There are plenty of alternatives to iTunes but we would need to know what type of computer and what operating system you are using before we can offer specific suggestions.

The short answer: just about anything except Windows Media Center, which is as bad as iTunes, is better than iTunes.

On windows I primarily use Foobar with the Facets plugin, which works REALLY well if you have your metadata in order (same goes for most, if not all media managers).  A few years ago when i selected it it seemed like the only option.  I have also heard good things about J River Media Center but never used it myself.  If you search the archives you will find plenty of lively discussions between BillB, me and others extolling their various virtues and sharing tips about how to best utilize the available metadata fields for classical programme. 

However with the seeming explosion in interest in PC-based audio over the last couple of years I am sure there are now a whole raft of options.  I have to confess I gave up the unequal struggle and moved over to Mac for most audio and video needs a coupe of years ago now so I am not really up-to-date with the windows options any more.  Looking forward to hearing from those that are.

I use Music Collector, which comes from a software company in Holland. It is less than $30.

I have about 1600 CDs in my collection, and the software is very easy to use and has a lot of options. You can set up from 4 to 12 columns of info for computer screen display and each genre of music can be set up differently. You can also set up the print mode differently, to just print out the columns you want on a printout for each genre.

They also provide help within 24 hours if you send them questions (and there is a lot of information already available in the FAQ section online).

When entering a new CD, put the CD in the drive of the computer and it will scan the internet for the track listings and times and the cover art for the CD, and download it to the program. If it can't find it online because it is very old or obscure, then you enter the data you want manually.

You can store all sorts of info about the CD manually if desired, or modify what is there.

It can also be used for vinyl, cassettes, SACD, or whatever, but I haven't started on my vinyl collection yet.