Music Server Tag Editing #2
Description
Observed behavior
Music servers, such as Plex, Jellyfin and Navidrome do not allow editing of tags.
Why this is a problem
Users are already using tools like MusicBrainz Picard to tag their files. But sometimes bringing out a hammer like Picard isn't the right tool, and instead a screwdriver is needed. For example, if the user wants to change the genre for a file, why is that a music server db-only change?
Constraints / tradeoffs
As long as a good change tracker is created, much like a git history, undo can be implemented. This would be a great use of the music server db!! Let the files exist with the tags as first class citizens, and treat them as exactly what they are - metadata describing the individual track/album combination. A UI would need to be created to let the user roll back a previous change, or possibly all the previous changes tracked.
As long as an automatic process didn't mass-update these tags and it was always a user intervention, even if they select 10,000 tracks, they selected it, they own the files, respect their intellectual property.
What success might look like
If there was a setup option allowing the server to only edit/add certain tags, then the user would be 100% in charge of what tags are edited. Leave all tags disabled by default, so it works like the current servers, but power users can then make the ultimate determination of what they want permanently changed.
This would allow a user to move between music servers and have the files be the most important thing, which they already are. A user who loves music will obsess over getting this correct, and not adjusting the files is locking them into their current music server instead of giving them the ability to try different music servers to find what fits their needs best.
Non-goals
- This is not a feature request
- This is not a proposal for implementation