Overview: Works, recordings, and releases
Works, recordings and releases distinguish the composition, captured performance and published edition of music.
Two performances of one composition are different recordings. One recording can then appear on several releases, and related editions can share a release-group relationship. These distinctions make credits and identifiers easier to interpret when a collection contains compilations, reissues or several performances of the same work.
Musical works
A musical work identifies a composition or other created musical material independently of the recordings and releases that express it.Music recordings
A music recording identifies distinct recorded audio that can occur on several releases and be encoded in multiple local resources.Music releases
A music release identifies an issued product and its media, track occurrences and release context rather than only the album’s general title.Release groups
A MusicBrainz release group gathers related release products under a common album or release concept while retaining each product’s identity.