Over on freedb.org, there's an article by 'ruebenschuss' that covers installing the freedb server locally on OS X. freedb is an offshoot of the now-commercial CDDB, which is what many programs use to catalog and recognize inserted CDs.
Why would you want to install a local version of the database? The author writes:
Since OS X is a proper UNIX, it should be fairly easy to run the freedb on it. I've managed to compile the freedb server with only few changes and query it via telnet. It should be possible for any CD rip application to connect to "localhost" as cddb server and get the information there. This would make it possible to rip CDs without a connection to the internet.The article also links to a separate page which contains the how-to instructions, the database files, and the server source code for installing on OS X.
Mac OS X Hints
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20020502080915856