# Discogs Scraper (`parseforge/discogs-scraper`) Actor

Scrapes Discogs releases, artists, or labels by search query. Returns each record as a flat row with title, year, country, genre, style, and format.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/discogs-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** E-commerce, Lead generation
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 14 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $5.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

[![ParseForge](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/main/banner-v4.webp)](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp)

### Discogs Scraper

**Scrape Discogs releases, artists, and labels by search query, up to a million per run.** Each record comes with its title, year, country, genre, style, and format. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

Discogs is the largest music database and marketplace, but its official API needs a token and rate-limits you. This reads the public search results directly, filtered by year, country, genre, style, or format, and returns each match in one fixed schema.

| Who uses it | What they scrape Discogs for |
|---|---|
| Music collectors | Build a catalog of releases by artist, label, or genre |
| Record store owners | Monitor new releases and reissues in their niche |
| Market researchers | Analyze genre and style trends over time |
| Data journalists | Compile discographies for investigative stories |
| App developers | Populate a music discovery app with structured data |

### What it does

This Actor collects Discogs releases, artists, or labels by search query, and returns each one as a flat row.

- 🔍 **Search by query:** type an artist, release, or label name, and the Actor finds all matching records.
- 🎚️ **Filter as you go:** narrow results by year, country, genre, style, or format before they reach your dataset.
- 📦 **Bulk export:** collect up to a million records per run and export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.
- 🧩 **Fixed schema:** every record has the same fields, so you can merge runs without cleaning.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

### What you can do with Discogs data

**📀 Build a collector's catalog.**

A vinyl collector searches for 'pink floyd' and filters by format 'Vinyl' to get every LP, single, and box set with year and country.

**🏪 Stock a record store.**

A store owner searches for 'jazz' and filters by genre 'Jazz' and year '1950-1970' to find classic titles worth stocking.

**📈 Track genre trends.**

A market researcher searches for 'electronic' and filters by style 'Techno' to see how many releases came out each year.

**🗞️ Compile a discography.**

A journalist searches for 'beatles' and filters by type 'release' to list every album and single for a feature.

**🎵 Power a music app.**

A developer searches for 'indie' and filters by country 'US' to seed a recommendation engine with structured data.

### Why choose this scraper

|  | What you get |
|---|---|
| **No API key** | Reads public Discogs search results directly, no token or registration |
| **Up to 1M records** | Collect a million releases, artists, or labels in a single run |
| **Rich filters** | Filter by year, country, genre, style, and format |
| **Structured output** | Flat rows with consistent fields for easy analysis |

### How it compares

This Actor focuses on the Discogs database search results, while the competitors below also scrape marketplace listings and seller data.

| Feature | ParseForge | Discogs.com Scraper (11 users) | Discogs.com Scraper (20 users) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search by artist, release, or label | Yes | Not listed | Not listed |
| Filter by year, country, genre, style, format | Yes | Not listed | Not listed |
| Marketplace prices and seller info | Not listed | Yes | Yes |
| Matrix numbers and pressing plant info | Not listed | Not listed | Yes |
| Up to 1,000,000 records per run | Yes | Not listed | Not listed |

### Configure the run

Drive the Actor from a search query and a resource type, and filters run as each record is read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

```json
{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "query": "pink floyd",
  "type": "release"
}
```

A larger pull:

```json
{
  "maxItems": 200,
  "query": "pink floyd",
  "type": "release"
}
```

### Pricing

Pay-per-result: **$0.0055 per result** collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $0.55 |
| 1,000 results | $5.50 |
| 10,000 results | $55.00 |

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

### Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. [Upgrade your Apify plan](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp) to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

### Run it

1. [Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp).
2. Open the [Discogs Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/discogs-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp).
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click **Start**.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the **Dataset** tab.

Run it programmatically through the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) (`run-sync-get-dataset-items`) or the [ApifyClient](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js) for JavaScript and Python.

### Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to Discogs through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/discogs-scraper"
```

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

### Troubleshooting

**Why am I getting no results?**

Make sure your query is spelled correctly and that you have selected the right type. Remove filters one by one to see which one is too restrictive.

**Why does the run stop before maxItems?**

The Actor stops when there are no more results matching your query and filters. Try a broader query or remove filters.

**Why are some fields empty?**

Not all Discogs records have every field filled in. Empty fields are normal and will appear as null or blank in your dataset.

**Can I get more than 1,000,000 records?**

The maximum is 1,000,000 per run. If you need more, split your query into smaller chunks or run multiple times with different filters.

**Why is the run slow?**

Discogs may rate-limit requests. The Actor handles retries automatically, but large queries can take time. Consider reducing maxItems or adding filters.

### FAQ

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do I need a Discogs API token? | No. This Actor reads the public Discogs search pages directly, so no token or registration is required. |
| What can I search for? | You can search for any artist, release, or label name. The Actor will return all matching records of the type you select. |
| Can I filter by year or genre? | Yes. Use the year, country, genre, style, and format filters to narrow results before they are saved. |
| How many records can I get in one run? | You can set maxItems up to 1,000,000. The Actor will stop when it reaches that number or runs out of results. |
| What format is the output? | The Actor returns a flat JSON array. You can export it to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML from the Apify platform. |
| Does it scrape marketplace prices? | No, this Actor focuses on the Discogs database search results, not the marketplace listings. It returns metadata like title, year, country, genre, style, and format. |
| Can I search for a label? | Yes, set the type to 'label' and enter the label name in the query field. |
| Is it legal to scrape Discogs? | You should review Discogs' terms of service and respect their robots.txt. This Actor only accesses publicly available pages. |
| Can I run it on a schedule? | Yes, you can schedule the Actor to run daily, weekly, or at any interval to keep your dataset up to date. |
| What if I get no results? | Check your query spelling and filters. Try a broader query or remove some filters to see if results appear. |

### Related actors

Browse the full [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp) for more scrapers.

🆘 **Need help?** Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ **Disclaimer.** This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Discogs. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.

# Actor input Schema

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

How many releases to collect per run.

## `query` (type: `string`):

Search query for Discogs database.

## `type` (type: `string`):

Type of resource to search for.

## `year` (type: `string`):

Filter by release year or year range (e.g. '1991' or '1990-1995').

## `country` (type: `string`):

Filter by country of release (e.g. 'US', 'UK', 'Germany').

## `genre` (type: `string`):

Filter by genre (e.g. 'Rock', 'Jazz', 'Electronic').

## `style` (type: `string`):

Filter by style (e.g. 'Grunge', 'Bebop', 'Techno').

## `format` (type: `string`):

Filter by format (e.g. 'Vinyl', 'CD', 'Cassette', 'Digital').

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "query": "pink floyd",
  "type": "release"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "maxItems": 10,
    "query": "pink floyd",
    "type": "release"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/discogs-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "maxItems": 10,
    "query": "pink floyd",
    "type": "release",
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/discogs-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "query": "pink floyd",
  "type": "release"
}' |
apify call parseforge/discogs-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parseforge/discogs-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/y3znrRfB64WaFGfeo/builds/lnVM5Z7y4xEqZZqfv/openapi.json