Level 1

11 points

Multiple Artists and Genres per Song

I listen to lots of electronic music, and I'm a professional DJ.

Electronic music is a very diverse and complex music category, and have lots of genres and sub-genres. Electronic music producers usually try to transpose genre boundaries, and they usually produce songs contained in two or more equally important genres. For instance, a track can be contained in the genres "house" and "techno", or "disco", "techno" and "acid".

Also, it's really very common that electronic music artists collaborate with each other. Songs produced in collaboration do not belong to one single artist, but to two or more. In this case, it's not correct to say that one is the main artist, and the others are second artists (collaborators, composers remixes, or whatever) - they all detain the same equal authorship status over the composed track.

The problem with iTunes is that it supports one single genre, and one single artist per song. Sure, there's the album artist, but, again, that doesn't apply to albums where multiple artists participate with equal importance. And using "V.A." or "Various Artists" in the song artist or album artist fields is ugly and useless - it doesn't say anything relevant.

I know that Smart Playlists and Grouping features can help alleviate this deficiency, but they don't solve them at all. They're not elegant and complete solutions. If you browse the iTunes library, you will still see tracks as having only one genre and one artist, which is very frustrating.

What I ask is really easy to implement. In fact, it wouldn't require to alter the existing ID3 and tag scheme. Just split artists and genres using a colon or semicolon character. For instance, in the "Artist" tag, iTunes can store the following:

"Christian Smith; Mark Broom; Renato Cohen"

and then, in the browser, iTunes could display "Christian Smith", "Mark Broom" and "Renato Cohen" as three distinct artists.

The same could be used for the "Genre" tag:

"Techno; House; Progressive"

could be see, in the browser, as three different genres: "Techno", "House" and "Progressive".

I've made an extensive web research, and I know that this deficiency doesn't annoy only me, but lots of other users. And it's a pretty old request too - dated from 2003.

Please, Apple, implement this feature. My huge electronic music collection really needs to be categorized into multiple artists and multiple genres.

Thank you.

Posted on May 31, 2011 7:51 PM

73 replies

Apr 21, 2013 5:40 PM in response to felipead

+1 to this. THis feature is desperatley needed. Surely the genre field could just use a delimiter so if i typed Techno; House; Dance; the song would come up in three seperate genres on the genre browser. This would make life much better.

Feb 19, 2014 7:18 AM in response to felipead

To address the multiple genres issue, I have built a simple windows application that automates most of the process.

One has to manually add songs to different playlists, which represent the multiple genres. Then you run the app, and it grabs that info and puts it in the comments section of the song.

This allows you to build playlists based on the comments, which frees up space in your device since the genres playlists are not needed there. This is the main takeaway and why I build the app.

I have most of my music organized this way, my brother uses the app two, and we find it pretty handy!

A couple of my playlists:

Mix: Ambient (this is a subset of electronic genre)

Mix: Punk (subset of rock genre)

Mix: Upbeat public (a mix of various genres, excluding tags such as |Hard| or |Psycho|)

wackerow

Level 1

8 points

Feb 26, 2014 9:44 AM in response to felipead

A lot going on here so I apologize if I repeat ideas, just wanted to contribute:

- I agree with the need to correct this issue

- Smart lists are a current work-around (set genre to say "house", and then ANY track with a genre including house will be listed, even if the genre is "techno tech-house hip-hop high energy") ...This method ***** though

- On multiple artists: I like the tags idea. I want to have an Artists section of iTunes where it recognizes the names of individuals and organize them appropriately. ie: I have several songs where Pharrell is featured on the track, or produced the track. Right now "Pharrell" is nowhere to be found in the "P" section of my artist list because he's not the primary artist on any of those tracks. I'd love to be able to click on Pharrell in the artist list and see a brief artist profile and list ALL of my tracks that feature or include him in any way.

Tags would allow the same track to be "located" in different places, allowing tracks with multple contributors and complex genres to be located neatly and displayed appropriately for any user to find what they're looking for to please the moment with their tunes.

Just my two cents, I'll forward to Apple. Hope this changes =)

Delimiting the artist field is one way

Apr 26, 2014 6:13 PM in response to felipead

Ridiculous that Itunes is doing what it's doing with Genres, Artists, Features, Liner Notes, Producer Credits, Mix, Master information..

SHAME ON YOU...ITUNES.

you make money off the backs of everyone in the music industry

If you work at itunes, most likely you make more than 98% of musicians LIVING ON THE PLANET.

so it wouldn't hurt to give credit to those that are making the music or involved in any aspect of music creationg

remember, like every record did, every cassette, every CD,

it's a little bit of data. wake up and respect music. Your founder did.

Chris CA

Level 10

82,513 points

Apr 26, 2014 6:22 PM in response to billyzero

billyzero wrote:

Ridiculous that Itunes is doing what it's doing with Genres, Artists, Features, Liner Notes, Producer Credits, Mix, Master information..

SHAME ON YOU...ITUNES.

You will have to contact the labels as they, not Apple, are the ones who add all the info in these fields.

Apr 26, 2014 6:43 PM in response to Chris CA

un, no, i don't have time to SCHOOL you on this, I am a Voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. the people that put on the GRAMMY's. I have been a PRESIDENT, a Trustee for them as well. The metadata is messed up.

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/feb/27/itunes-composers-view

that's just one article, this is really easy. give the proper fields so they can be populated. it simply isn't that way now. so please don't act like it's the labels - IT IS NOT.

Chris CA

Level 10

82,513 points

Apr 26, 2014 7:14 PM in response to billyzero

billyzero wrote:

un, no, i don't have time to SCHOOL you on this

I DO have time to school you on this...

The metadata is messed up.

Okay, I never said it wasn't messed up.

The metadata is added by the labels using iTunes Producer then sent to Apple.

IF THE METADATA IS NOT THERE, THE LABEL DID NOT ADD IT!

Apple does not add/change the metadata any more than Best Buy/Walmart opens the CDs and rewrites the labels it on the CDs they sell.

Notice that article mentions iTunes in the title (aka clickbait) but iTunes or Apple is not mentioned anwywhere in the article?

I am a Voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. the people that put on the GRAMMY's. I have been a PRESIDENT, a Trustee for them as well

Wow! YOU ARE GREAT! Are you like, famous?

Dont know what you are talking about but still, great!

Apr 26, 2014 7:57 PM in response to Chris CA

Generally before you try to school someone you should go to school first and learn what you are trying to teach.

In this instance you are off base. it doesn't matter if i'm famous. I have met with some of the biggest names in the industry and have lobbied on Capital Hill in DC for the Grammy's on behalf of all artists. Something i'm sure you don't understand as you surely have too much time to post and SCHOOL people, and do what apple tells you to.

there are producer accounts, very good, so i guess you are paid by apple, or just always stick up for them,

One could purchase a physical album and see all of the following, NOT AVAILABLE IN ITUNES.....

who played drums (that is a person that should be famous),

who played guitar (that is a person that should be famous),

who played bass (that is a person that should be famous),

who played any instrument (that is a person that should be famous),

who mixed the record (that is a person that should be famous),

who mastered the record (that is a person that should be famous),

who is responsible for album artwork (that is a person that should be famous),

who wrote liner notes (that is a person that should be famous),

where the album was recorded (that is a studio that should be famous),

That is an issue, features are issues,

credits in general is an issue.

get over it, you are being disrespectful to artists everywhere. of which i am one.

Chris CA

Level 10

82,513 points

Apr 26, 2014 8:28 PM in response to billyzero

You should actually read a post before responding.

In this instance you are off base.

How so?

One could purchase a physical album and see all of the following, NOT AVAILABLE IN ITUNES.....

All this info would be great!

Why don't the music labels include this info when they send music to Apple?

Don't you have any connections with the music industry?

Why not get them to add this info? Isn't this what you are here complaining about?

there are producer accounts, very good, so i guess you are paid by apple, or just always stick up for them,

No idea what this means. I don't work for Apple and I'm not "sticking up for them". Just stating some simple facts that you seem to ignore (you are ranting and don't seem have a clue what I even wrote).

get over it,

Get over what?

The fact that music lables don't include useful info or credit musicians, songwriters, composers, they guy who played teh cowbell, etc?

I would really like to see this info.

Why won't the labels include it?

you are being disrespectful to artists everywhere. of which i am one.

How so?

Dont you want to be credited with your work?

Why won't the music labels add this info to iTunes songs?

More importantly, why aren't you lobbying the music labels to add this info to songs before they send them to Apple?

Apr 26, 2014 8:38 PM in response to felipead

Sorry leaving this thread, You obviously have no clue what you are talking about, and you even say so. You really are looking like someone who has NO CLUE in this space. Do you research before you comment, you have some sort of ego about your level 9 position and just want to post for post sake... people like you muddy the discussion and make people lose interest in a worthy fight.. you have no clue how moronic statements affect the progress. move on.

Chris CA

Level 10

82,513 points

Apr 26, 2014 8:53 PM in response to billyzero

billyzero wrote:

You obviously have no clue what you are talking about,

My posts were very clear, you should try reading them.

and make people lose interest in a worthy fight..

So now you dont want the labels to credit you? You are giving up the fight?

I would like the labels to include all the credits in iTunes songs!

Why don't they do it?

Why are you abandoning this issue?

Aren't you supposed to stick up for artists? Isn't that part of your position?

I have met with some of the biggest names in the industry and have lobbied on Capital Hill in DC for the Grammy's on behalf of all artists.

Yet you won't do anything to convince the labels to include important info in songs.

Isn't this exactly what you were complaining about a few posts ago? Artists not being credited?

Chris CA

Level 10

82,513 points

Apr 26, 2014 9:04 PM in response to billyzero

So you expect Apple to research who wrote, produced, sang, played background piano, etc. and edit the metadata to add this info that the music labels did not include?

Apple cannot add this info as it is copyright protected.

May 7, 2014 12:41 PM in response to felipead

I totally agreen, as I am also a big fan of electro music and there is this new song where there are four singers and I really quite like it but can't put all the artists names on this song on itunes and I think that it should be maybe a small improvement to make before innovating any further in products

Aug 26, 2014 6:06 PM in response to felipead

The best way I have found to do this, is to place the main artist and genre in the respective tag. Then under comments, I place any extra information. Then when searching, or using smart lists it will include this information. I also use it to tag the original artist on Cover songs. Example of a Comment Tag

----------------------

Featuring Artist2, Artist 3, and Artist 4

Cover of Arist

Subgenre, subgenre2, subgenre3

Originally on Album2 (I use this for compilations)

----------------------

Nov 26, 2015 11:50 AM in response to muzito

I have the Synology NAS device. It comes with a free web-based player. That player can distinguish different genres when you classify your song to more than one genre such as (jazz, instrumental, ). As simple as that. If you're looking for a player that can do that, then that's one solution.

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Multiple Artists and Genres per Song