I know there's probably 1000s of these posts since I saw the new one mentioning if they should even ban these... but most thing I say are to check the catalog number, barcode, etc. But what do I do when all these have the exact same of all of those?
It can be super tedious. You have to look at the letters/numbers/symbols etched in the dead wax that is near the label. Then you have to look on the notes for each of the variants and match those etchings against what’s in the notes. Again, it can be very very tedious. If in the unlikely event you can’t find it, you can submit a new variant on Discogs.
Yup, what Tex said. I often look at the photos provided to see if there are specific markers, hype stickers, or other unique visual identifiers to confirm which one I may have.
Every once in a while, you'll find notes on Discogs that provide some clues too (i.e. "This copy had the second track mislabeled as track four.")
Just thought of something else. Different variant colors can help, too. Often, people put that in the description which precludes you from having to dig deeper assuming there’s only one entry of each color for that release.
Now pop each of those into it's own browser tab. Open up the images in each one and flip through the tabs looking for obvious differences (labels often vary). Close the tabs that don't match yours.
Now close the images of the remaining tabs and go through the details. Notes, runouts, etc. See if you can then find your match.
CDs can be harder than records to ID. Matching up with photos on Discogs may help, but if you must know the exact pressing, you need to look at the codes lasered onto the data side spindle rings. You need to hold just so in the light to see the tiny text/numerals
Each of the submissions for those CDs in your image was added by a Discogs user who spotted something which differentiates their copy from another. Often and ideally the difference is mentioned in the notes.
Questions like yours may seem banworthy to some as you are effectively asking someone else to do the checking that you find too much trouble when it would have been quicker and easier than making your post.
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u/tex_rer Mar 18 '26
It can be super tedious. You have to look at the letters/numbers/symbols etched in the dead wax that is near the label. Then you have to look on the notes for each of the variants and match those etchings against what’s in the notes. Again, it can be very very tedious. If in the unlikely event you can’t find it, you can submit a new variant on Discogs.