Overview: Albums and credits
Album organization uses artist roles, compilation relationships, disc numbering and detailed musical credits.
A track performer and an album artist need not be the same role. Compilations and multi-disc releases add grouping rules, while classical credits often distinguish several contributors to the work and performance. These pages describe the relationships needed to present an album coherently.
Album artists
Album-artist metadata supplies album-level credit and grouping context independently of each track’s performer credit.Compilation albums
A compilation album brings selected recordings into one release whose shared album context differs from the performer credits of individual tracks.Multi-disc albums
A multi-disc album uses disc and track coordinates to organize several media within one release without turning each disc into an unrelated album.Classical music credits
Classical music credits preserve the distinct roles of composer, conductor, ensemble, soloist and other contributors at work, recording and release scopes.