What is the Difference Between Artist and Album Artist?

The difference between "Artist" and "Album Artist" tags lies in their purpose and classification within an album:

• Artist: This tag refers to the individual artists or groups that perform on a specific track. For example, if a track features multiple artists, such as "Drake feat. Lil Wayne," the "Artist" tag would list all the performing artists.
• Album Artist: This tag represents the main artist, group, or leader name under which the album is released. It is used to categorize and organize the album as a whole. The "Album Artist" tag must be consistent for all tracks within an album to show together.

For instance, in a compilation album with various artists, the "Album Artist" tag would be set to "Various Artists" or "Soundtrack," while the "Artist" tag would be assigned to the individual artist who performed the specific track. The purpose of having separate "Artist" and "Album Artist" tags is to improve organization and allow users to search for songs or group them as compilations in music libraries like iTunes.

Comparative Table: Artist vs Album Artist

Here is a table comparing the differences between Artist and Album Artist:

In summary, the Artist refers to the main creator of the music, while the Album Artist refers to the artist or band responsible for a specific album. Both fields are used in audio files and music databases to organize and categorize music.