Recently I listened to a couple of DJ mixes via the BBC Sounds app, which now submits metadata for each track (see my thread)
Quite a few tracks were not on Musicbrainz, so I added all that I could, but some just don’t seem to exist anywhere else on the internet (I guess they are pre-releases or WIPs)
Now I have a bunch of unlinked listens which are triggering my OCD, I could delete them, but that feels like cheating…
So, could standalone recordings be used to add these tracks to Musicbrainz, with a link to the url for the mix in which they appeared?
NB, I know you can add a DJ mix as a release group (but that wouldn’t solve my unlinked listens issue).
If I did add these tracks as standalones, should I also add a release group for the mix (and link them somehow?)
My main concern is that the “standalone” recording doesn’t exist - as it only exists in the context of a longer recording (in theory, but could be split by a bootlegger or Apple Music). But I otherwise lean towards “yes”.
I don’t see this user on the forum, but I know editor theapplemaniac does lots of DJ-mix work on MB and might have further insight (how I found this example too).
You cannot link recordings with release groups, you must follow the chain: recording ←→ release ←→ release group. You could add the DJ-mix as a release (this will automatically create the release group in the same wizard/action), but it would be best to add the complete tracklist and not just a partial tracklist (e.g. just the “missing” tracks).
Furthermore, when adding a DJ-mix release, you do not need to create the recordings in advance either - the release creation action will also create the release group and one recording per track you enter.
Taking a step back - personally I think it’s fine to add a DJ-mix release with a track listing - though some might argue (circling back to my opening concern) that it should be one track with length [length of mix].
TL;DR:
Easier solution: Add standalone recordings as needed. When creating, add an annotation like part of “2025-12-01: About Time” DJ-mix”.
More complete solution: Add a new release (we can help with naming standards) and include the complete track list, which will create new recordings for each track. You don’t want to select existing recordings in the context of DJ-mix. Check if a release group exists first for the DJ-mix, and if not, the release group creation is integrated into the release creation.