Record Collector Apps – ‘Crate Digger’ / ‘MilkCrate’ Discogs APIs

A couple of much-needed and pretty cool apps here, designed for the modern-day record community, linking us straight in to Discogs.

Starting with the freebie, Crate Digger first appeared for download a bit over two years ago, built around and improved through the Discogs community and forum board needs. With the ability to pull through your publicly viewable Collection and Wantlist, the main purpose fast became a way to carry around a pocket version of information you’ve saved through the site. A proper slick interface that includes sleeve and cover images, it’s the type of app that you use more than you’ll admit too; collectors will relate and admit to the joy of scanning through your own collection while waiting for the bus as opposed to playing Angry Birds.

Once you click in to the release information you’ve got the full detail – cat#, track list, position on plate, release versions, links to videos of tracks and the added bonus of linking through to an iTunes search for the digital version.To balance it out with the negative, there’s been plenty of criticism around the fact that searching through Crate Digger only allows you to search your own want list or collection. For example, whilst the barcode scanner is a wicked function, it only allows you to pull up matches within your own collection or want list, not search the Discog site for matches. Even manually, you can’t search the Discogs site or update your collection – the core of the work still needs to be done from your computer.

As a free application Crate Diggers is still essential downloading, and big ups Discogs and the community for working alongside the developers. Get it on your phone from here: https://itunes.apple.com/app/crate-digger/id408824579?mt=8

 

On to the latest and greatest. Not even a week on since we’ve discovered it, or since their last update to include more info from Discogs Marketplace, but MilkCrate is by far the best $3(AUD) I’ve ever spent in the App store. Picking up where Crate Diggers left off, MilkCrate allows you to search across the entire of Discogs; via barcode scan, label search, artist, cat#, record title or anything else you’d normally use to track down records.

Just to reiterate, the big difference is that this happens across all of Discogs, not just your own ‘public collection.’ You don’t even need an Awkward Movements or Stones Throw record to pull up either catalogue, read about the labels, link in to As with the Discogs on a computer, you can get lost linking between labels, artists and/or remixers for hours.

As with Crate Digger, you’ve got full sleeves and the option to click through the release list for full details. However, this is the proper Discogs API, allowing you to edit your own Wantlist and Collection on the fly, even check current sellers and price ranges for the release straight off your phone. It’s a notable step-up, and word around the forums is that the next update is set to allow sale and purchase directly through the app.

Again, wicked of Discogs to work with the developers here, who’ve done a brilliant job themselves. Pick up MilkCrate here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/milkcrate/id649659128?mt=8