@leonard
I'm sorry, but i'd have to question that line of reasoning. To simply say that if a CD has two or more European languages on the artwork, then it's European, is, surely rather simplistic in the least?. I have come across many occasions where the languages printed on artwork do not equate to the country of release. We are all probably familiar with the quad - languages used on "The Compact Disc Audio System" printed in many early '80's booklets i think, here is an example of a Dire straits Brothers In Arms CD from the US, which, despite having German/French/Italian/UK translations, actually went no where near Europe, this Cat.No.was printed and made in the US, and solely issued there to the best of my knowledge.
I personally would prefer to trust more reliable indicators, and think that rather than rushing in and assuming all these German CD's were also issued elsewhere in Europe. Why not leave them as they are and wait to see if other evidence/indicators emerge from members or from people who worked in CD distribution. and can point us in the right direction?.
Also, i do not consider that Discogs are/were wrong in entering these early German CD's as German, their members, after all, like our members, can only go by the evidence we see before us in hand. And so were right to enter them as they have, as indeed our members have/are entering them on this site IMHO.
I appreciate that you have worked "in the trade", with your shop in the Netherlands, but, can you honestly say you remember specific Cat.No's, and thereby confirm "European" status of any particular CD out of the thousands you must have both ordered and sold?. If you can, then that's great! (you have a better memory than i;). In which case it would be really useful to add that information to the notes (i.e, something like...Issued in Germany and the Netherlands), that way, it may encourage members who might have bought that CD whilst on holiday perhaps (at regular price, not import), and then could ask for that additional information be added to the notes (via a Mod), something like..."also on sale in France" (or whichever European country it was). That way, we could gradually build up a picture of where a CD might have been issued. again, there's no rush. I have suggested a similar idea in the past, perhaps using some kind of multi-flag thumbs to indicate countries of release rather than the catch-all that is becoming "Europe" (ala "International" Gulp!).
We could be guilty otherwise of throwing thousands of these early German releases with no other obvious indicators under the "European" banner, where, perhaps they may not actually belong.
I understand where you are coming from, but feel we should avoid generalisation wherever possible, if we want to strive for accuracy.
(perhaps we can just agree to disagree on this one?;)
Does it help if I say I was the owner and buyer of one of the biggest record shops in Holland? We didn't have any German import from the main labels. We just ordered from the record company, in this case WEA. On the back we have English and French as language, not very logical for a German only product.
The problem with early to mid/late eighties CD'S that were made in Germany, is that there is very often, no indicator that they were issued in other European countries other than Germany. They didn't start putting the retail price codes on the artwork until '88/'89 or '90 i think. and as such, we have no proof of what other European countries any particular CD was also issued in for these earlier releases.
Here for instance, we can only be absolutely sure that this CD was issued in Germany (GEMA, German rights society)(BIEM, worldwide rights society)(no STEMRA Netherlands rights society) and, because of lack of retail price codes, can not honestly say for certain that it was issued in any other particular European country.
I conceed the fact that in all likelihood, this/and many, if not most would have also been distributed in quite a few other European countries as well. but, and here's the important bit, we can not prove that. so, essentially, it's just a GUESS to say it was issued here or there, albeit an educated one, that's still ( and with all due respect) a GUESS, (unless of course a member can say they purchased that particular CD themselves from a European country other than Germany itself (non import)
If we want this database to be an accurate one, then surely it's best to not ruin it by guessing?.
far better i would think, to leave these early '80's CD's under Germany, until perhaps, one day, someone will become a member of the site who actually worked in CD distribution, and can point the way, regarding these releases, and, perhaps, what indicators to look for.
I, for one at least, will continue to enter these CD's under Germany if there are no indicators otherwise.
The other solution, of course, is to change them all from Germany to Europe, but then, that again would be an assumption/GUESS, what about those that were solely issued in Germany?? (best left as is IMHO;).
This was certainly also issued in Holland. There are no Dutch price codes on any product, because they don't exist. Rights organisation GEMA/BIEM. Discwrongs.
I had entered this as Germany and a Mod has changed it to Europe. There are no other European price codes on it and checking over on Discogs they have 7 of these listed and all under Germany bar 1 which is USA