[mb-style] Band name changes (was [mb-devel] Panic! at the Disco)

[Lauri Watts]

On Tue, Mar 18, 2008 at 4:53 PM, Olivier <viapanda at gmail.com> wrote:
 > Hello Nick,
 >
 >  Probably the users list is more appropriate for such a question.
 >
 >
 >  As for the question itself :-]
 >  No, there are no such AR.
 >
 >  IMHO, both these artist entries should be merged into one (but the
 >  last word on this usually is for subscribers...), and an alias added
 >  for the alternative spelling.
 >
 >  Relevant documentation here:
 >  http://wiki.musicbrainz.org/SameArtistWithDifferentNames
 >
 >  there is some (admittedly sparse) information about *groups* changing
 >  their name down the page.
 >
 I honestly think we need to actually discuss this properly.

 I disagree that bands that _just_ change their name can be identified
 by their common lineups, but there are a lot of people who will want
 to keep the discographies under each name separate.

 I understand some people don't like the idea, but fact is we're
 already using the 'performs as' AR with dates for some of these, and
 it is apparently both working and making sense to people.

 Obviously there are a lot of bands that do change lineup and music
 style along with a name change (and indeed, that is often the reason
 for the name change itself).  But there are a lot of bands that do it
 for marketing purposes alone, especially bands that change their name
 once they start to achieve some success internationally.  So long as
 the guideline is clear (oh come on, we can manage one guideline that's
 actually clear, surely :)

 So, I _really_ think we need to have an AR for these situations.

 The options as I see them:
 1) Formalise the fact that the DB is already seeing use of the
 'performs as' AR, and emphasise the use of dates if possible.
 2) A new 'is also known as' AR just for bands (or 'changed their name
 to, it's worked fine for labels)

 And a guideline that says something like:

 "To be used in cases where a band changed their name only, between
 releases, with no accompanying lineup or musical style change.  This
 AR should only be used for completely consistent name changes, where
 all releases for a given period used one name, and the change to the
 new name was entire."

 And a couple of examples that spring to mind where this absolutely
 makes sense (for discussion purposes):

 * Martha and the Vandellas -> Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
 Because of a label policy to 'pump' the lead performer, all their
 releases before 1967 are 'Martha and' and all their releases after are
 'Martha Reeves and...'.  Currently they are merged into the original
 name, and get re-merged on pretty much a weekly basis, but nearly all
 their later work, and certainly almost all their appearances on cd
 compilations actually have Martha Reeves, not just Martha.

 * Teddybears STHLM -> Teddybears
 Changed when they got an international record deal, apparently the
 STHLM at the end was found to be unwieldy, and international audiences
 weren't familiar with it as an abbreviation for Stockholm the way
 Swedish audiences are.  Currently both names are present, and
 connected with a 'performs as' AR.

 * Covenant -> The Kovenant
 A border case.  The band were forced to change their name due to a
 lawsuit from the other (arguably better known) band of the name.  The
 change did
 accompany a shift in musical style, but the band had been evolving
 anyway (you can hear the progression if you listen to the albums
 chronologically) and there were lineup changes, but this is a band
 which saw several lineup changes between their other albums too.
 Currently all their music is filed under 'The Kovenant' which means we
 keep having to shift or merge dupes that get filed under Covenant
 (because, users naturally put them there, it _is_ what's on the cover)

 Alexkiel had a similar one,

 Personally I don't see a problem with the 'performs as' AR, but I
 don't either have a problem creating a new AR to use for this.  I do
 feel we need to do something to deal with the 'but that isn't the name
 the album was released by' issue, and either answer would work for me.

 Note also I'm not talking about cases where albums are released or
 reissued with one band member's name getting prominence they never had
 during their active career (The 'Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music' problem),
 only those that actually affect albums released by the band during
 their recording career.

 --
 Lauri Watts