Beginners Guide

• Please login to the wiki for edits to this page. This page NeedsIntertwingling.

Welcome to MusicBrainz! We hope to give you the knowledge you need to start enhancing MusicBrainz as well as your own files. This document contains many links which we hope will explain MusicBrainz in more detail and expand on the concept. If this is your first visit here, try to read all of this page before following any (purple colored) links. MusicBrainz is a world in itself and you might get lost. ;-) Once you begin to understand what is going on, you can start exploring the documentation. HowTo can be a good procedure-oriented starting point.

MusicBrainz (MB in short) is currently made up of three parts: the database (where the data about music is stored), the documentation and software to interact with your files. Of course, you will use the database, this is the whole point of MusicBrainz! You will consult it, and you will edit it (add or update data). Why edit the database? To include the albums you have and which aren't already there, but also to correct errors you may spot. But since editing the database relies on a voting system, you will need the documentation too, in order to understand how to query and update the database.

Documentation

The documentation is WikiDocs. These are the "how to" of the database and will be referred to often within the notes left during the voting process. Usually in the term of Style, or StyleGuide. By the way, you can add comments to this page (see the Discussion section at the bottom).

Database

You can query (retrieve data) or edit it (change, add or delete data). In order to ensure that the data quality of MusicBrainz is up to the standards we have set for it, all the non-trivial modifications must go through the voting phase.

The first and only step required to update the database, is to register and log in. You will need to provide, and verify a valid e-mail address. The e-mail address is needed such that other editors can contact you about your edits. Unless you chose to show it, other editors will not see your address, and MusicBrainz is commited to protect your privacy (see the MusicBrainz Privacy Policy)

There is a huge number of modifications made by the users. So if you don't want to be overwhelmed by the volume, you can subscribe to the artists or groups in which you have a particular interest. MB will give you a list of the modifications associated with the artists to which you subscribed.

Definitions

In MusicBrainz when a user modifies data in any way (see http://musicbrainz.org/mod_intro.html and HowEditingWorks), this change is called editing. Originally it was called "moderation" and you may still see reference to moderation, or mods (see ModerationGuide, ModerationFAQ, ModerationNote), though, as we reshape our documentation. Most edits must go through a voting process before being applied (see HowToVote). Some minor edits (such as changing the case of letters) are applied immediately, no vote being required. As long as an edit has not been voted on, it is "Open". If your edit receives a majority of Yes votes, it will be Applied. However if the edit gets more No votes, it will Fail. (see HowVotingWorks)

The term Release covers full-length albums, singles, vinyls, cassettes, etc. A release is made of one or more Tracks. If a CD with the same tracklisting is issued twice, once as a stand-alone release, once in a set, it may have to be entered into the database twice (see Release, BoxSet and BoxSetNameStyle).

• hmm that conflicts with BoxSetNameStyle! Shouldn't always be entered twice... --Gecks
  • Seems clear this way?--davitof
    • please edit BoxSetNameStyle or this page accordingly to what it needs to be, then delete these comments. Nyght

A DiscID is a kind of signature for a CD. It contains the precise timing informations of a CD. When you use Picard (see the Software section below), MB automatically retrieves the Disc ID of your CD to include it in the MB database.

One of the fundamental aims of MusicBrainz is to offer exact information. To enforce this, we have guidelines. These guidelines allow us to ensure the data input by all users is accurate. These guidelines vary depending on the kind of release, see: StyleGuideline, CapitalizationStandard, ClassicalStyleGuide, SoundtrackStyle, HowToMakeRelationships

Adding a Release

Please note that MusicBrainz strives for data which is as accurate as possible. An example of this policy is, that we do not like homeburnt DiscIDs to be added to the database. This does not mean that you are not allowed to add tracklistings from these mediums, but only Disc IDs of official releases (in this case meaning factory produced media, band release CD-Rs and mass produced bootlegs) are allowed.

Adding a release is probably one of the first things you will want to do. Either you have a CD, or you don't (vinyl, cassette, ...)

• If you have a CD, first run Picard. Clicking the lookup CD button will make Picard analyze your CD and connect to MusicBrainz. If the CD exists in MusicBrainz, please check that the track listing matches. If they are the same, you can attach the information from your copy to the existing release. If they are not the same, it probably has not been entered before. This is a chance for you to enhance MB by adding your copy. It is generally better to add a new version of the same release if the previous step does not turn up a match, than trying to manipulate existing track lists which are, in many cases, perfectly valid.

If MusicBrainz doesn't know your cd, it automatically tries to recover it from freedb. If it finds it, it recovers the freedb data. If MusicBrainz really can't offer any useful suggestion for your cd, then you will have to input the tracks manually. A word of warning. You must carefully examine the freedb data since it needs to be corrected in most cases to confirm with the MusicBrainz StyleGuidelines. Also, it is good practice to provide proof of your release in the moderation notes, freedb is not considered as a proof, as their submissions process is not monitered.

• If you don't have a CD handy, you will need to search by hand. Usually the best way is to search for the title of the release. If you can't find the release you have, or the only matches in MusicBrainz are reasonably different from yours, then you have a new release and you should enter it manually.
• It helps immensely if you can provide a link to a page containing more information on the release. Official websites and comprehensive fan sites are good, as are online shops, such as Amazon. These links not only help other editors double check accuracy, but help us find any extra information which can be added. While welcoming bootlegs, we try and discourage a home made various mix. Our aim is toward widely reaching and readily useable accurate information. Thus your local factory made various artist disc may not be accepted for its very slim range of user need.

Order of operations when editing an object with a pending edit

Take care when altering the database in reference to previous edits. If there is a pending edit (usually highlighted in yellow), one edit will cancel another out. You will want to delete your edits if you notice your own mistake, rather than edit over a previous edit.

Software

Download and install Picard and match your CDs with the MusicBrainz Database and then, tag your digital audio files.

Next steps

Thank you for taking the time to read and learn more about what makes MusicBrainz thrive. Your next visit should be to the CodeOfConduct or the HowTo.

Discussion

Beginners, this is your page, of course. So if you feel something is wrong or missing here, just add your comment below. That is, once you have registered in the wiki!