First Rule of classification: If you're going to organize alphabetically, go
by the *first word* in the artist's name (besides 'a', 'an', 'the', etc.)
even if it is the artist's first name. This saves you the trouble of
deciding where, say, Jake Slazenger or Jon Spencer Blues Explosion goes. DJ
Spooky goes under 'D', both Amon Tobin and Aphex Twin go under 'A', etc.
Second Rule: Artists with multiple names must go together, so Wagon Christ
goes with Plug goes with Luke Vibert.
Third Rule: Record stores are experts in getting customers to the material
they are looking for. Model your collection's organization paradigm after
your favorite record store.
Fourth Rule: Eat kosher salamis!
Fifth Rule: Like Record stores do, keep a separate section for New Releases
(or, rather, New Acquisitions). When I buy a new CD and then file it away in
the shelves, sometimes I'll forget it's there for months. If it didn't grab
my attention on the first listen, I may never give it a second go round if I
don't keep it segregated from the rest.
Sixth Rule: Don't just organize so that you can find what you want -
organize to find what you didn't even know you wanted. Organize so you can
match your state of mind with a unknown musical selection. For this reason,
I separate "Old Jazz" from everything else in my collection - if I'm in the
mood for Old Jazz (non-contemporary jazz, that is), I don't want to weed
through a bunch of DJ This and DJ That to get to Diz. Don't get bogged down
with classification angst!
Seventh Rule: Hey, it's your collection, so organize it first and foremost
for yourself. Be absurdly idiosyncratic if that's what helps you find stuff.
Peter Becker has to have the most bizarrely but strictly organized record
collection I've ever seen, with tabbed dividers creating sections like
"German Electronic, Non-Kraftwerk" or something like that. Works for him.
- Cf
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chrisf@raremedium.com
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