Looking for music management software

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m looking for a Windows software program which will allow me to manage my music, both what I have stored on my computer and the original physical recordings, so that I will be able to keep track of what I have (and ideally also what I don’t have yet but want). I would prefer something that allows me to either export the data or to generate and print lists/ reports. I also don’t want to pay an exorbitant amount for it.

Currently I use Windows Media Player to see what I have on the computer, WinAmp to play it, and an Access database to keep track of my CDs/tapes/records.

Any suggestions, recommendations, programs to avoid like the plague?

2

Foobar is pretty good and it’s free

3

Media Monkey is another free program. It makes it easy to find, view, burn, and play tracks. I haven’t tried it myself but unfortunately I’ve read that it is cumbersome to generate lists for export to a spreadsheet or database. Playlists are easy, though.

It’s particularly good for playing music, IMO. It adjusts volume if the track is too loud or quiet, for example. Finding (synchronizing) music is another strong point.

4

Thanks for the suggestions - I’ll give them a try.

5

What’s wrong with Windows Media Player or Winamp? Both were designed for all that and they rip, catalog, and play just fine… what about them fail to satisfy your needs? Rip all your CDs and tapes and you’ll have a centralized location for all your music, easily searchable by title/artist/album or any other attribute.

WMP can also export data/playlists with the help of plugins. There was a thread about this a millennium ago, but if you explain what kind of lists or reports you want, I’ll see if I can dig up the right tool for ya.

6

Basically, I want to export info from ripped CDs so that I don’t have to manually re-enter it all into an Access database, which I need to keep track of what I own so that I don’t end up buying stuff I already have (my memory is bad, so I take along a printout when I go looking for CDs). I also use this database for tracking my vinyl albums and other music not on my computer.

Any way I can export selected data in Excel, CSV, or similar format would work.

7

If you have XP, you can download Microsoft’s Windows Media Bonus Pack for Windows XP. Then export a playlist of your choice (like “all songs”) and use the included Playlist Import to Excel Wizard.

ETA: I’m not sure if this works for Vista, but I’d be glad to check when I get home later if you’d like.