I’ve added this release to the database and, as mentioned in the annotation, it consists of an audio CD and a CD-ROM that contains software. Since there is another release (not on Musicbrainz but Discogs) that looks almost identical to this one, I thought that it could be useful to add the CD-ROM as a second medium with its one data track, but I’m thinking that it’s probably not allowed? I’ve looked around but I didn’t find anything forbidding or allowing to add data track only CD-ROMs, so I thought it would be a good idea to ask here.
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The one precedent I can think of is this:
The first disc contains the album as an audio CD, the second disc is a CD-ROM containing the demo version of a video game related to the album. This release was added in 2019, and the addition of the data CD medium doesn’t seem to have been controversial.
I think it would be okay to add the CD-ROM as a second medium as it’s clearly part of the retail package.
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I would add the CD-ROM and then write up the contents in the annotation. As @Nadim says, it is in the retail package. It is also interesting to know about.
This is similar to when a soundtrack CD is added in with a film DVD boxset. The film discs may not be of interest to MB, but they get documented due to being part of the package that includes a music CD. Example: https://musicbrainz.org/release/6e86dd5c-d917-40b1-b648-c103f27d837b
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Good point! I have a couple of those that aren’t listed on MB yet…
Does this apply to video games as well?
Please add the CD-ROM medium but with no tracks (as there is no music tracks or files directly listenable).
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The data CD on the release linked by Nadim has a single track, so I did the same.
I would assume so… but don’t quote me on that.
What I look at is what is on my desk. If I have a box of items which includes a music CD then I will want to add the music CD to MusicBrainz. If other medium can be listed then I will do. But I will not add the T-Shirt and Marbles, details of things like that go in the annotation.
I would also follow the style of that Film I posted above. The music CD is clearly disc four in the box, so it is listed as such in the release.
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When I answered, I didn’t worry about the specifics as to how a data disc could/should be entered, just if I could find a precedent…
I’m actually not so sure if adding the medium with no tracks would be best, @jesus2099. The style guide for data tracks mentions,
If an audio CD contains a data track at the end which is not visible in an audio CD player, it should not normally be included in the main part of the tracklist.
That’s specific to multi-session discs where audio CD players would only see the first session (which contains the audio tracks). This is a CD-ROM with only one session, though, so I believe if this CD-ROM were put into a CD player, the player indeed would show you one track - in that case another case from that style guide would probably apply instead:
If an audio CD contains a data track which is visible in an audio CD player (typically as the first track), use [data track] as the track name.
This part of the style guide seems to be geared towards mixed audio/data discs and not single data discs, but I’d apply it nonetheless in this case where there is a separate data disc.
I’ve added a note on your edit (without voting). The one thing I would add is more specific media names for both discs so people can quickly see that one disc contains the soundtrack and the other disc contains a game demo.
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Well OK but it results in an unneeded and cluttering bogus data recording.
It can still be edited out, later.
Here is how it looks when we want to show all the mediums, but not their unneeded tracks:
2 documentary video mediums (no tracks) and 1 audio CD
https://musicbrainz.org/release/4e1820f4-591e-4441-a18f-b12bede8d34c
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That’s not standard practice, AFAIK. When audio discs are enclosed in non-music video products, we traditionally enter the audio discs only - there are thousands of examples attached to Japanese labels. Storing non-music products as Releases - #14 by reosarevok alludes to it, and did not object to the contents of STYLE-2118.
But when an audio product contains non-music extra discs, we generally include an indication of them - if it’s not audio, I would leave the medium without a tracklist.
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After thinking about this a little more, I think the example you’ve given is pretty good.
In my original reply to your concern, I was leaning on the possibility of an audio CD player being able to play certain tracks - which is what the style guide for data tracks seems to go for. For discs that feature a data track (track 1) and several audio tracks, that certainly warrants a “[data track]” entry. For multisession discs that contain audio tracks in the first session and one or more data sessions (most audio CD players would only play the first session), that isn’t the case, a “[data track]” shouldn’t be entered. And if I’d thought about it a little more, an audio CD player shouldn’t even attempt to play a normal data CD-ROM because that wouldn’t have a table of contents (TOC) that is necessary for audio CDs - again, no “[data track]” for the CD-ROM medium.
I do prefer to still add the non-audio media that is in the release package as a documentation of the release format(s), but would now enter them without tracks - having a release like this end up looking just like the “We Are X” release you linked to.
Thanks for making me think about it!
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Should I cancel my edit and re-add the CD-ROM without the data track?
No need as I have queued an edit to remove the track.
Didn’t I link my edit in your Add medium edit?
Maybe I forgot…
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