Style/Principle/Error correction and artist intent: Difference between revisions

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As a general rule, MusicBrainz editors should correct spelling and punctuation and, to a lesser extent, grammar errors in [[Artist_Name|artists' names]], as well as the [[Style/Titles|titles]] of [[Work|works,]] [[Recording|recordings,]] [[Track|tracks]] and [[Release|releases]]. However, this rule does '''not''' apply if it can be shown that an [[Artist|artist]] intentionally used unorthodox spelling, punctuation or grammar.
Artist intent describes whether an artist intended the [[Artist Name|ArtistName]], [[Release Title|ReleaseTitle]] or [[Track Title|TrackTitle]] to contradict the language they're in (e.g. spelling errors) or state something that would contradict the [[Style Guideline|StyleGuideline]]<code><nowiki></nowiki></code>s.


==Error Correction==
Artist intent is a very fundamental concept, however, it is not clearly defined at all. The general idea (as stated in the [[Style Principle|StylePrinciple]]<code><nowiki></nowiki></code>s) is that, if an [[Artist|artist]] intended something to be written in a very special way, then [[MusicBrainz]] should follow this intent. Unfortunately it is very difficult to find out what an artist intended. [[Artist Intent Vs Facts|ArtistIntentVsFacts]] discusses this problem in more detail.


There are many cases of record companies incorrectly reproducing titles or even artist names, or breaking generally accepted rules of usage for stylistic purposes. In such cases it often makes sense to fix errors and standardize irregularities, valuing correct spelling, punctuation and grammar over faithfulness to the printed release cover. When the correction might be confusing, adding an annotation is encouraged.
If you want to claim that some deviation of the [[Official Style Guideline|OfficialStyleGuideline]]<code><nowiki></nowiki></code>s should be considered artist intent, the burden of proof lies upon you. You are encouraged to discuss the issue on the [[Users Mailing List|UsersMailingList]].


A common example of error that should be fixed is tracks being printed in the incorrect order on a release's packaging. The release tracklist should match the real (rather than printed) order, and a note explaining the issue should be added to the release annotation.
==Agreed Upon Artist Names==


===Examples===
The [[MusicBrainz]] community has agreed that the following [[Artist Name|ArtistName]]<code><nowiki></nowiki></code>s are considered to be styled this way according to the artist's intent:
* [http://musicbrainz.org/artist/5579a23d-c411-4930-987d-ff89d77c1c12.html 2raumwohnung] (all lowercase)
* [http://musicbrainz.org/artist/675c1c5e-5625-4a5e-97a2-b02aab5db2fc.html k.d. lang] (all lowercase)
* [http://musicbrainz.org/artist/7364dea6-ca9a-48e3-be01-b44ad0d19897.html a-ha] (all lowercase)
* [http://musicbrainz.org/artist/ef6e2e49-aa93-41bd-89b0-8c7d2f260a83.html lostprophets] (all lowercase)
* [http://musicbrainz.org/artist/f5248869-2609-43db-8234-3065e11f1e1a.html locomotor ataxia] (all lowercase, for artist name, release titles, and track titles) (Questions see edit [http://musicbrainz.org/show/edit/?editid=6892422 6892422])


* [[release:5c7a551d-172f-41cc-8c45-001fe4c2a8df|"State of Mind"]] by [[artist:b847e9d2-c931-4daf-900c-42c7b2c42e16|Front Line Assembly]] (artist name misspelled on cover and CD)
==Exception: Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar==
* [[release:d6213baf-e959-4817-9fa2-3ce97f131678|"The Beatles"]] (inconsistent capitalization of track titles on gatefold interior)
* [[release:15ff481d-0857-46d3-94ce-eee09c36f4bc|"EPs 1988-1991"]] by [[artist:8ca01f46-53ac-4af2-8516-55a909c0905e|My Bloody Valentine]] (incorrect apostrophe in release title on spine)
* [[release:6f39c99c-8268-4c1a-982b-871ece7841dc|"Christmas in Carolina"]] by [[artist:89ad4ac3-39f7-470e-963a-56509c546377|Various Artists]] (tracks swapped/in the incorrect order on packaging)


==Artist Intent==
'''As a general rule, we do correct spelling and punctuation and, to a lesser extent, grammar errors in titles'''.


Artists sometimes choose to present names and titles in ways that deliberately contradict the rules of the language they're in (e.g. unorthodox spellings) and/or the MusicBrainz [[Style|Style Guidelines]]. To describe the way we handle such choices, we use the term "artist intent." The general idea is that if an artist intended something to be written in a special way, then MusicBrainz should follow that intent.
[[Image:Alert.png]] This rule does '''not''' apply if it can be shown that the '''intent''' (see above) was for the spelling, punctuation or grammar to be incorrect.


Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find out what an artist intended. If you want to claim that some deviation from the Style Guidelines should be considered artist intent, the burden of proof lies on you. A seeming error may be considered evidence of artist intent if it is consistently found on all of an artist's official releases. The best evidence would be a statement of intent by the artist (e.g. [[edit:6892422|edit 6892422]]).
===Additional notes===


Common issues that can be attributed to ignorance or lack of care rather than actual intent, such as using ASCII rather than Unicode punctuation or using English capitalization in languages where sentence case is correct, require proof of intent before they are treated as such (for example, most bands in the world consistently use ASCII apostrophes because that's all their keyboards have, but that should still be corrected to the preferred Unicode apostrophe unless the band has explicitly claimed they dislike them and actively choose the ASCII ones).
"By intent" usually means one of the following:
* The artist themselves stated their intent.
* There is unambiguous consensus in the community that the artist wanted it this way.
* A certain misspelling is consistently found in all (official) releases of the artist.


Words in Latin script used in Japanese releases present a special case and are generally treated as artist intent; see the [[Style/Language/Japanese|Japanese style guidelines]] for more information.
Note: ''Unfortunately, proving artist intent can be somewhat difficult and so it is often up to the discretion of the editor. If you are in doubt, discuss the issue via [[Edit Note|EditNote]]s.''

===Reasoning===

There are many cases of record companies making errors with track titles or even artist names (e.g. some of the ''Front Line Assembly'' releases), or creating new imaginary words for ''stylistic'' purposes. In such cases it often makes sense to fix the errors, valuing spelling and punctuation correctness over cover accuracy.


===Examples===
===Examples===


* [[artist:5579a23d-c411-4930-987d-ff89d77c1c12|2raumwohnung]], [[artist:7364dea6-ca9a-48e3-be01-b44ad0d19897|a‐ha]] and [[artist:675c1c5e-5625-4a5e-97a2-b02aab5db2fc|k.d. lang]] (artist names in all lowercase)
Some notable examples of titles that override the guidelines are: <dl><dt>Guns 'N' Roses
* [[artist:eeb1195b-f213-4ce1-b28c-8565211f8e43|Guns N' Roses]] (artist name spelled with N' instead of 'n')
<dd>It's been established that the N should always be capitalised per artist preference, as well as having the two apostrophes (which isn't technically incorrect anyway).
* [[artist:f5248869-2609-43db-8234-3065e11f1e1a|locomotor ataxia]] (all lowercase for artist name, release titles and track titles)
<dt>k.d. lang
* [[release:bde00408-bea6-4708-a200-8f7ecddcf0f9|MOTOMAMI]] (all uppercase for artist name and most titles, a somewhat popular choice in the early 2020s)
<dd>Her name should always be spelled with lower case.
* [[release:92b36219-760b-4f32-94f7-4e323e6d431d|eMOTIVe]] (unusual capitalization of release title)
<dt>聖なる鐘がひびく夜
* [[work:6b275557-c755-4bed-8735-70dff76a03a1|"Use ta Be My Girl"]] and [[work:4387e237-03c5-3d59-a602-0ba90d41f900|"Yer Blues"]] (unorthodox spellings in work titles)
<dd>

[http://www.musicbrainz.org/album/c7fbc003-556b-43b6-90e3-ae341370e243.html 聖なる鐘がひびく夜] by [http://www.musicbrainz.org/artist/3158237c-7e5d-451c-9106-bd20f20d581a.html タンポポ]. The titles of the three other versions of the song on the single are all solo versions by the group members named (Featuring <member last name>) on the release. They're not collaborations, just solo versions by the group members, so they're a nice example of when not to use the (feat. <artist>) format.
<dt>A Perfect Circle
<dd>


[http://www.musicbrainz.org/album/92b36219-760b-4f32-94f7-4e323e6d431d.html eMOTIVe] and [http://www.musicbrainz.org/album/98cdfb24-cbda-4702-99c1-d9c031d086c5.html aMOTION] is ArtistIntent by [http://www.musicbrainz.org/artist/078a9376-3c04-4280-b7d7-b20e158f345d.html A Perfect Circle] for "incorrect capitalization".
</dl>


{{StyleBox}}
[[Category:To Be Reviewed]] [[Category:Philosophy]] [[Category:Discussion]]
[[Category:WikiDocs Page]]

Latest revision as of 07:26, 11 March 2024

As a general rule, MusicBrainz editors should correct spelling and punctuation and, to a lesser extent, grammar errors in artists' names, as well as the titles of works, recordings, tracks and releases. However, this rule does not apply if it can be shown that an artist intentionally used unorthodox spelling, punctuation or grammar.

Error Correction

There are many cases of record companies incorrectly reproducing titles or even artist names, or breaking generally accepted rules of usage for stylistic purposes. In such cases it often makes sense to fix errors and standardize irregularities, valuing correct spelling, punctuation and grammar over faithfulness to the printed release cover. When the correction might be confusing, adding an annotation is encouraged.

A common example of error that should be fixed is tracks being printed in the incorrect order on a release's packaging. The release tracklist should match the real (rather than printed) order, and a note explaining the issue should be added to the release annotation.

Examples

Artist Intent

Artists sometimes choose to present names and titles in ways that deliberately contradict the rules of the language they're in (e.g. unorthodox spellings) and/or the MusicBrainz Style Guidelines. To describe the way we handle such choices, we use the term "artist intent." The general idea is that if an artist intended something to be written in a special way, then MusicBrainz should follow that intent.

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find out what an artist intended. If you want to claim that some deviation from the Style Guidelines should be considered artist intent, the burden of proof lies on you. A seeming error may be considered evidence of artist intent if it is consistently found on all of an artist's official releases. The best evidence would be a statement of intent by the artist (e.g. edit 6892422).

Common issues that can be attributed to ignorance or lack of care rather than actual intent, such as using ASCII rather than Unicode punctuation or using English capitalization in languages where sentence case is correct, require proof of intent before they are treated as such (for example, most bands in the world consistently use ASCII apostrophes because that's all their keyboards have, but that should still be corrected to the preferred Unicode apostrophe unless the band has explicitly claimed they dislike them and actively choose the ASCII ones).

Words in Latin script used in Japanese releases present a special case and are generally treated as artist intent; see the Japanese style guidelines for more information.

Examples


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