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Topic: Different artists sharing the same name (Read 3085 times) previous topic - next topic
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Different artists sharing the same name

Hello, fellow foobar2000 users,

I am opening this thread to ask how you guys have configured your foobar2000 to distinguish different artists who share the same name. Discogs, for example, lists them as Artist (1), Artist (2) and so on, but I think of this approach as rather impractical -- so I'm open to suggestions.

Thank you.

Different artists sharing the same name

Reply #1 –
Maybe you can differentiate them by birthdate, place of birth

Different artists sharing the same name

Reply #2 –
Quote from: .halverhahn on
Maybe you can differentiate them by birthdate, place of birth

Sorry, but I can't possibly tag my entire library with that info. Of course, I know which album is by which 'version' of the artist, I just want them listed separately in my foobar2000's Album List.

Different artists sharing the same name

Reply #3 –
Discogs separates same-name items by item (1), item (2), ..., item (n) as a single method of handling clashes in an array.
You --the administrator and God of his own personal library-- don't need to follow a single-method paradigm.

Using foobar2000, you have multiple choices of how to handle and view items; you can group; you can split; you can append; you can prefix, etc etc

You can have multiple values in the <artist> tag which will show up as multiple entry points in your Library filters.

Having said that, there is one feature missing from current foobar2000 DUI which, in my opinion, would enhance the exploration of a complex mass of items. . . . color
Using colors, you can define complex structures in ways which allow the eye to rapidly target and separate qualities of things. This is the same reason that programmers use text editors with syntax-highlighting. Every day I cross my fingers and wish that Peter would bite the bullet and allow color to be used across the board in this program.

Different artists sharing the same name

Reply #4 –
you could do something similar to what musicbrainz does...

Quote
Ivy (released "Drei Träume")                  
Ivy (Dream Pop Band)          
Ivy (performs on "Jetzt oder nie" by Bligg)            
IVY (Korean pop artist)


i wouldn't edit the artist tags but add my own custom tag and have album list display that in addition to the artist.

Different artists sharing the same name

Reply #5 –
Here's the deal. This EP, for example, should appear under both Leech and Long Distance Calling (ALBUM ARTIST=Leech; Long Distance Calling // %<ALBUM ARTIST>% in the library). Leech also have multiple solo albums who should appear under the same tree as that EP (except that the EP would also appear under Long Distance Calling's tree). However, there are other artists name Leech in my library, and I want their releases to appear under completely separate trees.

What would be the most convenient way to achieve this? Have any of you guys faced a similar situation when dealing with your libraries?

Different artists sharing the same name

Reply #6 –
I don't use Album List (library viewer), but doesn't it allow conditional title-formatting views based on $meta(album artist,0), $meta(album artist,1) etc?

Another method is...
change this: ALBUM ARTIST=Leech; Long Distance Calling
to this: ALBUM ARTIST=Leech (Long Distance Calling); Long Distance Calling (Leech); Leech (DEU); Long Distance Calling (DEU)       <<<< using 3-letter country codes

At the end of the day, the band named Leech can blame themselves for using a name which is common to so many other artists. Therefore, since they chose such a name, they are destined to be filed away in a user's collection under the name Leech (DEU) . The music collector does not have to remain faithful to this band's literal name.

Different artists sharing the same name

Reply #7 –
Quote from: Dario on
Discogs, for example, lists them as Artist (1), Artist (2) and so on, but I think of this approach as rather impractical...

Discogs' tagging approach, via foo_discogs, which I use, seems to work ok for these cases. I'm afraid I don't see how it could be considered "impractical".
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Different artists sharing the same name

Reply #8 –
I don't think that I had such problem before. But I think it wouldn't be hard to deal with. My music is in general sorted in filesystem. Highest level directory is named after the real artist name (let's say "Krzysztof Prętkiewicz"). Inside you can find several subdirectories with his projects ("Nitrous Oxide", "3rd Moon") and inside them there are directories with singles, eps, albums, etc. Mainly bands have a distinguishable leader. It is quite often that this leader leads or plays/sings in several other projects/bands. If you don't like leader you can create folder named after main vocalist or guitarist (why not drummer?) and put inside such folder subdirectories named after bands that he/she sings/plays. So you can create for example main directory for Maynard James Keenan (your favorite vocalist for example) and put there subs for Tool and APC. So everything is sorted in filesystem. Then you just drag everything into foobar and foobar sorts it as in fs. If you want to search (on playlist or in library) for exact band name - you just search for exact leader/singer/guitarist/drummer/etc name and band name, for example "maynard tool" - and you'll get only one Tool, despite there are several artists named like that and you can hold them all on your HDD. Even if there are 3 bands named the same and none of their members is involved in other projects, you can still choose one member's surname, create top directory named after him and just put there all albums/singles/tracks recorded by his only one band. And it will still help you with foobar's searching and sorting. And you will never have albums from different bands mixed together - because band members can be very different, those albums can be placed on very far positions of playlist (if you just sort it alphabetically - as in your file system).