User:Kuno/Style/Titles

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NOTE: This is outdated, I wrote it before I was aware of this. I will delete it as soon as I've gone through all the comments originally posted on the discussion page and decide which of those still apply to the new approach.

Titles

When entering a release or track title into MusicBrainz, please adhere to the following guidelines:

  • Follow the appropriate Capitalization Standard
  • Expand abbreviations
  • Use parentheses for extra information
  • Use a colon (:) to separate subtitles
  • Use a slash (/) to separate multiple titles
  • Use a comma (,) to separate words such as Volume or Part from the title itself

Detailed guidelines

Follow the appropriate Capitalization Standard

Album and song titles are often found in uppercase on the back cover of CDs. For example, the album Songs of Love and Hate is written as SONGS OF LOVE AND HATE on the cover. This is usually the choice of a graphic designer, not the artist. So, instead of copying the title from the cover, we follow certain rules to capitalize a title. The rules are different for each language, please see Capitalization Standard for more information.

Expand abbreviations

Abbreviations in titles (but not acronyms) should generally be expanded. Probably the most common abbreviations used in titles are "Vol." and "Pt.", these should always be expanded to "Volume" and "Part". The main exceptions to this guideline are "feat." for "featuring" and "vs." for "versus".

Use parentheses for extra information

Additional information which is not part of the name of a song or album should be in parentheses. You often see this with alternate versions of tracks, or when an artist is featured on a track.

Use a colon (:) to separate subtitles

Use a colon (:) to separate any subtitles. If there is an alternative dividing punctuation mark such as the question mark (?) or exclamation point (!), use that mark instead of the colon.

Use a slash (/) to separate multiple titles

If two releases are re-released on one CD, or if two songs share the same track, the title should be split as follows: "This Is the Modern World / All Mod Cons".

Note that this is space, slash, space!

Use a comma (,) to separate words such as Volume or Part from the title itself

When a release or track is part of a series, seperate the volume or part name from the title with a comma, like this: "The Red Weed, Part 1".

If the title already ends with an alternative punctuation mark, such as a question mark (?) or an exclamation point (!), use that mark instead of the comma.

Exceptions and corner cases

Sometimes it isn't clear how these guidelines should be applied to a particular release, these cases may be discussed by the StyleCouncil. Decisions of the StyleCouncil concerning particular releases, series or corner cases should be followed, these are collected on the User:kuno/Style/Titles/Exceptions page.

Examples

Capitalization

Title on release Title in MusicBrainz
confusion the waitress Confusion the Waitress
AAN DE BEWONERS VAN DIT PAND Aan de bewoners van dit pand

Notes: The first title uses Capitalization Standard English, the second example is a dutch title and thus Capitalization Standard Dutch applies.

Series and abbreviations

Title on release Title in MusicBrainz
PAST MASTERS · VOLUME ONE Past Masters, Volume One
We Have Explosive (Pt. 5) We Have Explosive, Part 5
STAND ALONE COMPLEX O.S.T. Stand Alone Complex O.S.T.
Consapevolezza parte 2ª Consapevolezza, parte 2
ЭЛЕКТРИЧЕСТВО
ИСТОРИЯ АКВАРИУМА · ТОМ 2
Электричество: История Аквариума, том 2

Extra information in the title

Title on release Title in MusicBrainz
VOODOO PEOPLE [DUST BROTHERS REMIX] Voodoo People (Dust Brothers remix)
Good Morning Heartache (feauturing Lil' Mo) Good Morning Heartache (feat. Lil' Mo)

Subtitles

Title on release Title in MusicBrainz
FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES
Ring of Fates

Original Soundtrack
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates

Multiple titles

Title on release Title in MusicBrainz
THIS IS THE MODERN WORLD
and ALL MOD CONS
This is the Modern World / All Mod Cons

Notes

The intent for this page is to replace the following wiki pages:

Main Title, Volume Number Style, Part Number Style, Series Number Style, Sub Title, SubTitleStyle, Multiple Title Style, Split Release Title Style, Abbreviation Style, Featuring Artist Style, Extra Title Information.