Master Release Introduction
16.1. Master Release is a display function
that gathers two or more matching releases together. It can be thought of as
a folder that holds two or more Discogs releases. An example would be gathering
several versions of an album, such as Michael
Jackson - Off The Wall. Master Release does not change the data of the contained
releases.
Guidelines For Master Releases
16.2.1. Releases that match two or more of
the following will probably be eligible to belong to the same Master Release:
- Has the same artwork (including derivatives)
- Has the same tracklisting
- Has the same release title (including translations)
- Is a re-release, promo, colored vinyl edition, special edition, instrumental
version, remix, or other such variation
Additionally, the release has to have matching release format descriptions,
from the following list:
- Album - For example, CD, Vinyl, Cassette version of the same album
- Mini-Album
- EP - For example, the white label version and the full version.
- Single including Maxi Single - all versions should be bundled in the Master
Release, including Maxi and Remix versions. For example, Madonna's "Deeper
And Deeper" Master Release includes all versions, including the
double
12" remix promo version.
- Releases without any of the above format types can be put in with any
other of the above format types, or in it's own Master Release.
16.2.2. Master Release is intended to contain
as many releases as reasonable. For example, the tracklisting can vary (sometimes
radically), but there should be an obvious connection between the releases.
However, releases shouldn't be forced into a Master Release - if the addition
of a release to a MR is contentious, confusing, or difficult, then it should
probably not be part of the Master Release in question.
16.2.3. A release can only belong to one Master
Release. If a release partially belongs to two or more Master Releases, it should
not be added to them. For example:
- Releases that combine two albums can't be on the same Master Release
as the individual albums
- Versions of singles billed as double A sides, where one of the tracks
is different, can't be on the same Master Release. For example Laid
Back - White Horse / So Wie So can't be on the same Master Release
as Laid Back - White
Horse.
Viewing Master Releases
16.3. There are two ways that Master Releases
can be viewed;
A Master Release can be seen on Artist and Label pages as the release title
followed by an arrow and the number of versions in gray:
On the artist page, the display gathers the releases in a particular section
of an artist page (for example, Remixes), that are also in the same Master
Release. The most popular label of all the versions is displayed, followed
by a "..." to indicate there are more.
On the label page, Master Release is only used to gather together releases
that have the same catalog number. For example, two releases with the catalog
number ABC-001 that are in a Master release with be gathered together on the
label page. However, if there is a third release in the Master Release with
the catalog number ABC-001P, that will not be gathered with the other releases
on the label page view.
Clicking the arrow or gray 'versions' text will expand the list on the page,
so you can see the items that are in that master release under that section:
Clicking the title will take you to the second way a Master Release can be
viewed, the Master Release page itself:
The Master Release page lists all the releases contained in that Master Release,
together with things like the artist and release title, an image, tracks,
date, genre etc. There is a link to the Master Release on each individual
release that is part of it. You can also find Master Releases in the search
results.
Creating A Master Release
16.4. To create a new Master Release, click
Edit then Create Master Release in the artist page 'Discography'
header (you can't create Master Releases on label pages).
A panel will open at the bottom of the page (it stays fixed as you scroll
the page) and a tickbox will appear next to each release:
Select each release you want to add to the Master Release, and they will
appear in the "Contained Releases" panel at the bottom. The radio
buttons on the left side of the list are used to select which one is the Key
Release. This release is the one which we take the release title and image
from for the Master Release display:
Try to select the Key Release that best represents the title and image for
all the releases in the master release, with the title taking priority. The
tracklisting will also be taken from this release for display on the Master
Release page - this is only a temporary measure until we code in the extraction
of all track titles on all versions of the release, so please don't place
very much importance on this at the moment.
After the list of releases is completed to your satisfaction, add a submission
note if needed (this is NOT required for Master Release, but please use it
if you want to mention anything to other users), and click "Create".
The system will run some error check on the format descriptions, and if all
is well, reload the page with the Master Release there.
If you copy a release to draft that is part of a Master Release, the draft
will retain the association.
Editing A Master Release
16.5.1. To edit a Master Release; From the
artist page, click on the on the triangle that appears on the right hand side
of the release list when you mouse over the Master Release, then select Edit
this Master Release:
The panel will open at the bottom of the page with the MR data populated there.
You can now add or remove releases from the Master Release or change the Key
Release. Click save to complete the edit.
16.5.2. For advanced users, there is also a
"Edit Master Release" link in the gray box on the history/edit page
of the Master Release. This allows you to enter release numbers directly, and
edit the notes:
Deleting A Master Release
16.6. To delete a Master Release, use the "Edit
Master Release" link on the Master Release page, and remove all of the
releases. At preview, it will detect you are doing a delete, and the preview
will warn you. Submit to continue with removing it.
Related Topics:
