How to Build GCal of New Music Releases?

January 11, 2009 6:45 AM

Looking for a way to build a calendar of new/future album releases in GCal. Currently hand-entering release dates found on Amazon and elsewhere. There is bound to be a better way to do this with RSS, etc. Would like to be able to specify genre(s) and filter out re-issues, singles, EPs, multiple formats, etc - leaving only simple top results for full-length discs. This may be simpler than I am imagining, but should indeed be possible, even if it means using someplace besides Amazon as my source.
posted by skypieces to Computers & Internet (6 answers total)

pauseandplay.com has an rss feed of new releases you may be able to use as a source...
posted by softlord at 7:39 AM on January 11, 2009

Response by poster: Having difficulty finding the feed for pauseandplay. Since they do divide their announcements up by new/reissue/etc I would hope to find a feed for "new only" from them. This page is helpful there, as it condenses the Amazon stuff I have been researching myself. And, I did sign up for their opt-in email of new release announcements. (BTW, I do like Amazon as a source. They seem to have the most accurate release dates, including if those dates change, that I have seen.)

So, providing that I get an RSS feed from an appropriate source (containing only those releases I am interested in), how to get that processed automatically into GCal? Wouldn't it have to be in some "calendar" form already?
posted by skypieces at 10:43 AM on January 11, 2009

Response by poster: Oooh, I found something that is SO close to perfect. Can't post a link, but if you go into Google Calendar, left sidebar, "Other calendars", Add--> Add a Public Calendar... you can search for calendars created by others and available to use. Search for "Albums and Singles Release Dates". The first result is the only one I could find that was anywhere near what I wanted. It's almost perfect except that it blends singles in with albums and does not note the difference in any way. It also lists them at beginning of week only, rather than release date. That I could live with.

A solution like this eliminates lots of difficulty, and is close. But, I think it's possible to make it even better by eliminating those singles. That may mean rolling something different entirely. If it can't be done, I'll settle. But, I just believe it is possible now.
posted by skypieces at 11:09 AM on January 11, 2009

Response by poster: Further help... something like this would be awesome if it were available from Amazon and able to be customized for "new release full albums only".

This site also has an interesting GCal tool (on each entry), though its genre scope is narrower than I want.
posted by skypieces at 11:16 AM on January 11, 2009

I see the value in what you are doing, but new releases all come out on Tuesdays, do people really want a huge block of stuff on every Tuesday of their calendar?
posted by furtive at 11:52 AM on January 11, 2009

Response by poster: Well, "people" may not. But I do. It's more about aggregating the information that I use in writing my column to seriously cut down on research and gathering time. And, if I manage to compile that info and make it public, people always have the option to turn off the display of that calendar with a single click in GCal, leaving the rest of their calendar(s) displayed uncluttered.
posted by skypieces at 4:28 AM on January 12, 2009