back catalog

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   All the older songs, albums, films, or other works that a performer or company has produced and can still sell or use.

   Grammar: Countable: use a/an or a plural, as in 'a rich back catalog' or 'their back catalogs'.

   Patterns

   • a band's back catalog
   • release something from the back catalog
   • the back catalog of a company

   The label reissued the singer's entire back catalog on vinyl.

   Streaming services make money from old films in their back catalog.

   She spent the summer listening to the band's back catalog from the 1990s.

2. 2nouncountablebusiness

   A stock of older items or records that an organization keeps and can draw on when needed.

   Grammar: Used with 'a' or in the plural; often followed by 'of'.

   Patterns

   • a back catalog of something
   • add something to the back catalog

   The publisher has a back catalog of textbooks it updates every few years.

   We found the design in the company's back catalog of past products.

Word forms

Common combinations

a huge back catalog

The producer has a huge back catalog of unreleased tracks.

dig into the back catalog

Fans love to dig into the back catalog when a new album comes out.

reissue the back catalog

The label plans to reissue the back catalog next year.

part of the back catalog

That early single is now part of the band's back catalog.

Synonyms and how they differ

repertoire

Use this for all the pieces a performer can play, not for recordings owned by a company.

archive

This means a stored collection of records or materials; it stresses preservation, while a back catalog stresses things still available to sell.

library

This can mean a company's collection of works, especially in software or film, and is less tied to music than back catalog.

Opposites

Word family

catalog noun

A list of items, often with descriptions, such as goods for sale.

catalog verb

To make an organized list of things.

cataloging noun

The work of listing and organizing items.

Commonly confused: back catalog or backlog?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “back catalog”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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