What is the current policy: should we consider the streaming / mp3 to be a separate digital release?
If a separate digital release is in order, what is the release label for a digital release in such case: is it still the original label which released the CD in 1991, or is it Amazon? A similar question for the release date: is it the same for the digital release as for the original CD (1991), or is it the date when streaming of this CD was offered by Amazon?
Although the ASIN for a physical release appears to be the same on Amazon sites for different countries, this is not the case for a digital release (or should we say “releases”?). Each Amazon site has a different ASIN, usually with a different label and release date:
I don’t see any MP3s. The product page is just for selling the InsideOut America physical release.
To me, Amazon are just a store, not a label. They offer something that has been released by a company (Decca in the example in this thread, InsideOut in my example).
So if I rip a CD and offer that as MP3, is that a release? (Unofficial, but still.)
From a collector’s point of view (ie. me), I would not think what Amazon offers is a release. I don’t use Spotify, but I can see a band making a master and putting it on the Spotify servers for streaming is comparable to doing the same as on Bandcamp, so that I can see is a release. But Amazon just rip an existing release.
What is the thought behind adding Amazon rips as releases and still use the original release company?
That Amazon link only goes to a CD for Sale page (and second hand at that). So it just a CD. Type should be set as CD on the MB release. An Amazon link from the MB release is just to a page that just says “it is for sale here as a CD”.
(In older times of MB artwork used to be leeched from their site, and some people also like having those ASIN reference numbers. I think this is why Amazon gets special treatment as a linkable shop…)
It is available, from a legit source, so becomes a release. If you tried to make your MP3 available the copyright police will come and shut you down and MB would call you a Pirate.
As an MB editor, I’d say the Release you have found should really just be marked “low quality” as it doesn’t really link to anything worthwhile. And nothing in the edit history to make it stand out as any actual version.
If I was working on that Release Group, I’d take that Release and link it to this Discogs page for the US “Inside Out” release that the Amazon link claims it to be. And then fill in the barcode and cat no. Make it something useful to MB instead of the basic junk it currently is.
Clear and useful reply, thanks. I will add the info you mentioned. It will then be the same as another entry (the actual release) so eventually could be merged.
Glad I can help. Often a bit of a dig around in the edit history can show a lot about a release. And this case it showed up an abandoned edit from a decade ago.
Currently we don’t have that 10 track USA release, so there is nothing else to merge it into. By converting that partial edit into something useful using the Discogs link, everyone gains.
As a fan of Pallas you can no doubt do plenty of good to that RG.
On a slight tangent… that Amazon page it goes to is a messy second hand shop. Notice how it is specifically the CD page (with 10 tracks) that is linked. If you click that MP3 link they have on that Amazon page it goes to a totally different product. That one ends up on a 6 track rip. Your thoughts on the quality of Amazon is something I totally agree with. That place is full of deceit and confusions… but that would send us OT.
You’re right, it’s a big mess. I didn’t see it was just an abandoned edit, but I’ll finish it (ie. add the 11th track, which is a video on the enhanced section of the CD). I just found another Pallas release that had received the same treatment, so went on and fixed that. I left the ASIN in there for reference, although I do think why it would be helpful by linking to one shop and not others.
Are you sure that release is the enhanced one? The Discogs page is only a ten track and no mention of that. Which is why I thought it would be good to add separately.
The ASIN links to a page that has a playlist of the album plus three bonus tracks. You can buy the songs in the playlist or separately I guess. But you can also buy an audio CD, and that links to the most common release (InsideOut Music) of this album, without the bonus tracks.
So to me, that Amazon music thing is just a playlist. Does it matter who compiled a playlist to make it a release? Is there a way to find out?
I believe the theory is - Amazon are selling this Digital Media Product with this specific tracklist. That makes this a “Release” in MB terms.
MB likes to record this kind of “release” as there must be some level of legitimacy for Amazon to be able to list it for sale.
Is it a playlist? OR just Amazon making up something to sell? Not something I can answer as I have very little interest in “Digital Media” like this. I want my CDs in my hands as that way I know someone isn’t going to change the track list on me.
Playlists are a confusing thing… there is an ongoing debate if an iTunes \ Spotify playlist is a legit release or just a bunch of separate singles tracks sold in bulk.
It’s not a playlist. The same album with the same bonus tracks and release date is also on Spotify and Deezer. This is an Amazon Music playlist.
I’ll also add that, in my limited experience, AutoRip matches the purchased CD/vinyl to a corresponding MP3 release, which is also available separately. Think of it like if you bought the vinyl and Amazon sent you the CD as well as a bonus. “AutoRip” is just the name they gave it so the layperson would understand it, there’s no-one at Amazon literally ripping CDs for their customers.
Amazon Music is a pain to use imo, but like @Comrade_Mike said, it’s not any different from Spotify or iTunes. To put it into MB terms lol, the Amazon Music listing is one release, the CD is another release, and they’re linked in a Release Group of sorts. That a deluxe digital version and a normal cd are in the same group may not be completely correct, but it makes some sense.
You will though run into weird situations sometimes on Amazon because their groups can often contain things that really shouldn’t be in groups. This group for instance has at least two different listings with completely different track lists from what I could tell Various - Halloween Party - Amazon.com Music
