album
Let an agent identify an album by artist, title and release, relay track lists, formats, dates and identifiers from catalogue sources, distinguish albums from singles, compilations and reissues, and separate the music sense from photo and stamp albums.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent identify an album by artist, title and release, relay track lists, formats, dates and identifiers from catalogue sources, distinguish albums from singles, compilations and reissues, and separate the music sense from photo and stamp albums.
A collection of audio recordings issued together as a single work, on vinyl, cassette, compact disc or as a digital release, usually longer than a single or an extended play and presented with a title, artwork and track order; albums are the main unit of recorded music catalogues and are identified by catalogue numbers and barcodes.
What it is for: Presenting a set of recordings as one work.
It can be identify the album and its releases; relay track list, format and date; distinguish studio, live, compilation and reissue albums; relay identifiers and catalogue sources.
Distinguishing features
Set of recordings as one work
Title, artwork and track order
Release with format and identifiers
Distinct from single and EP
What it looks like
A physical disc or tape in a sleeve or case with artwork, or a digital release with cover image.
Physical character
length: about 30-80 minutes - typical; formats set limits
tracks: about 8-20 tracks - typical
How it is recognised
Titled set of tracks by an artist or group
Catalogue number and barcode on physical releases
A photo album and a stamp album are different objects
Related models
is a kind of - in music metadata
contains - the recordings
is contrasted with - a shorter release
is confused with - another sense of the word
In practice
Families and kinds
studio albums
live albums
compilation and greatest hits albums
soundtrack albums
remix and split albums
reissues and deluxe editions
concept and double albums
Identifiers
catalogue number label specific
barcode EAN or UPC physical releases
MusicBrainz release group UUID metadata database
Standards and regulation
Copyright and neighbouring rights for recordings
Chart rules defining album eligibility
Metadata standards such as ISRC for tracks
Failure modes and hazards
Confusing releases, reissues and editions
Wrong track lists across regions
Copyright infringement
Also called
+22
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.album
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Identify Which album.
Identity.
Which
Artist and title.
Which
Which.
- Which album is meant, by whom, and which release or edition? definition
- Is the question about a music album or a photo or stamp album? boundary
Release
Releases and formats.
Release
Release.
- What releases, formats, dates and catalogue numbers exist? provenance
- Which entry fits the specific album? action
Content Tracks and credits.
Content.
Tracks
Track list.
Tracks
Tracks.
- What are the tracks, their order and durations? provenance
- Which entry fits a specific track? action
Credits
Credits.
Credits
Credits.
- Who performed, wrote and produced the album? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Context Reception and history.
Context.
Reception
Charts and reviews.
Reception
Reception.
- How did the album chart and how was it received, with sources? measurement
- Are reviews attributed? boundary
History
The album as a form.
History
History.
- How did the album develop as a format from 78s to streaming? provenance
- Which entry fits recorded music? action
Rights Rights and data.
Rights.
Copyright
Rights.
Copyright
Copyright.
- Which rights apply to an album and its tracks? provenance
- Which entry fits music copyright? action
Data
Metadata.
Data
Data.
- Which databases and identifiers describe albums? provenance
- Which entry fits music metadata? action
What the second pass must settle
- Should each album be a separate entry only?
- How should MusicBrainz and Discogs be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases including a stamp stockbook; should they be split off?