M. is just before The Replacements, as I ignore periods and just consider them to be a band named "rem".

[@RobertFithen]

That's a great question about John Mellencamp. I wish I would have mentioned it in the video. Basically, it's the same thing you said, everything is John Mellencamp with a special "note" on the earlier songs. I think a lot of people are alphabetizing their physical media the same way they've been used to seeing it with ripped files. (Everything by first letter). I don't have !!!, but for me, it would be similar to ? & The Mysterians which I put under "question". So I guess I would put !!! under "exclamation".

[@mistery-ed7900]

@@RobertFithen I put ? And The Mysterians under question. Haven't got any !!! artists yet!!!

[@markfyt1]

My Zappa albums are where I really start breaking rules (much like the maestro himself). I prefer to keep titles like "Apostrophe," "Hot Rats," "Joe's Garage," and "Sheik Yerbouti" on the same shelf with "Absolutely Free," "One Size Fits All," "Over-Nite Sensation", "Uncle Meat" (a true masterpiece), and "We're Only In It For The Money." The artist name varies: Frank Zappa, The Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa/The Mothers, The Mothers. (Zappa incidentally hated the name "The Mothers of Invention," which is what the record company insisted upon, by tacking on "of Invention" to the original band name. "The Mothers" was short for the musicians who made up the band being motherf**kers on their respective instruments.) However, I just put everything under "Z" to keep it centralized. Would like to know how other collectors archive their Zappa/Mothers gems and nuggets.

[@tygertyger8597]

I wish I had a Dire Straits album so I could file it just the way you did. 😂 Great info on filing. 👍

[@RobertFithen]

LOL

[@mattkidroske]

I half expected you to say David Bowie goes under J for Jones lol

[@Frip36]

Back in the day most moms and chess club kids thought Judas Priest was that leather guy fronting his own band.

[@DetroitStars]

How do you handle band names with abbreviations, such as Dr. Hook? Would it be under DR., DOCTOR, or do you skip the abbreviation and alphabetize under H?

[@RobertFithen]

The computer would read it as "Dr." so it would be placed before "Da". It's a similar issue as the .38 Special one. I've never seen it under "H" because it's the name of the band.

[@cinetobi]

I agree with sorting band like The Beatles under B or The Rolling Stones under R, but I would never file bands like A Flock Of Seagulls under F or A Tribe Called Quest under T. The "A" is an integral part of their name, not a simple indefinite article IMHO. I always had troubles to sort The Jimi Hendrix Experience or Alice Cooper, nice to hear your take on it. How would you sort The The? "The, The" looks ridiculous. 🤣

[@AndrewKates904]

What about soundtracks? I.e. The Big Chill. I assume under B?

[@RobertFithen]

Yes, they have their own section.

[@nathanielnicholson559]

Dead on about the Ace Frehley album. It's THE good one in my opinion. So, I didn't learn much which is great because my system is apparently already on point ;) Also, by the end of the video our lava lamps were in pretty identical states lol Took a picture.

[@chutspe]

Your videos are criminally underwatched. (However, I put Alice Cooper under A, Jethro Tull under J and The J. Geils Band also under J. Another question is: How do you sort after that? Do you have all albums by a band/artist alphabetically (wrong!) or chronologically (right!)? And what about EPs and 12" singles? Compilations and Best Ofs? In between or added behind or before? )

[@dennisoleary4677]

I put all band members together with the band. John, Paul, George, ringo = Beatles

[@rfsanjurjo]

So what about nicknames like "Muddy Waters", "Big Mama Thornton" or "Iggy Pop"?

[@ummagumma7826]

What about soundtracks? Star Wars films? Labyrinth? Bram Stoker's Dracula?

[@RobertFithen]

There's no industry rule for that because it deals in artists and songs. Personally, mine are separate at the end unless it's a single artist soundtrack like "Purple Rain". Alphabetically, I guess I rely on my days at Blockbuster Video. lol

[@Frip36]

Does Zebra go with the Z's or the bras?

[@no_way4165]

What about classical music, composers, interpreters?

[@RobertFithen]

I never was in a radio format that featured those, but personally, I go by composer.

[@morgandenoia3138]

Alphabetically speaking, Paul McCartney is the bane of my existence.

[@RobertFithen]

I don't even deal with "Wings". It all just goes under "mcc" unless it's The Beatles.

[@michiganrecordclub4484]

Some people like to organize and have it the same as Discogs. Discogs puts Billy Joel under B.

[@hyderzuern5664]

Goes between rock n roll over and love gun

[@devildart]

Serious question, do you know how the pros catalog classical music. By composer, conductor, etc... I have a few hundred classical albums and do it by record label.

[@RobertFithen]

I only one person that worked at one classical station in St. Louis. When I asked him, he said Composer, then conductor. Eras and styles were noted, but not how they were organized.

[@devildart]

@@RobertFithen cool, thanks. As a casual collector that only buys a few audiophile labels, organizing by label seemed like the easiest route. I could only imagine the rabbit hole it would be for a classical station or serious collector. RIP KFUO Classic 99.

[@WithScienceAsMySheperd]

Anderson.Paak is another I think who used the alias clause, like Fats Domino, Lightning Hopkins...

[@RobertFithen]

Standard is to put them under last name and treat things like "Fats" and "Screamin' Jay" as first names. I don't do it that way personally and treat nicknames like that the same as band names.

[@WithScienceAsMySheperd]

@@RobertFithen the Meat Loaf connundrum ... Loaf, Meat ? Or go with his real name? R.i.p.!!!!

[@willjacks6888]

I trashed all my records filed between “He” and “Ji” so that my Jimi Hendrix records can sit next to my Jimi Hendrix Experience records. What do I do now?!?

[@RobertFithen]

As I said in the video, Jimi Hendrix Experience goes under "H".

[@dhpbear2]

What's a 'radio station'? :)

[@ThePaleGuy01]

What's about Muddy Waters? M or W?

[@shortsleave]

Coincidentally my custom best of the solo albums track list is identical to yours. What were the chances!

[@RobertFithen]

Yes!

[@tarbooshrecords8530]

Nice...

[@LFEMatu]

So Sly and the family Stone goes under S?

[@bandreu67]

Didn't read thru every single comment so forgive me if this was already discussed. How about movie soundtracks done by a single artist, for example Shaft by Isaac Hayes or Superfly by Curtis Mayfield?

[@RobertFithen]

Since they are basically the only artist on the soundtrack, it would go under the artist name. Can you imagine putting all of those Elvis Presley soundtracks under the movie name? (Even though "Speedway" had a song by Nancy Sinatra). In the case of something like "Saturday Night Fever" where the Bee Gees are the core artist, but there are many other artists, even ones providing hit singes, it would go under the movie title. Usually, people would have a section for soundtracks like that.

[@bandreu67]

Agree 100%. Thanks.

[@terrywilliams7827]

What about Alice cooper the band or Alice cooper the person

[@mistery-ed7900]

I always filed Alice Cooper under C before Vincent Furnier started calling himself Alice Cooper. Now Alice Donut goes under A. The 3 O'clock goes under T. I file R.E.M. after Real Kids and before Replacements. I put Big Brother under B. My 45's I have chronologically! Oops.

[@RobertFithen]

45's chronologically? That must be interesting to see everything like a musical journey through time.

[@mistery-ed7900]

@@RobertFithen I did that because I was making mix CDs and wanted 1963 songs to be in one box and 1993 in another. Made more sense than A-Z.

[@victorbloom8286]

I put Jethro Tull under T .

[@Braydonut]

great vid

[@RobertFithen]

Thanks!

[@gregorrozenberg5884]

Is Elvis under P, E or K for king?

[@itchyviking]

Where do you put !!! ?

[@RobertFithen]

Under "E" Same reason ? And The Mysterians go under "Q"

[@agomodern]

Would it make more sense to alphabetize artists by their real names or their known fake names? For example, David Bowie's real name is David Jones and Tony Bennett's real name is Tony Benedetto. And how about Alphabetizing Prince under his symbol?

[@RobertFithen]

It would put David Bowie next to the Davy Jones solo album.

[@brianjames5685]

sorry last comment. What should one do with Ice Cube, Method Man, Ol' Dirty Ba5tard etc. Are they those artists real names or wtf? I believe some of them are their actual names, changed lawfully, but I feel weird about putting Ice Cube under C for Mr Cube. If I met him I wouldn't address him as Mr Cube, or would I? Right I'm going to have to make a point of never meeting rappers because I won't know how to address them. Pleased to meet you Mr Doggy Dogg sounds kinda weird.

[@robertov05]

Itunes organizes artists by first name so Alice Cooper would be under “A”

[@clausfjeldingwhitt152]

I put David Bowie under B. And The The under M. With Matt Johnson. 😂

[@clausfjeldingwhitt152]

... David Bowie under D.

[@WithScienceAsMySheperd]

La Dusseldorf, Le Tigre, il Divo, il Volo ... exceptions ! ( Le Connaisseur :P )

[@RobertFithen]

I personally recognize non-English articles, but the radio standard does not.

[@WithScienceAsMySheperd]

@@RobertFithen it's all a matter of how we do it in ourcollections, great video!

[@zoltanszabo4242]

La Düsseldorf is between Dub Trio and Bob Dylan on my shelf.

[@WithScienceAsMySheperd]

@@zoltanszabo4242 at the store I work at, it's closer to Led Zeppelin ad Lesbo Vrouven

[@johnwelch5132]

This is madness. Jethro Tull under T. Billy Joel under J. Steve miller band under M. Janis, it’s Janis.

[@JustFortheRecord66]

It’s harder to file artists by genres actually.

[@RobertFithen]

That's why I don't organize mine like that, except country, classical, and jazz.