CDDB.py

CDDB.py is an excellent tool for Python programs that want to acquire information on track and disc information on audio CDs. It comes equipped with a C extension module that can fetch track lengths for various operating systems, including Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Mac OS X, Solaris, and Win32. Moreover, this software is highly portable and can be easily adapted to other operating systems.

CDDB.py, in tandem with its partner application DiscID.py, and the auxiliary C module cdrommodule.so, provides a convenient way for Python programs to extract data about audio CDs from CDDB, a massive online database of track listings and comprehensive information. However, this software now uses FreeDB as its default server in version 1.3 and beyond, as the owners of CDDB archives, GraceNote, have instituted restrictive access policies.

For the benefit of users, the library supports both UNIX platforms and Windows, though access to the old CDDB servers has been limited due to the ban on non-registered programs, including CDDB.py. Nonetheless, CDDB.query() can still reach any CDDB host as long as the user specifies it. Moreover, starting from version 1.3, users can choose to create fake identification strings for server access.

This updated version has several new features, including updated FreeDB version fields to 5, which enables users to extract disc info from CDDB.read(), including fetching DYEAR and DGENRE fields. Additionally, Mac OS X support is now available in cdrommodule.c, thanks to the contributions of Andre Beckedorf and Jeffrey C. Jacobs. Finally, the default Solaris CD-ROM device has been changed to /dev/vol/aliases/cdrom0.