If you’re a record collector, there’s a Canadian alternative to Discogs. Check out 3345.ca
I probably dip into Discogs.com a dozen times a week both professional and personal missions. It really is one of the great databases of releases on vinyl, tape, and compact discs. Occasionally, though, I do find some caps in the database, especially when it comes to older Canadian releases.
Reader Richard alerted me to a site I’d never heard of: 3345.ca, a Calgary-based operation that specialized in Canadian records (LPs, EPs, and singles) released between 1949 and 1970. That includes releases on labels like Quality, Daffodil, Reo, Delta, and many other long-gone imprints. The database is said to contain entries on 35,000 albums, 35,000 7-inches, and 3,500 EPs along with artwork and liner notes.
It also houses the RPM Archive, a collection of material from RPM magazine, the one-time bible of the Canadian radio and recorded music industry that was a must-read from 1964 to 2000.
.And then there’s the archive for Music World. Before that was the name of a record chain, it was a Canadian music magazine that existed in 1957 and 1958. It offers a narrow but deep look into that period of music in Canada.
The site is definitely old-school in its appearance and design. But once you start digging through it, hours will pass rather quickly. Give ‘er a look.
