Comment by JohnFen
2 days ago
> genres? Made up out of whole cloth.
The problem with genre remains entirely unsolved across the board. The solution I use in my collection is to do what everyone else seems to do: make them up out of whole cloth. Because I'm the only one making them up, it means my labeling is at least internally consistent.
The biggest issue with genres is most databases treating them as one to one rather than one to many.
That's a real issue. I think the biggest issue with genre, though, is that even if people agree on a list of possible genre labels, there is often disagreement about what music belongs in which genre.
This isn't a new problem at all. Even music labels often disagree. Back when record stores were a thing, it was pretty common for different stores to categorize the same albums differently in terms of genre. I think the only way to avoid it is to stick to very, very broad categories. "Rock", for instance, covers an amazingly broad set of styles.
I will admit that I do precisely the same with my collection! But I truly felt that those interns should’ve received a list to choose from, not an open text field.