Introducing The TMF Label Gallery & Guide

[MordEth]

I actually want to reply to specific posts in a bit, but wanted to comment quickly that I have already received label images from a couple of members (thanks Bart and Paal!)—I’ll try to get those up ASAP—and I added Broadway, Lyric and Zonophone.

Today was a long day at work, so I’m being a bit lazy at the moment.

Expect more soon—there are still 387 images from the collection that John scanned to go...

— MordEth

[gramophoneshane]

You're also welcome to use any of the 400+ scans I've got on John's Yahoo group, or if you need a rescan of any, just let me know.

[MordEth]

A thing of beauty and a joy forever! What a labor of love. I look forward to contributing to the gallery . . . wish I had access to my records now! Thank you John and David. This is an invaluable resource and shall become even more so as we flesh it out. How exciting!

John,

When my neighbor and slave-driver proposed this mad plan, I thought it was a great idea, because if we do it collectively, the number of labels from around the world that we should be able to accumulate will no doubt be staggering. Then I cursed him for not having any web automation skills, so I was stuck doing all the ‘heavy lifting’.

I don’t think we’ll get everything we want to have up there overnight—I’m sure that despite all of my tricks to have my computers and the server do as much work as possible for me, we’ll still have plenty of labels to add by the time you get home.

Plus, I really like the idea of anything that we can do to provide resources to the online phonograph community.

'Uncle Josh Visits A Phonograph Label Gallery'

It’s probably a good thing that I cannot impersonate Cal Stewart. Otherwise, we might end up with ‘Uncle Josh Buys a Computer’ or ‘Uncle Josh Visits the Internet’. I have the audio-processing tools to make it sound as if it were recorded on a 78 or cylinder...

...and had the OLPC kept the crank that was part of the early designs, I probably would have worked that in somehow.

I have some Norwegian labels I will try to scan later today.

Paul,

Thanks for sending those—I look forward to getting them up, in addition to the images that Bart provided.

An absolutely great idea! I'll post scans the next days, hopefully I'll get to that soon.

Norman,

We could use more German labels, also.

You're also welcome to use any of the 400+ scans I've got on John's Yahoo group, or if you need a rescan of any, just let me know.

Shane,

Thanks—believe me, I was fully intending to hit you up for scans.

I also plan to use the labels that Fredrik posted on Wikipedia, since he already gave permission for their use...which should give us a very nice start.

I have the feeling that you guys are going to keep me quite busy for quite some time with this project.

The question now...do I try to get some sleep or get back to work?

— MordEth

[Valecnik]

David, I'm afraid you might have created a life's work for yourself just on this project but I'm not complaining. Might there be a way for you to take a wiki approach to this, that is letting others do alot of the work and also enhance the site? Some on this board know a huge amount of information about specific labels.

Just a thought from one of your more technologically challenged members.

[MordEth]

David, I'm afraid you might have created a life's work for yourself just on this project but I'm not complaining.

Bruce,

That’s entirely possible, although I was planning on teaching John how to edit the data files that I am currently using, so that he can re-order the labels chronologically, and also edit in descriptions for each label. At the moment, the descriptions that would appear below each label after you click on them (and they are displayed full-size on a page for each particular label) are not yet written.

Might there be a way for you to take a wiki approach to this, that is letting others do alot of the work and also enhance the site? Some on this board know a huge amount of information about specific labels.

Our initial thought was to actually open these up for discussion on the board, with John and I serving as editors (although that would be more his role than mine; being the web monkey is enough work for me). He’s already started a few threads in the Music section for this purpose, which I just made sticky for the time being.

Eventually I may write some sort of web interface to edit the data files, but for the moment, it’s a lot easier for me to not have to do this.

What I am using now looks like:

Code: Select all

<?php

$labels = array(
    array(filename    =>    "decca_950a.jpg",
        filetext      =>    "Decca 950 A",
        description   =>    ""),

    array(filename    =>    "decca_1183b.jpg",
        filetext      =>    "Decca 1183 B",
        description   =>    ""),

...

    array(filename    =>    "decca_uk_f9039b.jpg",
        filetext      =>    "Decca (UK) F.9039 A",
        description   =>    "")
    );

?>

(This is the entries for the first 2 and final Decca labels, which I just uploaded. The ellipse in the middle denotes the omitted content in between these values. The description would go in the last set of quotation marks for each sub-array, whenever they are written.)

Just a thought from one of your more technologically challenged members.

Believe me, we value your suggestions, feedback and opinions. I still have a lot that I want to do to the gallery (page-specific titling, ‘previous’/‘next’ links and ‘last updated’ time stamps on the pages) which will probably start to happen late tonight or tomorrow, as I have Friday off.

Only 367 images to go...

— MordEth

[richardh]

David,

I assume that you don't need me to re-send any scans I sent previously? I have quite a few variations of the standard labels plus some unusual ones too. I'll get busy scanning!

Just a thought....if a label scan relates to an uploaded music file or you tube video is it worthwhile the person sending the scan letting you know so that a link could apprear by the label scan to enable people to hear to disk? The reason I raise this is because I have already seen a few disks and thought "ummm, I'd like to listen to that". Or is this too complicated and unnecessary?

RJ

[B.B.B]

Just a thought....if a label scan relates to an uploaded music file or you tube video is it worthwhile the person sending the scan letting you know so that a link could apprear by the label scan to enable people to hear to disk? The reason I raise this is because I have already seen a few disks and thought "ummm, I'd like to listen to that". Or is this too complicated and unnecessary?

RJ

No one asked for my opinion, but I'm shoving it on you anyways.

I think it's pretty easy to do, but if this is going to be, and it sure looks like it has the potential, a well known reference site, you don't want copyright-infringements floating around.
Any music recorded after 1923 is a felony to upload. As much as I love the music section on this board, & like your idea, bear in mind, it is a crime if it isn't 75 years old.

[Emidicta]

I'll try to do a few scans when I come back home on Tuesday - mostly of Swedish labels.

Just a thought... Seeing the entry on Decca, I got the idea that maybe you could separate the British labels from the American, seeing as they were, for most of their existence, different companies. Many names seem to have existed in multiple countries, but with no relation to each other.

[richardh]

Just a thought....if a label scan relates to an uploaded music file or you tube video is it worthwhile the person sending the scan letting you know so that a link could apprear by the label scan to enable people to hear to disk? The reason I raise this is because I have already seen a few disks and thought "ummm, I'd like to listen to that". Or is this too complicated and unnecessary?

RJ

No one asked for my opinion, but I'm shoving it on you anyways.

I think it's pretty easy to do, but if this is going to be, and it sure looks like it has the potential, a well known reference site, you don't want copyright-infringements floating around.
Any music recorded after 1923 is a felony to upload. As much as I love the music section on this board, & like your idea, bear in mind, it is a crime if it isn't 75 years old.

True, don't want any trouble makers being given ammunition!

RJ

[MordEth]

I don’t have much time to reply before having to head to work, so expect replies to more of the comments above when I get home late tonight, but I wanted to note that I uploaded a few more labels before I go...

So I’ve added Capitol, Climax, Electrola and Federal.

355 images to go (out of John’s batch)—expect a lot more tonight/tomorrow.

— MordEth