[mb-style] Composition/Performer/Production ARs at Release or Track level?

[Chad Wilson]

Barry Platt wrote:
> Following the recent server upgrade, it is very easy to add such ARs to
> multiple tracks on a release in a single operation.  So now an editor is
> faced with two possibilities when adding ARs to a release - assign to
> the release level, or assign to tracks.  My understanding is that the
> former means the AR is relevant to all tracks on the release, so
> assigning release-level ARs is considered equivalent to assigning to all
> tracks.  
I think we need to nix this assumption completely. I believe it to be 
completely incorrect and dangerous to assume this. While Picard does 
exhibit this behaviour in the way it propagates release ARs to tracks, I 
(and many other editors) wholely object to the notion that this is what 
should be understood by a release level AR in the DB.

It should mean "applies to the release, or possibly some of the tracks 
on the release, maybe all". Definitely NOT implicitly assumed to apply 
to all. If people add them to the release level when they mean "all 
tracks"; it's no big deal as removing the assumption doesn't preclude it 
from being true that it applies to all tracks.

If we were to assume applied to all it completely removes the 
possibility of using release-level ARs in the way they are often 
credited on releases (as you give an example of), where it doesn't 
always explicitly say that /every/ track is produced or composed by 
someone. Sometimes a release says "Produced by Artist A and Artist B", 
where in reality tracks say 1-5 and 7 were produced by A and tracks 6 
and 9-10 were produced by B. This information may not be known at time 
of edition, but if it's credited at release level, I think we should be 
able to represent it in a structure way until the truth is known.

We can't allow both the above situation AND having ARs implicitly apply 
to all tracks; and given we can relatively easily apply the ARs to each 
track if they apply that way, I think we should do it and can't quite 
see why we'd argue they shouldn't be at that level.

As you mention, referring to the earlier style thread, many release AR 
types are fundamentally invalid at the track level, and for others it's 
arguable whether they are track or release level (mean different things 
across genres, even) and it'd lead to inconsistency if for some AR types 
it meant they applied to ALL tracks, but some not.

I consider that ArtistRoleInheritance be largely ignored. The last time 
it were touched was this time 2 years ago, and many, many things have 
changed in the MB project, server software and future plans since then.

Chad / voiceinsideyou