Organizing your music with Picard

Last updated Dec. 11, 2022

Organizing your music with MusicBrainz Picard.

MusicBrainz Picard is a free and open-source software application for organizing and tagging music collections. It is part of the larger MusicBrainz project, which aims to create a comprehensive database of music information. Picard is designed to identify and tag music files with accurate metadata, such as the artist's name, the album title, and the release date. This allows users to organize their music collections and ensure that their files are properly labeled and easy to search. Picard uses the MusicBrainz database to identify recordings and automatically fill in the metadata for the user. It also allows users to manually edit and add information as needed.

To set up MusicBrainz Picard, follow these steps:

1. Download the latest version of Picard from the MusicBrainz website (https://picard.musicbrainz.org/).
2. Install the software on your computer by double-clicking the downloaded file and following the on-screen instructions.
3. Once the installation is complete, open Picard and select the folder containing your music collection.
4. Picard will scan the folder and identify any tracks that it can match to the MusicBrainz database.
5. For each track, Picard will display the metadata it has found and allow you to confirm or edit the information.
6. Once you are satisfied with the metadata for each track, click the "Save" button to save the changes.

Alternatively, you can also use Picard to tag individual files by dragging and dropping them into the main window. The software will then try to identify the tracks and fill in the metadata for you.

MusicBrainz Picard offers a number of custom settings that you can adjust to suit your needs. Here are some examples:

• In the "Options" menu, you can change the default folder where Picard saves your music files, as well as specify whether you want the software to create subfolders based on the album or artist name.
• In the "Options" menu, you can also customize the metadata fields that Picard displays and allows you to edit. This can be helpful if you only want to see and edit certain information, such as the album title or the genre.
• In the "Plugins" menu, you can enable or disable various plugins that add extra features to Picard. For example, there is a plugin that allows you to search for lyrics, a plugin that shows album artwork, and a plugin that integrates with the AcoustID service to identify music by its acoustic fingerprints.
• In the "Tools" menu, you can access various tools that can help you manage your music collection, such as a duplicate finder, a file renamer, and a tag editor. These tools can be useful if you want to clean up your collection or fix any inconsistencies in the metadata.

Overall, MusicBrainz Picard offers a wide range of settings and options that you can customize to suit your needs. I encourage you to explore the software and see what it has to offer.

MusicBrainz Picard is part of the larger MusicBrainz project, which is an open-source, community-driven effort to create a comprehensive database of music information. The MusicBrainz database is maintained and updated by a global community of volunteers who contribute their time and expertise to the project.

The MusicBrainz database is open for anyone to use and contribute to. If you have expertise in music metadata or want to help improve the database, you can join the MusicBrainz community and contribute your knowledge. The community has a number of ways to get involved, including through forums, mailing lists, and IRC channels, where you can discuss music metadata and share your expertise with others.

Overall, the MusicBrainz database is a collaborative effort that relies on the contributions of many volunteers to maintain and improve it.