Barcode: Difference between revisions
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Also see [http://www.iasa-web.org/icat/08_0.htm http://www.iasa-web.org/icat/08_0.htm] for some others. |
Also see [http://www.iasa-web.org/icat/08_0.htm http://www.iasa-web.org/icat/08_0.htm] for some others. |
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==Discussion== |
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According to [http://www.uc-council.org/ean_ucc_system/stnds_and_tech/2005_sunrise.html http://www.uc-council.org/ean_ucc_system/stnds_and_tech/2005_sunrise.html], it looks like the US is still sticking with the 12-digit UPC code, but from the start of this year that all US retailers' and wholesalers' technology must also support EANs, thus reducing the re-barcoding of imported items. This is A Good Thing. --[[User:RodBegbie|RodBegbie]] |
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Simple question: How is BarCode supposed to help in [[Amazon Matching|AmazonMatching]]? I've never seen amazon storing barcode information anywhere or is this hidden somewhere? --[[User:Fuchs|Fuchs]] |
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<ul><li style="list-style-type:none">Amazon [[Web Services|WebServices]] provide product search by EAN / UPC code. But this seems to broken currently (see [http://developer.amazonwebservices.com/connect/thread.jspa?messageID=59558 http://developer.amazonwebservices.com/connect/thread.jspa?messageID=59558]) --[[Brain Damaged|BrainDamaged]] |
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<ul><li style="list-style-type:none">It's a little borked at AZN, failing to always find matches, but it normally works for music and audiobook lookups. One thing to keep in mind though: The ASIN and UPC/EAN are unique rowid keys in Amazon's master database, but the tracklists are a mix of freeform and other data in the site-specific databases. So while you may see one ASIN at .de with a 6 track tracklist, that same ASIN at .co.uk might have no tracklist, and 4 tracks at .com. The same UPC - ASIN pairing exists in all 3 places, however - this indicates bad tracklist data on their end, NOT that the same ASIN has 3 UPCs associated with it. -- [[Brian Schweitzer|BrianSchweitzer]] 23:02, 05 July 2007 (UTC) |
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<ul><li style="list-style-type:none">I strongly disagree. This doesn't necessarily indicates bad tracklist data as you state, but more often bad ASIN/UPC pairing, or more accurately ASIN reuse for different products: quite often, the same ASIN is associated to different products (and obviously to the same UPC). Assuming you have the right buy link just because you match UPC is dead wrong: you likely have another product wrongly associated with that ASIN/UPC pair. -- [[User:dmppanda|dmppanda]] 23:19, 05 July 2007 (UTC) |
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Another simple question: When entering a BarCode do we use the UPC (12 numbers or less) or use the standardized 13 digit EAN? |
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<ul><li style="list-style-type:none">Use what's on the CD. If it's a 12-digit UPC, then don't convert it to EAN. --[[User:LukasLalinsky|LukasLalinsky]] |
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[[Category:To Be Reviewed]] [[Category:Release]] [[Category:Terminology]] [[Category:Identifier]] |
[[Category:To Be Reviewed]] [[Category:Release]] [[Category:Terminology]] [[Category:Identifier]] |
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Revision as of 02:20, 30 July 2008
Definition
Barcodes are machine-readable numbers used as stock control mechanisms by retailers: as such they are highly standardised and well recognised, and form an invaluable identifier for communication between companies.
There are a few different types. Some of the most common are:
- Universal Product Code (UPC):
- This was the original barcode introduced in the US. They are theoretically 12 digits long, but any number of zeros at the start can be left off, so the actual printed barcode can be shorter than this. Wikipedia page
- European Article Number (EAN):
- This is the European version, and is basically the same as the UPC but has 13 digits. All UPCs are also valid EANs, they just have an extra zero at the start. Somewhere, not sure where, I got the impression that the US is also standardising on EANs now. Wikipedia page EAN is also used in Japan under the name of Japan Article Number (JAN). The country codes for japanese products being 49 and 45. Wikipedia pages: ja, en
Reasons for Adding Barcodes
I think it's worth recording these, just so we know why we're doing what we're doing:
- Barcodes are an industry standard for identifying products. Adding barcodes makes the MusicBrainz data much more accessible and useful for a variety of organisations, from wholesalers and retailers to public libraries. Some of them might be prepared to license the MusicBrainz database.
- Barcodes are clear, visually distinct, well recognised, and almost ubiquitous. This makes them a really useful way to help amateur cataloguers be precise about exactly what they are talking about, even if they don't understand the full subtleties of re-releases, regional variations, catalog numbers, and so on.
- AmazonMatching would be made far easier if barcodes were available. Adding a barcode to an album would, pretty much automatically, result in MusicBrainz acquiring an ASIN as well. This adds cover-art to album pages, and earns MusicBrainz money through referral fees.
- You can buy USB barcode scanners for not much money. This would be a nice way to manage large collections of music. For example, a music collector buys a job lot of old CDs at a jumble sale, and wants to add them all to their private catalog. OK, maybe not a very common requirement, but I thought I'd throw it in there! :-)
Other Identifiers
- ReleaseCatalogNumber
- LabelCode (Note: for labels, not albums)
- ASIN
- ISRC for recordings (single tracks)
Also see http://www.iasa-web.org/icat/08_0.htm for some others.
