Alphabetizing artists by name
Printed From: Top 40 Music on CD
Category: Top 40 Music On Compact Disc
Forum Name: Chat Board
Forum Description: Chat away but please observe the chat board rules
URL: https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9806
Printed Date: 28 April 2025 at 3:23am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.07 - https://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Alphabetizing artists by name
Posted By: edtop40
Subject: Alphabetizing artists by name
Date Posted: 02 June 2022 at 1:27pm
|
I'm not a big fan of current music, but as some of you
know, I still update my spreadsheet every week reflecting all the new weeks' songs, artists', peak positions and chart length. The question I have is, what is everyone's thoughts on how to alphabetize some of the artist that are current or recently on the Billboard Hot 100. The artists that go by one name, like Lizzo (Melissa Viviane Jefferson) is easy. Catalog under L. But what about someone that goes by two names, which could be, at first glance, a first and last name, but maybe not, such as Tory Lanez (Daystar Peterson). Would one catalog him under L, Lanez, Tory or as T, Tory Lanez? Or someone like Tanna Leone (Avante Ramone Brown) featured on a recent Kendrick Lamar song "Mr. Morale." Do you list her under L, Leone, Tanna or under T, Tanna Leone? Then you have someone like Post Malone (Austin Post) which uses half his real name and have manufactured? There must be some sort of consistent methodology for handling such situations. Everyone's thoughts are welcomed. Thanks, Edtop40 ------------- edtop40 |
Replies:
Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 02 June 2022 at 1:49pm
|
Whenever I've organized my physical CDs, I've always alphabetized by last name for a solo artist, even if the artist uses a stage name. The one exception is when the artist uses only a last initial.
Examples: Wonder, Stevie (real name Stevland Hardaway Morris) Rock, Pete (real name Peter O. Phillips) For artists with a last initial: Stevie B. under "S" Kenny G. under "K" (This is probably contrary to what others do, but it works for me.) If it sounds like a person's name but is really a band, it goes under the first name's letter, but even that has exceptions. For example, I file Alice Cooper under "C" (even though nobody in the band has that name), but I know there are other examples of bands that sound like a person but don't have anyone by that name in the band. I just can't think of an example offhand, other than maybe Molly Hatchet, which would go under "M." In other words, it's a little inconsistent over here! ------------- Aaron Kannowski http://www.uptownsound.com" rel="nofollow - Uptown Sound http://www.919thepeak.com" rel="nofollow - 91.9 The Peak - Classic Hip Hop |
Posted By: AdvprosD
Date Posted: 02 June 2022 at 1:51pm
|
I don't know the formatting to create hot links here in the forum, but I know if you search for "alphabetization" you'll find this has been discussed before. Maybe not as specifically as the question
of many of the more current artists are listed though. I'm with you on the personal preference to older music as well. I have to rely on others to tell me what's good these days. I know that's not fair to the artists of today, but I am more and more turned off by that ringing sound so often made by autotune. It's really unpleasant. ------------- <Dave> Someone please tell I-Heart Radio that St. Louis is not known as The Loo! |
Posted By: crapfromthepast
Date Posted: 02 June 2022 at 2:44pm
|
I'm actually in 100% agreement with Aaron on how I organize the physical CDs. The band Danny Wilson goes under "D". Sheila E goes under "S". Organizing this way keeps the artists fairly close to what in the Whitburn books.
I'd heard that the only time to alphabetize under a last name is if that person would sign his/her checks with that name. I don't know if that's a real thing, but I've used it as a guiding principle for years. As for organizing digital files in folders, all bets are off. I set up my files and folders as the artist name is written, but deleting all instances of a leading "The". The Beatles are under "B". Donald Fagen is under "D". My logic here is that it's infinitely easier to type an artist name into a search bar than to scroll down to the artist in a HUGE list (thousands of entries). I'm sure this is all duplicated in the other thread, too. ------------- There's a lot of crap on the radio, but there's only one http://www.crapfromthepast.com" rel="nofollow - Crap From The Past . |
Posted By: eriejwg
Date Posted: 02 June 2022 at 2:51pm
|
In my database for my wedding and event clients, I have the
artists listed as: Post Malone Tory Lanez Stevie Wonder Tanna Leone etc. ------------- John Gallagher Erie, PA https://www.johngallagher.com" rel="nofollow - John Gallagher Wedding & Special Event Entertainment / Snapblast Photo Booth |
Posted By: eriejwg
Date Posted: 02 June 2022 at 2:53pm
|
For my CD cases, Stevie Wonder is under W, Post Malone
would be under M, Tory Lanez would be L etc. ------------- John Gallagher Erie, PA https://www.johngallagher.com" rel="nofollow - John Gallagher Wedding & Special Event Entertainment / Snapblast Photo Booth |
Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 02 June 2022 at 3:50pm
|
It sounds like we all do the same thing. I also agree with Ron that organizing digitally is different. I've never been a fan of file names that have the last name listed first, so I don't have files that read "Malone, Post" but rather "Post Malone," even though I'd file a CD of his under "M." ------------- Aaron Kannowski http://www.uptownsound.com" rel="nofollow - Uptown Sound http://www.919thepeak.com" rel="nofollow - 91.9 The Peak - Classic Hip Hop |
Posted By: AdvprosD
Date Posted: 02 June 2022 at 5:59pm
I never knew that Alice Cooper was only a band name. Geeeez! And I even grew up with the band. At the age of 12 how could I not enjoy "School's Out." Sounds like a good new topic for the forum. Things have been quiet'ish lately. "Bands the sound like formal names." ------------- <Dave> Someone please tell I-Heart Radio that St. Louis is not known as The Loo! |
aaronk wrote:Posted By: Santi Paradoa
Date Posted: 02 June 2022 at 6:31pm
|
Maybe Jethro Tull and Dr. Hook are two others (nobody in
either band with that name). ------------- Santi Paradoa Miami, Florida |
Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 02 June 2022 at 7:23pm
I think it started out as a band name, but the lead singer (real name Vincent) took on the name Alice Cooper as a stage name for himself. At least that’s the way I understand it. And for that reason, it gets filed under “C.” ------------- Aaron Kannowski http://www.uptownsound.com" rel="nofollow - Uptown Sound http://www.919thepeak.com" rel="nofollow - 91.9 The Peak - Classic Hip Hop |
Posted By: MikeM
Date Posted: 02 June 2022 at 8:10pm
|
I used to alphabeticalize mine by the last name but the
past few years, I've been doing them by first name. |
Posted By: MikeM
Date Posted: 02 June 2022 at 8:17pm
The band was first named Nazz but they learned that Todd Rundgren had a band named Nazz so they chose Alice Cooper as their name. Does anyone know how they came up with the name Alice Cooper? |
Posted By: Hykker
Date Posted: 03 June 2022 at 5:22am
Well, given that he uses Alice Cooper on his syndicated radio show, that's the way I'd go too. As far as filing, physical media is lastname, firstname (ie-Cooper, Alice). Digital would be Alice Cooper. In a case of an initial for last name, I still go initial, name (S, Robin). A stage name is always treated as the artist's real name. It's last name first on any database entries. Some artists I just kind of wing it...for example LL Cool J would be filed under L. "Little" somebody would be under L. What really throws a curve is when an artist changes their name mid-career...Young Rascals/Rascals, etc or if an act incorporates the lead singer's name into the name of the act. For example the Miracles or Supremes...the act continued after the lead singer left. In those cases I'll file all their songs under the group name only. |
Posted By: LunarLaugh
Date Posted: 03 June 2022 at 10:46am
|
Case-by-case is usally how I handle it. Usually, I'm always
going by last name of the artist or first letter (not including articles like "The" or "a") of the band name. Personally, I feel like Post Malone is more of a "brand"- type name that he chose for himself and I treat that like I treat the same as a band name so I file it under P. ------------- https://thelunarlaugh.bandcamp.com/ - Listen to The Lunar Laugh! |
Posted By: music4life75
Date Posted: 03 June 2022 at 12:38pm
|
I have always gone by how Joel Whitburn does it. It just irks me that Spotify
puts people like John Lennon and John Mellencamp for example under J. It can be confusing also when you have group names to consider that are more than one word. There are exceptions tho when Wham! is under M fit George Michael, J for regular Starship, E for Miami Sound Machine, etc. |
Posted By: Scanner
Date Posted: 03 June 2022 at 8:12pm
|
Alphabetize by group name or artist's last name?
* Kenny Rogers And The First Edition * Alison Krauss And Union Station * Bob Seger And The Silver Bullet Band * Bruce Hornsby And The Range * Gloria Estefan And Miami Sound Machine How to alphabetize when the artist's name is the group's name? * Zac Brown Band * The Band Perry How to group all songs together by an artist or group when the name changes? * The Dixie Chicks --> The Chicks * Lady Antebellum --> Lady A * Nitty Gritty Dirt Band --> The Dirt Band * Wynonna Judd --> Wynonna How to alphabetize abbreviations? * Dr. Hook - Dr or Doctor * Mr. Mister - Mr or Mister |
Posted By: The Hits Man
Date Posted: 03 June 2022 at 11:45pm
|
I do it the way Aaron does it for all media except various
artists comps. ------------- |
Posted By: The Hits Man
Date Posted: 03 June 2022 at 11:49pm
It was both. Alice Cooper was the band's name at first. Then, around 1975 (i'm not sure exactly when), Vincent Fournier legally changed his name to Alice Cooper. ------------- |
Posted By: Paul Haney
Date Posted: 04 June 2022 at 2:17am
|
The rapper names have always been an issue for us at Record Research. Our rule of thumb is that
if it sounds like first/last name, say Tory Lanez, then it's Lanez, Tory. If it doesn't, say Snoop Dogg, then it's Snoop Dogg. There can be exceptions and I guess it comes down to personal preference. Heck, we've gone back and forth on Adam Ant and Manfred Mann a few times over the years, LOL! |
Posted By: AndrewChouffi
Date Posted: 04 June 2022 at 3:26am
Correct Grant, but it was a *confusing* BOTH for a while. For example, on my early 1972 pressing of their third album 'Love It To Death' the words 'INCLUDING THEIR HIT "I'M EIGHTEEN"'are emblazoned on the front cover; songwriter credits are to individuals (including Alice Cooper), and arrangements are credited to "Alice Cooper group and Bob Ezrin" so the public could differentiate. The group even addresses this a little on their hit "Be My Lover" (written by band member Michael Bruce but of course sung by Alice). Andy |
Posted By: Hykker
Date Posted: 04 June 2022 at 6:25am
YMMV, but here's how I do it with similar situations...
In all of the above cases, I use the leader's name for filing. In most, if not all cases there were songs credited to the lead artist alone, and not including the backup band. The first example is a bit tricky since KR didn't get mentioned in their first few singles, but like the Union Gap/Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, I'd use the leader's name, not the band. Artists well known both with and without the leader's name I'd go with the group name...Supremes vs Diana Ross & Supremes (especially since the group continued to chart after DR left). Ditto with the Miracles.
In both cases I'd file them under "B".
This gets trickier. I'm not sure any of Wynonna's solo releases used her last name. Lady Antebellum/A would be filed under "L", so no real difference. I'd file Dixie Chicks under "D" since that's what they called themselves on all their hits. Dirt Band, uhh, not sure on that one.
Contrary to what we were taught in junior high English class, I'd file it by the way it's spelled. At least this is what works for me, I guess what matters is consistency within your own collection. |
Posted By: Hykker
Date Posted: 05 June 2022 at 4:48am
|
One question that just hit me...how does everyone deal with artists who've changed their stage name over time. One that immediately comes to mind
was Puff Daddy/P. Diddy/Diddy (and maybe another one I missed)? I guess technically Prince would qualify, but where I worked we never stopped referring to him as Prince, nor as I suspect did much of anyone else other than his label. |
Posted By: Scanner
Date Posted: 05 June 2022 at 2:30pm
|
When an artist changes his/her/their name, I categorize
them by the identity used on most of the tracks in my music collection. Lady A may want us to forget they were once Lady Antebellum, but their greatest success came with their full name and that is how I still classify them. Although Wynonna's vinyl singles from her first and second solo albums were credited to Wynonna Judd, practically everything else from those and subsequent albums were credited to just Wynonna. (The spine of her her first CD, "Wynonna," says Wynonna Judd.) So, Wynonna it is to me. For groups, I classify them by the group name if the credited lead singer is not the only lead singer (First Edition) or if the group existed before and/or after the credited lead singer was in the group (Supremes). If the group (The Range, Union Station) is essentially a credited backup band for the lead artist, I will alphabetize by the artist (Hornsby, Krauss). I don't ever recall seeing music released by just The Range or Union Station...although the individual members of Union Station such as Dan Tyminski have done solo work just as Alison Krauss has done. Some groups are more difficult to generalize. Miami Sound Machine existed before Gloria Estefan joined. Yet, I recall reading how Estefan's name was added to the "Let It Loose" credits and Miami Sound Machine jettisoned from the "Cuts Both Ways" credits for branding purposes which makes me classify all MSM songs under Estefan. Should an artist that is a regular member of a duo/group receive credit when his/her name is included in the artist's credits of a song? "Betcha By Golly, Wow" is by The Stylistics Featuring Russell Tompkins, Jr. "Careless Whisper" is by Wham! Featuring George Michael. Should Tompkins and Michael be credited for these songs in their respective discographies? |
Posted By: ChicagoBill
Date Posted: 06 June 2022 at 3:56pm
|
I guess some of us have our own peculiarities in filing. When I had my record store, I would file Little Richard under
'Richard'. Little was just an adjective and not his name. He was not a group, either. I caught all sorts of grief. I filed 'Little Anthony & the Imperials' under 'Anthony' and 15 years later he dropped the 'Little' starting with his Avco releases. Do You file 'Big Joe Turner' before or after 'Ike & Tina Turner'? I chose 'Turner, Joe, Big' rather than 'Turner, Big Joe'. Most of you are scratching your heads. What about the 'Big Bopper'. We filed him under 'Big'. His name isn't 'Big' nor 'Bopper' so we weren't going to file him under 'Richardson' because nobody would find him. Same reason for 'Penniman' and 'Gourdine'. If 'Little Stevie Wonder' had failed to have more than just a couple of hits, would we file him under under 'Little'? I'll sit back and take whatever criticism you give me. -Bill. |
Posted By: AdvprosD
Date Posted: 06 June 2022 at 5:46pm
As it's been stated before, most folks do this in a manner that works best for them. I have no opinion against anyone's methods. Back when I was DJing, I needed a system that helped me find the songs as fast as possible. Especially, when they were the oldies from the 50's and 60's, (Shorter play times.) My most "Go-To" method was identifying artists and title's by what stood out to me the most. Big Joe Turner was likely to be, "Turner, Big Joe." and others that had the word "Band" included in the artist field was listed as "Miller, Steve - Band." Or, if I was being lazy, just "Miller, Steve Band." "Miller, Glenn and Orchestra" etc. There were always exceptions to the rule, but I could frequently find things fast if I concentrated on what would make things easiest to find under pressure. These days, I don't really have a formula. I have frequently just accepted whatever turns up on the computer. Unless, of course it is completely inaccurate. ------------- <Dave> Someone please tell I-Heart Radio that St. Louis is not known as The Loo! |
Posted By: AutumnAarilyn
Date Posted: 06 June 2022 at 7:00pm
|
Hey Scanner:
Gloria Estefan was on Miami Sound Machine's first single and album back in 1977. They were originally known as the Miami Latin Boys. The group decided to change the name so Gloria could compete for awards in the female category since she was the lead. They were competing as a group. Youtube poster, the Jazz Shepherd and record store owner Val Shively file by label and then catalog number. I'm starting that it's not a bad way to file. When filing alphabetically, the key is too key everything together. In Japan, some stores put Paul McCartney's catalog after the Beatles. Fleetwood Mac side projects by one or more individual members could be cataloged together. |
Posted By: Scanner
Date Posted: 08 June 2022 at 12:33pm
I saw this in many US record stores as well. I always found it odd to see dividers for Frey and Henley right after Eagles in the E section or Frida and Agnetha Faltskog right after ABBA instead of in the F section. This was particularly odd - and a bit humorous! - to me when many of those solo albums by group members were released after the artists left the group and were establishing distinct solo careers! |
Posted By: AutumnAarilyn
Date Posted: 09 June 2022 at 2:30pm
|
If the title was current, you wouldn't dare put former
group member adjacent to group. As something deep catalog it kind of makes sense especially when two or more members of the former group are involved. Stores always try to carve sections so people who are interested in A come across B. |
Posted By: Hykker
Date Posted: 10 June 2022 at 5:10am
To me putting solo efforts by group members next to the group's section makes perfect sense. Granted, Frey & Henley were able to establish themselves as successful solo acts, Timothy B. Schmidt not so much. Likewise, the 2 women from ABBA were one-hit wonders, why not put their solo releases where they're more likely to be found? Have some under their own names as well, but definitely a tie in with the act that made them famous can't hurt. Doesn't really apply with filing stuff in a personal collection though. |
Posted By: PopArchivist
Date Posted: 10 June 2022 at 7:45am
|
I agree with Hykker, Christine Mcvie for example belongs in the Fleetwood Mac folder. Stevie Nicks on the other hand can stand by herself. Lindsey Buckingham has two-three albums that were really popular.
I mean you wouldn't put Sting with the Police folder, but Andy and Stewart are just fine in the Police folder. Depends on how big and how established an artist is. As for current Zayn has maybe two hits and two albums. He can go in the One Direction Folder. Harry Styles on the other hand has established a huge music career and success. The other members of One Direction not so much. So you can still do this organization for current artists. ------------- Favorite two expressions to live by on this board: "You can't download vinyl" and "Not everything is available on CD." |
Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 10 June 2022 at 7:52am
I think what Autumn is saying here is that if it was a new title, a record store would file it where it belongs alphabetically (not with the former band), because you wouldn't want a customer to look for something and then walk out empty-handed, not knowing to look under the former band's section for a solo release. ------------- Aaron Kannowski http://www.uptownsound.com" rel="nofollow - Uptown Sound http://www.919thepeak.com" rel="nofollow - 91.9 The Peak - Classic Hip Hop |