Compilations & how to list them

[haste]

In the new version of the site I'm splitting compilations from "releases" so that artist & person release pages aren't full of compilation listings.

 

So, the question is what constitutes a compilation and what info should be displayed on the compilation page?

 

This is obviously a compilation

http://www.rolldabeats.com/release/suburban_base_records/prlp1201/

 

But is this one?

http://www.rolldabeats.com/release/ffrr/828783_1/

 

Would it be fair to say that everything listed under "various artists" here would be a compilation?

http://www.rolldabeats.com/artist/dillinja/releases/sort_by_artist/asc

 

And on to the compilation page. It would look very similar to the release page. However, should it include the artist name (as this will surely always be "various artists") and should it list which tunes are featured by the artist on the compilation?

[Phokus]

I wouldn't say things like Platinum Breaks or the Metalheadz tin box set are necessarily a compilation - it's a label oriented release, rather than an artist oriented release, and features a lot of new rather than re-released tracks.

 

If tracks have been released elsewhere, and are drawn from a variety of labels, I'd call that a compilation...

[Logic]

If tracks have been released elsewhere, and are drawn from a variety of labels, I'd call that a compilation...

 

This is a sensible criterion. If the majority of the tracks on the LP are not previously released, then it's not a compilation. Compilations are probably best thought of as media for collecting together a bunch of previously-released tunes

[Logic]

As for how the page should be displayed, this is less clear. Should mixed compilations be considered 'compilations'? Or would they be classified more like a mixtape/tracklist would be? If they're compilations, then you'd maybe want the DJ mixing the tunes to go in artist name, but this could probably be accomplished some other way

 

One thing maybe worth considering: I feel like compilations are notorious for fucking up the track/artist name/info. This sort of thing is normally in the 'notes'/'comments' section of a page, but perhaps for compilations it really deserves its own field? That is, maybe each track on a compilation can be associated with a field for "Written as X on the sleeve/label"? Perhaps the artists as well?

[haste]

This is a sensible criterion. If the majority of the tracks on the LP are not previously released, then it's not a compilation. Compilations are probably best thought of as media for collecting together a bunch of previously-released tunes

Sounds fair enough. I totally agree on this point but just wanted to see what people thought

 

As for how the page should be displayed, this is less clear. Should mixed compilations be considered 'compilations'? Or would they be classified more like a mixtape/tracklist would be? If they're compilations, then you'd maybe want the DJ mixing the tunes to go in artist name, but this could probably be accomplished some other way

 

One thing maybe worth considering: I feel like compilations are notorious for fucking up the track/artist name/info. This sort of thing is normally in the 'notes'/'comments' section of a page, but perhaps for compilations it really deserves its own field? That is, maybe each track on a compilation can be associated with a field for "Written as X on the sleeve/label"? Perhaps the artists as well?

There are going to be mixes appearing on artist pages in the future when I get the tracklist section sorted (along with mp3 downloads) so I think it would be confusing to put mix CDs in there as well. In my eye a CD release featuring a mix is a compilation.

 

I had thought of adding the notes thing in there to show when we've changed the listing slightly. Have added it to the list of stuff to do and see if we can fit in for go-live with the new db