So, what would be the difference between a (the?) release country and a country in which is available? The label’s headquarters location? The artist’s area? The ISRC country?
In physical media, there is a legal, mostly clear, difference between being commercially released and imported.
As I commented on one of these edits:
Yes, please. It’s a nuisance – and it’s a false accuracy anyway, since iTunes, Deezer, Spotify, AppleMusic and other linked stores will never share the exact same release country range, which thus will always be either wrong or incomplete
Hi guys Did I not say this would happen I was worried about this from the start
I confuses me that it is such a bizarre list of seemingly random countries. Why that list? What is special about those countries? Why leave countries out? It just seems like a random list.
It is not random, it was taken from Spotify online store web service, which is not really trivial info to find out (there is a nifty @tatsumo tool for that).
It probably is the countries in which the store sells and where you can buy from.
I have never bought any download album but I know some online stores, like PlayStation Store will only accept credit cards from Japan.
So maybe there are some country checks also for those download albums.
But if we choose to not care, I am not strongly in favour of any choice because, as I said, I am not a digital guy. 
Well I agree with the reverts I feel somewhat vindicated I approve of the one i see I do so with the following note the information is needed but cant be shown effectively right now
Thank you for that. First time I seen any reference. And yet iTunes will be a different market? And again Deezer. So the list is still incomplete.
Agree with this point ^^^
I’ve also seen these lists appear on older digital releases - but cannot tell if the editor actually check for that exact date or assume that today’s country list would fit. It would be a guess on the part of the editor if the names and dates are correct for the older release.
I think something like [Spotify Market] [iTunes Market] would help add the clarity. That can then link out to a page that shows the varying markets as they change over the years for each of those shops.
I am like you @jesus2099 - all my music is physical media. I’m not a streamer or digital purchaser. I like accurate data.
My OCD and QA experience makes me go nuts as it is so hopefully a overhaul comes quick because im all for the data not the page breaking 
As we don’t create one duplicate release for each store, we just combine all countries, so it is not incomplete.
But I really don’t mind giving up tracking countries for digital releases if nobody really cares.
But for physical I will always prefer a to-be-completed list of confirmed countries rather than replace it by a wrong guess [Europe] or [Worldwide].
Negative votes thanks to confusing GTIN-14 provided by Spotify:
Edit #63511590
Edit #63517916
Is it explicit vs clean? (Compare cover art and ISRC)
https://tatsumo.pythonanywhere.com/album/3v452sweoHYSYqZ3oVOM7c?bind=f9af7f7e-e6c3-4e64-a8e7-f5a0f8e7f2ee
https://tatsumo.pythonanywhere.com/album/2VehE54HdaBZEM5PKucApY?bind=8f5c5e99-29e9-4f29-8474-464aad5f1879
Yeah - but my Engineering OCD and QA side wants the data to be exact and accurate. I don’t care that the devs haven’t had the time to make it pretty. Data doesn’t have to be pretty. 
Knowing there are countries missing from the list is telling me it isn’t complete. That is why I am curious as to the overlaps of these digital “release territories”.
I also haven’t see a list as to how it changes year by year as markets come and go for these stores.
I agree with @Fabe56 - now the data is here, don’t delete it. Just make sure it is referenced as to a source.
One day the interface will catch up, or a script could be created to trim the list to only show areas you are interested it.
And no - I don’t have an answer. Both sides are right here.
Just a reminder that when a release is also available on Bandcamp, it essentially trumps all those funny third party e-store licensing games, since Bandcamp is available worldwide without any restrictions.
And while they do have territory licensing, it’s not restrictive. If I understand this correctly it only functions as royalty routing for specific areas:
Our territory licensing tool allows you to add multiple partners, and to assign a partner multiple territories. Because all of this is done behind-the-scenes, fans around the globe will still be able to buy and enjoy albums you’ve licensed just as they have in the past. We simply make sure the money goes to the right people in the right places.
If it’s technically possible, the release country could be an attribute of the download/streaming URL relationship so that the release country could be set up for each digital store.
When an exec at EMI UK decides to print a CD and release it, then it is a UK release CD. But the website will send the CD world wide to anyone who wants to pay for it.
When Spotify decides to digitally duplicate an album for sale, why isn’t the country of release the Spotify HQ? Where the first copy is made for distribution to the other areas.
This is an interesting puzzle
this right here makes perfect since for now i agree with reverts for the sake of proper functionality because if we allow this to remain as is we will have a accurate but extremely messy website i love music brainz over discogs because it is better in so many was but i fear if this trend continues it will turn really ugly we need a solution
anyone who shares my view please vote yes on Edit #63565220 - MusicBrainz
I wouldn’t mind the aesthetics if the data really were accurate. But we have a (not even sorted) list of countries based on poorly sourced evidence (if we’re lucky, we’ll find somewhere in the edit notes a link to some source – in most cases we’ll not). We can’t see what this list of countries reflects, whether it’s iTunes-Countries, Spotify-Territories, Deezer-Land or maybe some other source: that’s certainly not “exact and accurate” data, that’s just a mess 
Not that this matters now but i really wish a album that I Bought and added the Japanese release for seems to be one of the firsts catalysts for this I am glad i didn’t just accept a mass edit i knew was not right
No, it’s not. Spotify doesn’t have any control over the record companies’ albums. The record company decides to release the album on Spotify.