Album Artist vs Arts - how do YOU use this?

Roon Software Discussion
1

Hi All,

I asked this question a while back but then when I was an iTunes convert. Time has passed since then and I wanted ti ask the community:

How do YOU use Album Artist vs Artist.

Since I started using Roon I am now leaning towards using Artist as “main” tag and then change the “Album Artist” to whatever is on the cover. Example:

Artist: Prince
Album Artist: Prince And The Revolution
Album Artist: Prince & The New Power Generation

Would appreciate your thoughts.

Thank you!

All the best

2

Each album should have only one album artist; if it is a compilation album then the album artist can be Various Artists or Various - or whatever you want it to be. Artist is a property of each track - so that each track in an album can have a different artist - as would be the case for a compilation album. In most cases, of course, album artist and artists would be the same. Most music players require that tracks have to have the same album artist and album title to be considered one album. I also use the difference between album artist and artist to capture the various groups a jazz artist might have. Fior example, Cannonball Adderley performed with a Quintet and a Sextet (among other groups); all his albums have Cannonball Adderley as album artist with the particular group as the artist.

3

Thanks Stan!

4

Shouldn’t the album artist be the person who mixed or compiled the compilation?

5

It can be anything you want, but often the “compiler” may be unknown. I always use Various Artists as the AA as that keeps them all together.

1 Like
6

Would you include the DJ or compiler as a “primary artist link”?