musicbrainz-api

A MusicBrainz-API-client for reading and submitting metadata

Features

• Access metadata from MusicBrainz
• Submit metadata
• Smart and adjustable throttling, like MusicBrainz, it allows a bursts of requests
• Build in TypeScript definitions

Hint

This package is currently only developed for the use in a node.js environment. We are looking into making this package usable in the browser as well.

Before using this library

MusicBrainz asks that you to identify your application by filling in the 'User-Agent' Header. By passing appName, appVersion, appMail musicbrainz-api takes care of that.

Submitting metadata

If you plan to use this module for submitting metadata, please ensure you comply with the MusicBrainz Code of conduct/Bots.

Example

Example, how to import 'musicbrainz-api:

import {MusicBrainzApi} from 'musicbrainz-api';

const mbApi = new MusicBrainzApi({
  appName: 'my-app',
  appVersion: '0.1.0',
  appContactInfo: '[email protected]'
});

The following configuration settings can be passed

import {MusicBrainzApi} from 'musicbrainz-api';

const config = {
  // MusicBrainz bot account username & password (optional)
  botAccount: { 
    username: 'myUserName_bot',
    password: 'myPassword' 
  },
  
  // API base URL, default: 'https://musicbrainz.org' (optional)
  baseUrl: 'https://musicbrainz.org',

  appName: 'my-app',
  appVersion: '0.1.0',

  // Optional, default: no proxy server
  proxy: {
    host: 'localhost',
    port: 8888
   },

  // Your e-mail address, required for submitting ISRCs
  appMail: string
}

const mbApi = new MusicbrainzApi(config);

Lookup MusicBrainz Entities

MusicBrainz API documentation: XML Web Service/Version 2 Lookups

Generic lookup function

Arguments:

• entity: 'area' | 'artist' | 'collection' | 'instrument' | 'label' | 'place' | 'release' | 'release-group' | 'recording' | 'series' | 'work' | 'url' | 'event'
• MBID (MusicBrainz identifier)
• query

const artist = await mbApi.lookup('artist', 'ab2528d9-719f-4261-8098-21849222a0f2');

| Query argument | Query value | |-----------------------|-----------------|
| query.collection | Collection MBID |

Browse artist

const artists = await mbApi.browse('artist', query);

| Query argument | Query value | |-----------------------|--------------------|
| query.area | Area MBID | | query.collection | Collection MBID | | query.recording | Recording MBID | | query.release | Release MBID | | query.release-group | Release-group MBID | | query.work | Work MBID |

Browse collection

const collections = await mbApi.browse('collection', query);

| Query argument | Query value | |-----------------------|--------------------|
| query.area | Area MBID | | query.artist | Artist MBID | | query.editor | Editor MBID | | query.event | Event MBID | | query.label | Label MBID | | query.place | Place MBID | | query.recording | Recording MBID | | query.release | Release MBID | | query.release-group | Release-group MBID | | query.work | Work MBID |

Browse events

const events = await mbApi.browse('event', query);

| Query argument | Query value | |-----------------------|-----------------|
| query.area | Area MBID | | query.artist | Artist MBID | | query.collection | Collection MBID | | query.place | Place MBID |

Browse instruments

const instruments = await mbApi.browse('event', query);

| Query argument | Query value | |-----------------------|--------------------|
| query.collection | Collection MBID |

Browse labels

const labels = await mbApi.browse('label', query);

| Query argument | Query value | |--------------------|-----------------|
| query.area | Area MBID | | query.collection | Collection MBID | | query.release | Release MBID |

Browse places

const places = await mbApi.browse('place', query);

| Query argument | Query value | |--------------------|-----------------|
| query.area | Area MBID | | query.collection | Collection MBID |

Browse recordings

const recordings = await mbApi.browse('recording', query);

| Query argument | Query value | |--------------------|-----------------|
| query.artist | Area MBID | | query.collection | Collection MBID | | query.release | Release MBID | | query.work | Work MBID |

Browse releases

const releases = await mbApi.browse('release', query);

| Query argument | Query value | |-----------------------|--------------------|
| query.area | Area MBID | | query.artist | Artist MBID | | query.editor | Editor MBID | | query.event | Event MBID | | query.label | Label MBID | | query.place | Place MBID | | query.recording | Recording MBID | | query.release | Release MBID | | query.release-group | Release-group MBID | | query.work | Work MBID |

Browse release-groups

const releaseGroups = await mbApi.browse('release-group',query);

| Query argument | Query value | |--------------------|-----------------|
| query.artist | Artist MBID | | query.collection | Collection MBID | | query.release | Release MBID |

Browse series

const series = await mbApi.browse('series');

| Query argument | Query value | |-----------------------|--------------------|
| query.area | Area MBID | | query.artist | Artist MBID | | query.editor | Editor MBID | | query.event | Event MBID | | query.label | Label MBID | | query.place | Place MBID | | query.recording | Recording MBID | | query.release | Release MBID | | query.release-group | Release-group MBID | | query.work | Work MBID |

Browse works

const works = await mbApi.browse('work');

| Query argument | Query value | |--------------------|-----------------|
| query.artist | Artist MBID | | query.xollection | Collection MBID |

Browse urls

const urls = await mbApi.browse('url');

| Query argument | Query value | |--------------------|-----------------|
| query.artist | Artist MBID | | query.xollection | Collection MBID |

Search (query)

Implements XML Web Service/Version 2/Search.

There are different search fields depending on the entity.

Search function

Searches can be performed using the generic search function: query(entity: mb.EntityType, query: string | IFormData, offset?: number, limit?: number): Promise<entity>

Arguments:

• Entity type, which can be one of:
  • artist: search fields
  • label: search fields
  • recording: search fields
  • release: search fields
  • release-group: search fields
  • work: search fields
  • area: search fields
  • url: search fields
• query {query: string, offset: number, limit: number}
  • query.query: supports the full Lucene Search syntax; you can find a detailed guide at Lucene Search Syntax. For example, you can set conditions while searching for a name with the AND operator.
  • query.offset: optional, return search results starting at a given offset. Used for paging through more than one page of results.
  • limit.query: optional, an integer value defining how many entries should be returned. Only values between 1 and 100 (both inclusive) are allowed. If not given, this defaults to 25.

For example, to find any recordings of 'We Will Rock You' by Queen:

const query = 'query="We Will Rock You" AND arid:0383dadf-2a4e-4d10-a46a-e9e041da8eb3';
const result = await mbApi.search('release-group', {query});

Example: search Île-de-France

 mbApi.search('area', 'Île-de-France');

Example: search release by barcode

Search a release with the barcode 602537479870:

 mbApi.search('release', {query: {barcode: 602537479870}});

Example: search by object

Same as previous example, but automatically serialize parameters to search query

 mbApi.search('release', 'barcode: 602537479870');

Example: search artist by artist name

Search artist:

const result = await mbApi.search('artist', {query: 'Stromae'});

Example: search release-group by artist name

Search release-group:

const result = await mbApi.search('release-group', {query: 'Racine carrée'});

Example: search release-group by release-group and an artist

Search a combination of a release-group and an artist.

const result = await mbApi.search('release-group', {artist: 'Racine carrée', releasegroup: 'Stromae'});

Submitting data via XML POST

Submitting data via XML POST may be done using personal MusicBrainz credentials.

Submit ISRC code using XML POST

Using the XML ISRC submission API.

const mbid_Formidable = '16afa384-174e-435e-bfa3-5591accda31c';
const isrc_Formidable = 'BET671300161';

const xmlMetadata = new XmlMetadata();
const xmlRecording = xmlMetadata.pushRecording(mbid_Formidable);
xmlRecording.isrcList.pushIsrc(isrc_Formidable);
await mbApi.post('recording', xmlMetadata);

Submitting data via user form-data

For all of the following function you need to use a dedicated bot account.

Submitting ISRC via post user form-data

const mbid_Formidable = '16afa384-174e-435e-bfa3-5591accda31c';
const isrc_Formidable = 'BET671300161';

    
const recording = await mbApi.lookup('recording', mbid_Formidable);

// Authentication the http-session against MusicBrainz (as defined in config.baseUrl)
const succeed = await mbApi.login();
assert.isTrue(succeed, 'Login successful');

// To submit the ISRC, the `recording.id` and `recording.title` are required
await mbApi.addIsrc(recording, isrc_Formidable);

Submit recording URL

const recording = await mbApi.lookup('recording', '16afa384-174e-435e-bfa3-5591accda31c');

const succeed = await mbApi.login();
assert.isTrue(succeed, 'Login successful');

await mbApi.addUrlToRecording(recording, {
  linkTypeId: LinkType.stream_for_free,
  text: 'https://open.spotify.com/track/2AMysGXOe0zzZJMtH3Nizb'
});

Actually a Spotify-track-ID can be submitted easier:

const recording = await mbApi.lookup('recording', '16afa384-174e-435e-bfa3-5591accda31c');

const succeed = await mbApi.login();
assert.isTrue(succeed, 'Login successful');
await mbApi.addSpotifyIdToRecording(recording, '2AMysGXOe0zzZJMtH3Nizb');

Cover Art Archive API

Implementation of the Cover Art Archive API.

import {CoverArtArchiveApi} from 'musicbrainz-api';

coverArtArchiveApiClient.getReleaseCovers(releaseMbid).then(releaseCoverInfo => {
    console.log('Release cover info', releaseCoverInfo);
});

coverArtArchiveApiClient.getReleaseCovers(releaseMbid, 'front').then(releaseCoverInfo => {
    console.log('Get best front cover', releaseCoverInfo);
});

coverArtArchiveApiClient.getReleaseCovers(releaseMbid, 'back').then(releaseCoverInfo => {
    console.log('Get best back cover', releaseCoverInfo);
});

Compatibility

The JavaScript in runtime is compliant with ECMAScript 2017 (ES8). Requires Node.js® version 6 or higher.