[mb-users] ClassicalReleaseArtistStyle: "Primary" artist

[Frederic Da Vitoria]

2007/1/7, Andrew Conkling <andrew.conkling at gmail.com>:
> I have a question about the Classical Release Artist Style on the wiki.
>
> "In cases where a release features a single performer or group and
> contains works from multiple composers, that performer or group may be
> designated the ReleaseArtist..."
>
> On a release (http://musicbrainz.org/show/release/?releaseid=225332),
> it was decided to put the pianist as the release artist
> (http://musicbrainz.org/show/edit/?editid=5987468, also see
> http://musicbrainz.org/show/edit/?editid=5988159), even though three
> tracks are a concerto with an orchestra.
>
> Another release:
> http://musicbrainz.org/show/release/?releaseid=579782, where the
> Quartet plays on all tracks, but with extra (different) performers on
> all but one track.
>
> I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on this style. As
> Pianissimo84 noted, it seems to hinge on the word "features" in the
> description.

About release 225332, the only common performer is Richter, so
choosing Richter as primary artist is possible. I agree, that the
cover puts Kleiber to the same level as Richter, but Kleiber does not
perform on a good part of the release... I disagree with Pianissimo
about the word performer, I believe it would be too dangerous to base
a rule on so ambiguous a term. I'd rather use a more objective
criterion such as "single performer who appears on all the tracks".

Thus, Richter would apply, and so does the Takács Quartet, "saved" by
the 6th track. But here, the criterion seems so flimsy (one small
track, which does not even appear on the first cover) that I don't
really feel even my "objective" criterion applies.

-- 
Frederic Da Vitoria