Release Group: Difference between revisions

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A '''release group''', just as the name suggests, is used to group several different [[Release|releases]] into a single logical entity. Every release belongs to one, and only one release group.
{{DocumentationHeader|Release|Terminology}}


Both release groups and releases are "albums" in a general sense, but with an important difference: a release is something you can buy as media such as a CD or a vinyl record, while a release group embraces the overall concept of an album -- it doesn't matter how many CDs or editions/versions it had.
{{Status|This is proposed style for a recently released feature (24 May 2009), currently under development. It is not yet official.}}


When an artist says "We've released our new album", they're talking about a release group. When their publisher says "This new album gets released next week in Japan and next month in Europe", they're referring to the different releases that belong in the above mentioned release group.


MusicBrainz automatically considers every release in the database to be part of a release group, even if this group only contains the one release. When a brand new release is added to the database, a new release group is automatically added as well.
== Definition ==

A '''Release Group''' is a MusicBrainz concept introduced in May 2009 used to group several different [[Release|releases]] into a single logical entity. Every release belongs to one, and only one release group.

Both release groups and releases are "albums" in a general sense, but with a slight difference: a release is something you can buy as media, e.g. a CD, a vinyl record etc. on its own, while a release group embraces the concept of an album -- it doesn't matter how many CDs or editions/versions it had. When an artist tells you "We've released our new album", they're talking about a release group. When his publisher says "This new album gets released next week in Japan and next month in Europe", they're talking about the different releases that belong in the release group that the artist told you about.

MusicBrainz automatically considers every release in the database to be part of a release group, even if this group only contains the one release. As an editor you don't have to worry about ''creating'' release groups, you will only need to ''merge'' existing ones.

There are a number of situations in which merging releases groups is appropriate. All of the following can be part of a single release group:

; Regular releases
: Since every release is inside a release group, some release groups have only a single release.

; International release variations
: Releases are often released with different tracklists in different markets, some may even have additional [[Bonus Disc|bonus discs]]. Due to [[WhatDefinesAUniqueRelease]] these would be separate releases at MusicBrainz, but should be merged together into the same release group.

; Deluxe/limited editions and reissues/remasters
: Just like above, a "special" edition of an album, a reissue of an album, or a remaster, should all be part of the same release group.

; Promotional versions
: Promotional versions of albums, singles etc should be in the same release group as the regular official release.

; Multi-disc releases
: Each disc in a [[Multi-Disc Release|multi-disc release]] at MusicBrainz is a separate release (named according to [[Disc Number Style|disc number style]]), but all discs should be part of the same release group.

; Box sets
: A special case of the above; each disc in a [[Box Set|box set]] would normally be part of the same release group.

; Pseudo-releases
: Transliterated or translated pseudo-releases should be part of the same release group as the official release.


== Examples ==
== Examples ==
* Transplant's single "[http://musicbrainz.org/release-group/ffecdcc5-08d6-3f2e-8d61-6329ce954bf1.html Diamonds and Guns]" is a single release inside its own group.
* Transplant's single "[[ReleaseGroup:ffecdcc5-08d6-3f2e-8d61-6329ce954bf1|Diamonds and Guns]]" is a single release inside its own group.
* Weezer's "[http://musicbrainz.org/release-group/9b8af98f-8214-32ee-9b05-96b8c557f7f0.html Weezer (Red Album)]" has ten editions in the database, some releases from different countries, some deluxe editions, and one transliteration.
* Weezer's "[[ReleaseGroup:9b8af98f-8214-32ee-9b05-96b8c557f7f0|Weezer]]" (Red Album) has ten editions in the database, some releases from different countries, some deluxe editions, and one transliteration.
* Franz Ferdinand's "[http://musicbrainz.org/release-group/1b4f4b3c-ca01-37b7-af1d-3e37989f86ad.html Tonight: Franz Ferdinand]" was issued on its own, with a bonus disc, and on two vinyl records.
* Franz Ferdinand's "[[ReleaseGroup:1b4f4b3c-ca01-37b7-af1d-3e37989f86ad|Tonight: Franz Ferdinand]]" was issued on its own, with a bonus disc, and on two vinyl records.
* A 3 disc self-titled compilation by "[http://musicbrainz.org/release-group/7349c1f3-09fa-397f-848d-f976f315a746.html Nirvana]".
* A 3 disc self-titled compilation by "[[ReleaseGroup:7349c1f3-09fa-397f-848d-f976f315a746|Nirvana]]".
* Mozart's 9 volume, 170 disc "[http://musicbrainz.org/release-group/3ea5428d-1d2b-35ee-bbb4-5fb7171a7269.html Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Complete Works]" box set, or Enya's 3 disc box set "[http://musicbrainz.org/release-group/27a611a6-30d6-304a-9926-6b1eaa893499.html A Box of Dreams]".
* Mozart's 9 volume, 170 disc "[[ReleaseGroup:3ea5428d-1d2b-35ee-bbb4-5fb7171a7269|Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Complete Works]]" box set, or Enya's 3 disc box set "[[ReleaseGroup:27a611a6-30d6-304a-9926-6b1eaa893499|A Box of Dreams]]".
* Blind Guardian's "[http://musicbrainz.org/release-group/3a5d9bb8-8e19-379d-b294-ee8fcf743f77.html Nightfall in Middle-Earth]" was first released in 1998 and then remastered with a bonus track in 2007, the musical "[http://musicbrainz.org/release-group/afdd011e-e2aa-39f3-b52b-1ffe001d8d87.html My Fair Lady]" (Original London Cast) was originally released on vinyl in 1959 and on CD in 1998.
* Blind Guardian's "[[ReleaseGroup:3a5d9bb8-8e19-379d-b294-ee8fcf743f77|Nightfall in Middle-Earth]]" was first released in 1998 and then remastered with a bonus track in 2007
* The musical "[[ReleaseGroup:afdd011e-e2aa-39f3-b52b-1ffe001d8d87|My Fair Lady]]" (Original London Cast) was originally released on vinyl in 1959 and on CD in 1998.


== Style guidelines ==
== When Not to Group Releases together ==


Please see the [[Style/Release_Group|guidelines for release groups]].
There are a number of cases where it is not appropriate for releases to be part of the same group:


== Properties ==
* A [[Series]] of different volumes that may have been released over time. Typical examples are "[[Series/Cafe Del Mar|Café del Mar]]", "[[Series/Hitzone|Hitzone]]", "[[Series/Ministry Of Sound|Ministry of Sound]]" and "[[Series/Now Thats What I Call Music|Now That's What I Call Music!]]". Each volume's discs belong in a release group though, e.g. "[http://musicbrainz.org/release-group/359e66ba-49ee-341c-8f1d-885a28af26db.html Volume 1]" and "[http://musicbrainz.org/release-group/69533a2f-3060-39a9-a03d-3b95eda764e5.html Volume 2]" of the Trance Voices series.


=== Title ===
* Different bootleg recordings of a live show, e.g. [http://musicbrainz.org/release-group/147aeffa-7874-3cfd-84fd-32508319adbc.html bootleg 1] and [http://musicbrainz.org/release-group/b4fd2cd3-6e48-3bf2-8b77-88f2629b5f79.html bootleg 2] of a 1970 Pink Floyd concert in San Francisco.
The title of a release group is usually very similar, if not the same, as the titles of the releases contained within it.


=== Artist ===
* If the individual discs of a re-released [[Box Set]] have '''not''' been duplicated, due to the rules outlined at "[[What Defines A Unique Release]]", each disc in that set should '''not''' be grouped together as per the normal box set rules noted above.
The artist of a release group is usually very similar, if not the same, as the artist of the releases contained within it. Multiple artists can be linked using [[Artist Credit|artist credits]].


== FAQs ==
=== Type ===
The type describes what kind of releases the release group represents, for example album, single, soundtrack, compilation etc.


See the [[Release Group/Type|Type]] subpage for a full list of release group types.
Please only list answered questions below, if you would like to ask a question feel free to come on [[IRC]], use the [[Mailing List|mailing list]], or add a note to the [[Talk:Release Group|discussion]] page.


=== MBID ===
=== Should a "2 in 1" release group be merged into one of the two associated releases groups? ===
See the [[MusicBrainz_Identifier|page about MBIDs]] for more information.


=== Disambiguation comment ===
No, it should form its own third release group because it's a separate album/single/etc. e.g. ABBA's "[http://musicbrainz.org/release-group/ec7f97cf-acf7-325d-ab93-d9a61e50fd22.html Waterloo / Voulez-Vous]" should not be merged into "[http://musicbrainz.org/release-group/e66b255d-04c5-39e9-8f79-dd303df44cac.html Waterloo]" or "[http://musicbrainz.org/release-group/7401fb97-46e6-32cd-bd59-6c49debaa3ae.html Voulez-Vous]".
See the [[Disambiguation Comment|page about comments]] for more information.


=== Annotation ===
=== I have a "pop" soundtrack, a score, and an expanded score from a movie, should they be merged? ===
See the [[Annotation|page about annotations]] for more information.

No, just because they are all related to the same movie doesn't necessarily mean that they should all belong in the same release group. Using "The Matrix" as an example, the database has it's [http://musicbrainz.org/release-group/0db759e0-170e-35fb-b30d-1f9c3ee4e58f.html score], it's [http://musicbrainz.org/release-group/ecba38bc-a90c-3b4e-a988-afe01d1191eb.html deluxe edition] (a.k.a. expanded score), and it's "[http://musicbrainz.org/release-group/a3c0fafc-63a8-3cf5-95ac-d11292e04890.html pop]" soundtrack; they should all be kept separate.

== Use of Attributes ==

=== Title ===
The title of a release group should be the title of its individual releases, removing [[Extra Title Information]] added due to [[Disc Number Style]], [[Volume Number Style]] etc.

=== Type ===
The types of a release group are the same as those possible for [[Release Type]] and should normally be the same as all of the releases in that group. This may not always be the case. It is OK for a bonus disc EP, remix, live disc etc to be inside the same "Album" release group as the accompanying album disc.


[[Category:Terminology]] [[Category:Release Group]] [[Category:Release]]
[[Category:Terminology]] [[Category:Release Group]] [[Category:WikiDocs Page]]

Revision as of 13:16, 5 July 2012

A release group, just as the name suggests, is used to group several different releases into a single logical entity. Every release belongs to one, and only one release group.

Both release groups and releases are "albums" in a general sense, but with an important difference: a release is something you can buy as media such as a CD or a vinyl record, while a release group embraces the overall concept of an album -- it doesn't matter how many CDs or editions/versions it had.

When an artist says "We've released our new album", they're talking about a release group. When their publisher says "This new album gets released next week in Japan and next month in Europe", they're referring to the different releases that belong in the above mentioned release group.

MusicBrainz automatically considers every release in the database to be part of a release group, even if this group only contains the one release. When a brand new release is added to the database, a new release group is automatically added as well.

Examples

  • Transplant's single "Diamonds and Guns" is a single release inside its own group.
  • Weezer's "Weezer" (Red Album) has ten editions in the database, some releases from different countries, some deluxe editions, and one transliteration.
  • Franz Ferdinand's "Tonight: Franz Ferdinand" was issued on its own, with a bonus disc, and on two vinyl records.
  • A 3 disc self-titled compilation by "Nirvana".
  • Mozart's 9 volume, 170 disc "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Complete Works" box set, or Enya's 3 disc box set "A Box of Dreams".
  • Blind Guardian's "Nightfall in Middle-Earth" was first released in 1998 and then remastered with a bonus track in 2007
  • The musical "My Fair Lady" (Original London Cast) was originally released on vinyl in 1959 and on CD in 1998.

Style guidelines

Please see the guidelines for release groups.

Properties

Title

The title of a release group is usually very similar, if not the same, as the titles of the releases contained within it.

Artist

The artist of a release group is usually very similar, if not the same, as the artist of the releases contained within it. Multiple artists can be linked using artist credits.

Type

The type describes what kind of releases the release group represents, for example album, single, soundtrack, compilation etc.

See the Type subpage for a full list of release group types.

MBID

See the page about MBIDs for more information.

Disambiguation comment

See the page about comments for more information.

Annotation

See the page about annotations for more information.