Discogs

Discogs is a web-based database and marketplace for music releases. It functions as an online encyclopedia of discographies, built and maintained by a community of volunteers and collectors. The site catalogs information about audio recordings across all formats, including vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital releases, with details such as release dates, track listings, credits, labels, catalog numbers, barcodes, formats, and cover art. Discogs emphasizes physical media and original pressings, and it is commonly used by collectors, DJs, and sellers to verify origins and track provenance.

Discogs was founded in 2000 by Kevin Lewandowski and developed into a comprehensive user-contributed database. It is operated by Zink Media, Inc. The platform includes separate sections for releases, artists, labels, and genres. Each release page aggregates data from contributors and may include multiple pressings and versions, linking related releases under a master release. The site also offers a Discogs Marketplace, a peer-to-peer marketplace for buying and selling physical music items, with seller ratings and user feedback.

Discogs provides an API for programmatic access and maintains a Price Guide that records current and historical sale prices. Data quality is maintained by community moderation and editorial review. Discogs has grown to host one of the largest online discographies, widely used by fans, collectors, record shops, and researchers, while emphasizing accurate metadata and provenance over digital distribution.