# Linking two artist performance names without knowing their legal name

**URL:** <https://community.metabrainz.org/t/linking-two-artist-performance-names-without-knowing-their-legal-name/409090>\
**Category:** Style\
**Tags:** artist-name, legal-name, artist\
**Created:** [December 11, 2018, 7:00am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/linking-two-artist-performance-names-without-knowing-their-legal-name/409090 "2018-12-11T07:00:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jeluang](https://community.metabrainz.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/dbc845/32.png) [@Jeluang](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/Jeluang)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 7:00am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/linking-two-artist-performance-names-without-knowing-their-legal-name/409090/1 "2018-12-11T07:00:30Z")

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A separate artist should be created if an artist performs under a different name that they consider as a different project linked by their legal name. What should be done if their legal name is not known, or only a partial name (nickname, first/last name only) is known?

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**Author:** ![reosarevok](https://community.metabrainz.org/user_avatar/community.metabrainz.org/reosarevok/32/69228_2.png) [@reosarevok](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/reosarevok)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 8:55am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/linking-two-artist-performance-names-without-knowing-their-legal-name/409090/2 "2018-12-11T08:55:40Z")

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I’ve added “Initial. Surname” in the past, when I just knew that. If you know nothing at all, you could I guess link them all to the oldest / best known project and explain in the annotation of that project why that is done (but that will show that as “legal name” which is of course not quite right), or add an artist like “[legal name for X and Y]” (but that admittedly looks a bit silly 😕 )

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**Author:** ![anon18945670](https://community.metabrainz.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/5daacb/32.png) [@anon18945670](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/anon18945670)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 8:58am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/linking-two-artist-performance-names-without-knowing-their-legal-name/409090/3 "2018-12-11T08:58:30Z")

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How about no real link, but just link them through the annotation if no part of the legal name is known?

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**Author:** ![Jeluang](https://community.metabrainz.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/dbc845/32.png) [@Jeluang](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/Jeluang)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 9:15am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/linking-two-artist-performance-names-without-knowing-their-legal-name/409090/4 "2018-12-11T09:15:01Z")

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Yeah, I forgot about the annotation. That could be a temporary solution. Thanks.