[mb-style] [Clean up CSG] Release Title

[Jim DeLaHunt]

Aaron:


Aaron Cooper-3 wrote:
> 
> When classical discs are reissued with new cover art or new "spellings" of
> the works on the disc,
> http://wiki.musicbrainz.org/ClassicalReleaseTitleStyle provides a means of
> grouping them all together under one release with a common release title
> derived from the works on the release in a specified format.
> 
> Otherwise we might get the following:
> 
> Symphonies Nos. 1, 2, 3
> Symphonies Nos. 1-2-3
> Beethoven: Symphonies No. 1 / No. 2 / No. 3
> Symphonies 1-3
> ... and so on.
> 
> ClassicalReleaseTitleStyle let's us group these all under one release
> (assuming same performers and same recording) as "Symphonies Nos. 1-3".
> 

It sounds like the problem you are describing is: There is a classical
release R1, with a title T1 (e.g. "Symphonies Nos. 1, 2, 3"), and some
publisher publishes that same set of recordings as release R2, with a
slightly modified title T2 (e.g. "Symphonies 1-3").  MusicBrainz user A
enters R1 into MB, using T1 as the basis for the ReleaseTitle. MusicBrainz
user B has release R2, and wants to enter it into MusicBrainz. We want user
B to recognise the MB record for R1 and reuse it, instead of adding a second
MB record for R2 just to get the ReleaseTitle to exactly match T2.  

So just how often do we really run into this problem?  How often to
publishers put arbitrary, non-meaningful differences into titles of what are
the same recorded tracks?  How big a disruption is it to MB's database to
have ReleaseTitles based on those different T1s and T2s?

The bigger the real problem, the more important that we overrule the Release
publisher's title with a MB-dictated title. Conversely, if it's not that big
of a problem, I think we make MB simpler to use by using the Release
publisher's title as the basis for our ReleaseTitle.


Aaron Cooper-3 wrote:
> 
> "The Five Symphonies" seems like a more "real" title than "Symphony  
> Nos. 1-5"... but it only identifies the works on the disc.  Both  
> titles ultimately mean the same thing.  It wouldn't bother me if we  
> decided to change what's printed ("The Five Symphonies") to  
> "Symphonies Nos. 1-5".  Something like "The Quiet Symphonies" or "The
> Relaxing Quartets" or something that doesn't simply identify the work
> numbers I would think we'd keep.  If the printed title is just  
> identifying the pieces on the disc, I don't see why we can't take some  
> creative liberties and format the title to follow our style guidelines.
> 

What ClassicalReleaseTitleStyle says now is, "...For ClassicalMusic, the
MainTitle is typically the name of the MusicalWork or works on the Relase.
..."  There is no clear statement that it's ever OK to use the Release
publisher's wording as the basis for the ReleaseTitle.

What I hear Brian and Aaron both pointing to is a rule of the form: if the
publisher's title for the Release meets a certain test, use as the
MainTitle. Otherwise, construct a MainTitle out of the names of the
MusicalWork or works on the Release, according to the following rules.

I think it's possible to come up with various tests to use for that "certain
test", e.g.
* a publisher's title uses wording that is more than a description of the
works on the Release, so "The Quiet Symphonies" passes but "The Five
Symphonies" fails, or
* a publisher's title uses wording that is more than an enumeration of the
works on the release, so "The Five Symphonies" or "The Quiet Symphonies"
passe, but "Symphonies 1-5" fails, 
* any publisher's title passes, unless it's downright absent, so "Symphonies
1-5" or "Symphony 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5" passes, but if the publisher just
labelled the release "Mozart" it fails.

I suggest you avoid the term '"real" title', because that leads into
unnecessary value judgements about what titles are supposed to. Consider
using wording like 'descriptive' or 'enumeration'.

I personally don't have strong feelings about what test to use, i.e. where
to draw the line. I don't see the problem with allowing ReleaseTitles to be
more inconsistent than TrackTitles.  I do strongly support changing
ClassicalReleaseTitleStyle to allow MainTitle to be the publisher's wording
when the publisher clearly does something beyond listing the works on the
release.

My 2¢,

-----
     -- http://jdlh.com/ Jim DeLaHunt , Vancouver, Canada  • 
http://wiki.musicbrainz.org/JimDeLaHunt

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