Catalog numbering systems for single records
Encyclopedia
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single (mainly 7" 33 1/3 and 45, and 10" 78 rpm) record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...

s.

Capitol

Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...

 began with number 100 when it started in 1942. About 1947, the series was temporarily ended at 503 and a new series, beginning with 15000, was begun. After reaching the number 15431 (in early 1949), the old series was resumed, at 542, though 15000-series numbers were used for album sets. (The numbers from 504 to 541 were not used for 78s, but the associated numbers 54-504 to 54–541 were used on 45 rpm records.) By 1950 the number series had reached the 700s, and crossed the 1000 mark in the latter part of that year. There was a separate series of 40000s for country 78s. This series continued to 5999 in late 1967, when it resumed with 2000. It then continued uninterrupted to somewhere in the 5600's (about 1987) when it was changed again to the 44000s. The 'Starline' series used the 6000s.

45rpm records originally used the prefix 54- added before the 78rpm number; at some point this was changed to a letter F.

CBS/Columbia (Sony) (Europe)

CBS Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...

 (the name given to American label Columbia Records in Europe, so as not to be confused with EMI's Columbia
Columbia Graphophone Company
The Columbia Graphophone Company was one of the earliest gramophone companies in the United Kingdom. Under EMI, as Columbia Records, it became a very successful label in the 1950s and 1960s...

 label) began as a separate label distributed by Philips
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...

 only from around 1961, using the prefix AAG and three digits, its artists having for some years previously been issued on Philips itself. CBS broke away from Philips in or around 1966, and changed to a simple four digit sequence, beginning with CBS 1001. It distributed other American labels, including Epic
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...

 with the prefix EPC, and Portrait
Portrait Records
Portrait Records was a sister label of Epic Records and later of Columbia Records. Cyndi Lauper and Sade signed with Portrait, but their contracts were absorbed by Epic after that incarnation of the label was shuttered....

 with the prefix PRT, which CBS owned, and Philadelphia International Records also known by its prefix PIR, and A&M
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...

 (1970s), prefixed AMS.

In 1981, the first series of four digits ran out (with CBS 9999), after which CBS simply started all over again but this time adding an "A" before the four digits. Thus the new sequence read CBS A 1000, EPC A 1000, etc.

By this time, twelve-inch singles were indicated with a "12" before the four digits for the 7" single: CBS A 12 1000.

In 1986 CBS changed its sequencing by abandoning the four digits system and introducing a new, seven digit system. Catalogue numbers now started with 65, followed by a four digit sequence and finishing with an added digit indicating the format. For instance, 650001 7 was a 7" vinyl single, 650001 4 a cassette single, or 650001 1 for the 12" single. Later, the 2 and 3 were added for 5" and 3" CD-singles.

This system was used until the merger of Sony Music (as CBS was known after 1990) and BMG Records in the early 2000s.

The final UK number one carrying the old four digit code was the appropriately titled 'The Final Countdown
The Final Countdown (song)
"The Final Countdown" is a rock song by the Swedish band Europe released in 1986. Written by Joey Tempest, it was the first single from the band's third studio album which was also named The Final Countdown. It is considered by some to be the band's most recognizable and popular song. The song...

' by Europe in December, 1986 (Epic EPC A 7127), however the number one which preceded it, 'Take my breath away' by Berlin, had a higher code: CBS A 7320.
The first UK number one under the new seven digit system was 'I just can't stop loving you' by Michael Jackson & Siedah Garrett
Siedah Garrett
Siedah Garrett is an American songwriter and singer.-Biography:She appeared as a contestant on Password Plus in 1980.She performed "One Man Woman" on Quincy Jones' Grammy-Award winning "Back on the Block."...

 in August, 1987 (Epic 650202 7). (Earlier, 'I knew you were waiting (for me)' by George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...

 & Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...

 on the Epic label had also reached number one, but this carried the personalised catalogue number Epic DUET 2).

Columbia (US)

For Columbia in the UK, see EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...

, which controlled the Columbia
Columbia Graphophone Company
The Columbia Graphophone Company was one of the earliest gramophone companies in the United Kingdom. Under EMI, as Columbia Records, it became a very successful label in the 1950s and 1960s...

 label in that country.

1908–1923

In 1908, Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...

 started a series of 78s with an A prefix and 4 digits, going from A0001 to A4001, which was reached in 1923. The series reached A1000 in 1911, A2000 in 1916, and A3000 in 1920. Other letter prefixes, like E for Ethnic, were used, but the E-series continued past 1923, unlike the A-series.

A different series, beginning with A5000 in 1908, was used for 12-inch 78rpm records. This series had reached A6000 in 1917, and A6233 when the A-series was terminated in 1923.

Some early Columbia 78s were given numbers in the A7000 series.

1923-late 30s

In 1923, the Columbia numbering system was entirely changed, along with the label design and recording process (this all occurred after Columbia went out of receivership). Instead of a 4-digit number with an A prefix, numbers were given a D suffix; there were no prefixed zeros as there had been in the 1908 series. This series had reached 1000D in 1927, 2000D in 1929, and 3176D when the D-series was terminated in 1937 (though some of the last numbers were of performances recorded much earlier).

A different set of numbers, but still with the D suffix, was given to "race" records (the term used in those days for records by and aimed at African Americans). These started in the 13000s in 1923, but after only reaching 13007D the numbers skipped to 14000D. Country and western
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 singles were numbered in the 15000D series, and this series was a very short one, not getting beyond 15782. There was also a (mostly) "Hawaiian" series in the 40000's, used only from 1929 to 1931.

1939 and onward

Beginning in 1939, Columbia 78s used 5-digit numbers in the 35000s (for some reason, the series began with 35200. The series had reached 38600 around 1950 and continued into the 1950s, passing the number 40000 in the middle of the decade.

As in the previous series, numerical groups for "race" (30000-30243) and country (20000-21571) singles were reserved outside the regular range. These series were, however, discontinued eventually.

In the late 1940s, Columbia introduced 7" 33 1/3 rpm singles, which were numbered in their own series, with a prefix 1- before a low number, not exceeding 3 digits. Columbia originally resisted issuing 45 rpm singles, as that was a speed originated by competitor RCA Victor Records. However, eventually Columbia began to issue 45s with numbers identical to the corresponding 7" 33 1/3 singles, except for the prefix 6- instead of 1-.

Early in the 1950s, the system was changed to give singles at all speeds the same numbers except that the 33 1/3 rpm records had a prefix, now 3-, and the 45 rpm records also a prefix, now 4-, added to the number of the 78.

Eventually the only speed issued was 45 rpm, and the 4- prefix was dropped. By 1960 the series reached 41000, by 1970 it reached 45000. In 1974, shortly after passing 46000, the numbering series changed, beginning again with 10000. By 1980 the numbers reached 11000.

Decca (UK)

UK Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....

 used a system of 4 and 5-digit numbers with an F prefix.

Decca (US)

Decca 78s were originally given 3-digit numbers, going to 4 digits in 1936 and passing 2000 in late 1938 and 3000 about 1940. The sequence grew quickly and passed 4000 in 1941. As late as 1944, 4-digit numbers were still used, but somewhat later the series was terminated.

The 1941 Decca Popular Record Catalog lists the following designations for its numbering series: Series 3500 and under, "Popular, Dance, Vocal, etc.
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...

"; Series 5000, "Hill Billy
Hillbilly
Hillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...

"; Series 10000, "Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

"; Series 12000, "Irish"; Series 14000, "Scotch
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

"; Series 15000, "12-inch Popular"; Series 18000, "International Repertoire
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...

" – Album Sets; Series 20000, "Classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

"; Series 23000, "Personality"; Series 25000, "Classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

" (12-inch), and Series 29000, "Personality" (12-inch). There was also an 8000 Series, "Sepia
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

", which is not listed in this catalog.

By the start of the 1950s, numbers were still in the 20000s, with 45s given corresponding numbers with the prefix 9-. The series reached 24700 around the beginning of 1950. Just before 1960 the numbers reached 30000; Decca's issues in the 1960s apparently came much more slowly, as by 1970 the numbers had only gone to about 32600.

Another series of Decca singles wes numbered in the 40000s, apparently mostly devoted to country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 records.

The subsidiary label Coral
Coral Records
Coral Records was a Decca Records subsidiary formed in 1949. It recorded pop artists McGuire Sisters and Teresa Brewer, as well as rock and roller Buddy Holly....

 used numbers in the 60000s, and Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by E1 Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...

 used the 50000s.

EMI

In the 1950s and early 1960s, EMI issued singles in the United Kingdom under the Columbia
Columbia Graphophone Company
The Columbia Graphophone Company was one of the earliest gramophone companies in the United Kingdom. Under EMI, as Columbia Records, it became a very successful label in the 1950s and 1960s...

, HMV
HMV
His Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...

 and Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...

 labels.
  • Columbia singles generally had two letter prefixes such as DB, followed by 3- or 4-digit numbers. In the most common series, the DB series, numbers reached 4000 in 1957 and approached 5000 in 1963. At about that time, a jump in the sequence occurred to 7000-series numbers.
  • HMV issued 78rpm singles with the prefix B and a 5-digit number in the early 1950s. HMV 45rpm singles in the popular genre generally had numbers with the prefix 7M and 3 digits until 1956, changing in that year to POP prefixes, starting at 239. The B 5-digit numbers and the 7M 3-digit numbers were unrelated.


For its European branches, EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...

 changed at the end of the sixties to a uniform numbering system using the pattern xx xxx–xxxxx.
  • The first two digits represent the country (eg 1C is Germany, 2C is France, 3C is Italy, etc).
  • The second three digits are mostly 006, but sometimes 004 or 008 was used for repressings, while 000 is used for jukebox pressing.
  • The last five digits are the unique single reference for the single.


In the 1980s, this system was abandoned. The current European system consists of 7 digits, mostly beginning with 86 and ending with 2 to indicate it is a CD single, e.g. 868384 2. (For the international EAN code, the standard 74321 number precedes the 7 digits and the 0 is added after the code).

Groove (US)

Groove Records, a product of RCA, used a system of 4-digit numbers with a G prefix for 78 rpm records.

London (US)

London
London Records
London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....

 began about 1950. It was owned in the US by UK Decca, but was operated independently. Numbers began at number 500 on 78s and 30000 on 45s. There was no relationship between the two sets of numbers.

London (UK)

On Decca's British London label, which began in 1949, HL was at first used alone, but from 1957 there was usually a following letter denoting the original American label; thus Atlantic
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...

 and Atco
Atco Records
ATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who...

 were HLE, changing in 1960 to HLK, Sun Records
Sun Records
Sun Records is a record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27, 1952.Founded by Sam Phillips, Sun Records was known for giving notable musicians such as Elvis Presley , Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash...

 was HLS, Jamie
Jamie Records
Jamie Records was a record label founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1957 by Harold Lipsius.Their first 45rpm single, "It's Great To Fall In Love"/"Truly" by Marian Caruso , was issued in 1957. However, they really hit the big-time in 1958 with the release of Duane Eddy's "Rebel...

 (Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he had a string of hit records, produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including "Rebel Rouser", "Peter Gunn", and "Because They're Young"...

's label) was HLW, and Big Top Records
Big Top Records
Bigtop Records was an American record label started by music executive Johnny Bienstock and the music publisher Hill & Range Music. Hit artists included Del Shannon, Johnny and the Hurricanes, Lou Johnson, Sammy Turner, Don and Juan, and Toni Fisher, Big Top also distributed Paul Case's Dunes...

 (Del Shannon
Del Shannon
Del Shannon was an American rock and roll singer-songwriter who had a No. 1 hit, "Runaway", in 1961.- Biography :...

, Johnny and the Hurricanes
Johnny and the Hurricanes
Johnny and the Hurricanes was a rock and roll band that began as The Orbits in Toledo, Ohio in 1957. Led by saxophonist Johnny Paris , they were school friends who played on a few recordings behind Mack Vickery, a local rockabilly singer.-Career:They signed with Harry Balk and Irving Micahnik of...

) was HLX; while HLU was used for a number of labels including Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....

's Philles, and Monument
Monument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...

, home to Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...

. Notably in 1957 two versions of Ain't That A Shame were released simultaneously, the original by Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....

 (from Imperial
Imperial Records
Imperial Records is a United States based label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd and reactivated in 2006 by label owner EMI.- The independent and Liberty Records years :...

, HLU 8173) and the cover by Pat Boone
Pat Boone
Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...

 (from Dot
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label and company that was active between 1950 and 1977. It was founded by Randy Wood. In Gallatin, Tennessee, Wood had earlier started a mail order record shop, known for its radio ads on WLAC in Nashville and its R&B air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen...

, HLD 8172).

Pre-1955 the numbering system was L or HL 1001 to 1250. The numbering systems was changed in 1955 to start at HL 8001 and ran through to 10582.

Mercury

Mercury
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...

 popular 78s were numbered with 4-digit numbers in the 3000s in the late 1940s, and in the 5000s in the late 1940s and early 1950s. This series got up to 5912, but in 1952, 5-digit numbers in the 70000s were assigned.

A series in the 1000s was in use for Latin and jazz singles in 1945–47. During that same period there was a 2000 series, apparently for "race" (African-American-oriented) records.

A separate series in the 8900s, subsequently changed to the 89000s, was issued consisting of jazz singles. Some jazz singles were also issued with numbers in the 11000s.

Additional series were a 6000 series of country & western singles, a 7000 series for children, and an 8000 series for rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...

.

45s were given the same numbers as the 78s, with a suffixed "x45" added.

MGM

MGM
MGM Records
MGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946, for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. Later it became a pop label, lasting into the 1970s...

 began with the number 10000 shortly before 1950.

By 1960 the numbers had reached just over 12800.
It continued to over 14800, which is where it ended in the mid-1970s.

45 rpm records were issued with the K- prefix.

Tamla-Motown

EMI's British Tamla-Motown label had the prefix TMG, presumably standing for Tamla-Motown-Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...

, the first three, in order of creation, of their American labels. The first release, in March 1965, was given the number TMG 501 (The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...

' Stop! In the Name of Love
Stop! In the Name of Love
"Stop! In the Name of Love" is a 1965 song recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label.Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, "Stop! In the Name of Love" held the number-one position on the Billboard pop singles chart in the United States from March 21, 1965...

).

RCA

RCA Victor Records went in the mid-40s to a complex system, in which all records had a 2-digit prefix denoting the type of music and a 4-digit specific number. Most popular 78s had the prefix 20, but other prefixes existed.

When the 45 rpm record was originated in the late 1940s, a prefix was set up for each type of music, with 47- for the popular records whose 78 rpm version was given a 20- prefix and 48- for the country records whose 78 rpm version was given a 21- prefix. At first the numbers of the two versions were not similar, but in 1950 the system was changed to provide the same numbers after the hyphen for both speed versions of a single record.

As the 1950s proceeded, most prefixes other than 20- for 78s and 47- for 45s were eliminated, except for subsidiary labels. And of course, RCA finally phased out production of 78s in the U.S. by the fall of 1958

In 1969, a new prefix, 74- was introduced for stereo 45s, starting with 74-0100. Although it has been asserted that this series
was primarily for rock acts, several of the earliest 74- issues are in fact by easy listening and country performers. RCA issued singles in both series until the 47- series became 48-1000 after issue 47-9999 in 1971. The 74- series continued into 1973 when it was replaced by an APB0- series, again with low four-digit numbers after the hyphen. This series was short-lived; in 1974 the prefix was changed to PB- (and sometimes GB-), with numbers starting at 10000.
During the BMG era, the mid-1980s, various series were used – 5000-5100s (1984), 8600s (1988)- and 2500s (1990). The 62000 series began in 1991.

Virgin

The Virgin
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

 label had a simple catalogue number sequence, beginning with VS101 for Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield
Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...

's debut single in 1974 (simply titled 'The Mike Oldfield single'). Other formats were indicated by added prefixes, such as VST for a 12" single or VSEP for EPs. The more formats were in use, the longer the prefixes would become – the 1993 UK number one I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)
I'd Do Anything for Love (but I Won't Do That)
"I'd Do Anything for Love " is a song composed and written by Jim Steinman, and recorded by Meat Loaf. The song was released in 1993 as the first single from the album Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell. The title of the song confused some listeners, who were curious to know what "that" is...

 by Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...

 had the catalogue number VSCDT 1443.

In various European countries, Virgin Records was distributed by BMG/Ariola, which meant its catalogue numbers were in BMG/Ariola's sequence. From 1979, this was a six digit code beginning with 100 001, in later years culminating in numbers beginning with 115 (e.g. 115 001). 12" singles had the first 1 replaced with 6 (e.g. 615 001), and CD-singles had the second digit replaced by a six as well (e.g. 665 001).
This sequence changed in 1992 when BMG adopted the EAN
European Article Number
An EAN-13 barcode is a 13 digit barcoding standard which is a superset of the original 12-digit Universal Product Code system developed in the United States...

-coding (e.g. 74321 23445 1).
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