Style/Principle/Error correction and artist intent: Difference between revisions
(Adding artist due to artist's own stated intent (Imported from MoinMoin)) |
Reosarevok (talk | contribs) m (→Artist Intent) |
||
| (23 intermediate revisions by 11 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
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. |
|||
==Error Correction== |
|||
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. |
|||
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. |
|||
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. |
|||
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. |
|||
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]]. |
|||
===Examples=== |
|||
==Agreed Upon Artist Names== |
|||
* [[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) |
|||
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: |
|||
* [[release:d6213baf-e959-4817-9fa2-3ce97f131678|"The Beatles"]] (inconsistent capitalization of track titles on gatefold interior) |
|||
* [http://musicbrainz.org/artist/5579a23d-c411-4930-987d-ff89d77c1c12.html 2raumwohnung] (all lowercase) |
|||
* [[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) |
|||
* [http://musicbrainz.org/artist/675c1c5e-5625-4a5e-97a2-b02aab5db2fc.html k.d. lang] (all lowercase) |
|||
* [[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) |
|||
* [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) |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
== |
==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|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. |
|||
Artist Intent is one of the most powerful arguments we have here so I think we need to define when exactly it applies. In many cases we're claiming "Artist Intent" based solely off an album cover or artist's official page, I know I do it all the time. But this leads to alot of people going against capitalization guidelines because the font on the CD cover doesn't use capitals anywhere, or vice versa. I think we all need to remember that as the most powerful argument in an edit, Artist Intent should be the one requireing the most proof. In many situations the artist intent is obvious such as Linkin Park's [http://musicbrainz.org/album/649e374f-2874-42f7-88a7-3eea4b8c25b8.html Reanimation] but we have to differentiate actual Artist Intent from a web or CD cover designer that thinks a certain font "looks cool". --[[User:Kerensky97|Kerensky97]] |
|||
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]]). |
|||
[[Category:To Be Reviewed]] [[Category:Philosophy]] [[Category:Discussion]] |
|||
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 [[Style/Language/Japanese|Japanese style guidelines]] for more information. |
|||
===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) |
|||
* [[artist:eeb1195b-f213-4ce1-b28c-8565211f8e43|Guns N' Roses]] (artist name spelled with N' instead of 'n') |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
* [[release:bde00408-bea6-4708-a200-8f7ecddcf0f9|MOTOMAMI]] (all uppercase for artist name and most titles, a somewhat popular choice in the early 2020s) |
|||
* [[release:92b36219-760b-4f32-94f7-4e323e6d431d|eMOTIVe]] (unusual capitalization of release title) |
|||
* [[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) |
|||
{{StyleBox}} |
|||
[[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
- "State of Mind" by Front Line Assembly (artist name misspelled on cover and CD)
- "The Beatles" (inconsistent capitalization of track titles on gatefold interior)
- "EPs 1988-1991" by My Bloody Valentine (incorrect apostrophe in release title on spine)
- "Christmas in Carolina" by Various Artists (tracks swapped/in the incorrect order on packaging)
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
- 2raumwohnung, a‐ha and k.d. lang (artist names in all lowercase)
- Guns N' Roses (artist name spelled with N' instead of 'n')
- locomotor ataxia (all lowercase for artist name, release titles and track titles)
- MOTOMAMI (all uppercase for artist name and most titles, a somewhat popular choice in the early 2020s)
- eMOTIVe (unusual capitalization of release title)
- "Use ta Be My Girl" and "Yer Blues" (unorthodox spellings in work titles)
