Yeah, this is a long standing issue. I get why it’s at release level, but there needs to be an easy way to transfer relationships from one release to another.
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@psychoadept / @Freso - this is why I was thinking that the Recording level was the correct place to add these credits as it was about the recording. I assumed stuff for the Release level was only about that edition of that physical CD (like it being pressed at EMI SWINDON). And Release Group level is stuff about the whole album that is common to all but not specific to a track.
It does get quickly confusing at this level 
It would be interesting to hear from you two experts about the list above and where those credits should go.
Link to edits: https://musicbrainz.org/release/295bfb85-ea5f-4ef3-9be3-57bd89bb7fd1/edit-relationships
Link to reference image: https://img.discogs.com/nRjaxKbvJFTmZXt8E1quyhIZmSU=/fit-in/600x1219/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-8179826-1456631511-5799.jpeg.jpg
:format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-8179826-1456631511-5799.jpeg.jpg){kind=link}
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@psychoadept & @Freso I would also like to know what credits you would put were and a reason y you would put it there
I would put most of those at the release level. For ones that there are release group level relationships for, you can add them there.
When I’m in a better position to do it (not on my phone, lol) I’m going to see if there are any tickets related to resolving the release/release group issue. It’s such a pain.
could you give us some examples of each? when your at a computer
i know there are probably others out there looking at this. i would love to here where you stand on this
Surely the main singer gets credits for his Lead Vocals at the recording level on each track? We know he has sung on all of them as it is his album.
(And please can we put any ticket conversation into a new thread as I know what those debates are like for getting technical quickly)
There are a few exceptions, but mostly it’s not a matter of opinion so much as seeing what the database allows at each level. Instruments for sure are going to be release level, and most other credits related to “sound production”. In particular, mastering is going to be a release-level credit because it could definitely be different between releases in a release group. Likewise for artistic credits, which are likely to vary between releases.
Release group credits tend to be more like “project-level” credits. There are a lot fewer options there.
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Yeah, if I can verify the credit by listening I’ll add it at the recording level. Here’s an example where I did exactly that (pretty easy when there are just two singers, and they’re a soprano and a baritone, lol):
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@IvanDobsky what is ticket conversation?
@psychoadept what are project-level credits?
im trying to get my head around the terminology that way i can make more informed decisions
I think it’ll make more sense if you try to add a release group credit and see what the possible credits are. It’s a very short list.
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so is project-level another name for release-level
No, release group level. So credits that would apply to EVERY version of a release, no matter what had been changed with the individual recording, the cover art, mastering, etc.
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Just trying to keep this thread focused on this specific example as like you I am trying to learn to get this exactly right. “Tickets” are about technical changes to how the database work and conversations soon get complex and would take this a long way off topic.
I think I am close to understanding the complex guidelines but @Freso pointed out I was going too far by adding too many credits at the recording level.
As there are multiple guitarists listed on this release the advice is not to add them at the recording level. Add them at the Release level instead.
We can add the Lead Vocalist to all the recordings as we know Steve always sings on these.
Maybe we can slot the harmonica credit in to a recording to as it will stand out when listening. Otherwise we don’t know who is holding the bass guitar and when so those instruments are Release level.
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This is why I assumed you would put instruments in here. It will be the same drummer on all the releases - even when an album is remastered for a 25-year re-release it is still the same original recording and therefore the same drummer.
This is why some of the logic breaks in my head…
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the credits for this album in his realeas milestones are the same as the original
I generally agree with you about that, although I can imagine examples of credits that would apply to only some releases in a release group, if tracks were added/removed or maybe a particular release was overdubbed. In any case, you CAN’T add performers at the release group level right now, so it’s kinda moot.
(I imagine somewhere there’s much more history on the decision of how to handle this, but it might have been lost with the old forum)
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im going to bead not it is 1:28 am its been a good lurning stuff but i can not stay up any longer please if there any thing else you guys think of pleas post it and ill read it in the morning. thanks for the discussion @psychoadept and @IvanDobsky
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Well, it simplifies it if we are plain blocked from adding instrument credits are Release Group level. No need to think about that then. 
Here is an example of why I am confused by the credits having to go at Release level.
When one looks at the recording there is no trace of who recorded it. Even though we know pretty well who played on this recording there seems to be no way for the database to link through to the release. And as most recordings appear on many many releases then it is clearly impossible to run that relationship backwards.
With this song it looks like most of the musicians should be obvious - it is only when one gets to the strings and multiple pianos will it get less clear
Some rock bands this gets even more obvious as to who played.
An example of a simple rockband is Supergrass and I Should Coco. https://musicbrainz.org/release/d4929283-d842-499a-ba69-af4feeb5a517 I added my copy of this in as it turned out mine was a different pressing. (UK Printed). When I added my new release I then put all the credits in at recording level as the band is so small it is clear who is on which track.
This now means the recording has full credits attached. And those credits are therefore available to all six releases that share the recordings. Along with the places where the recording appears on compilations.
Should I also add this at Release level then? I notice that Picard can work it out and mines downwards and pulls the instruments out from the recordings. As I would expect a relational database to do. So I assumed I didn’t need to repeat details at Release level as well?
Coming back to this Steve Grace release it seems that it was all done on the same day when one reads the notes. So I would expect most of the musicians to be on most of the tracks.
It is the correct place—when you know that it is for that specific Recording. If you know that A Person plays tenor saxophone on a Release, but it isn’t specified which specific tracks of the Release they play on: do not credit them for all Recordings, credit them to the Release instead. If it says A Person plays tenor saxophone on tracks 3 and 7, then, do credit them on those recordings: “Specific is better than generalised”.
(And yes, sometimes you can deduct who plays what instrument by analysing the audio and hearing that instrument playing and knowing that there’s only one person credited with playing said instrument—in which case, by all means, do add that relationship to that recording.)
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@Freso you did have me worried for a while there. So the Supergrass example in the post above is perfectly fine as there are so few band members that we can be sure who plays on what.
But when there are multiple guitar players listed, and it is clear only one guitar is on a track, then we can’t credit that at recording level.
The Steve Grace example here can have the Lead Vocals and Drummer credited at the recording level but unless we find separate proof there is no way to work out the guitar players.
Using the oft linked Steve Grace image from above would the split would be as follows:
Release Level:
Producer, Engineer, Mixed by, Live Recording Engineer, Electric Guitars, Acoustic Guitars, Electric Piano, Hammond Organ, Bass Guitar, Programming, Background Vocals, Project Director, Management, Art and design, Photography.
Recording Level:
Lead Vocals, Drummer, (Harmonica will stand out when listening so he will be track level), Recorded at, Mixed at, Mastered by
The only way to be more specific would be a video of the recording session.
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