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This page outlines websites that MusicBrainz can use to retrieve cover art.

There are a number of times that cover art isn't available on Amazon, either due to customer-submitted images or to an absence of a release. Also Amazon does not stock a lot of indie music that other smaller retailers on the net sell.

In order for MusicBrainz to deep link (link directly to a JPEG file on the retailer's site) MusicBrainz needs permission from the retailer. Each retailer should be contacted to ask for permission to deep link to their site and MusicBrainz should NOT link to a retailer if no permission has been granted.

Supported Web Sites

So far we support the above cover art sites. To create a new cover art link, follow these steps:

• Go to the release you'd like to add cover art to.
• Click on Relate to URL
• Select the has coverart at link type
• For Jamendo and CD Baby enter the URL of the release page, e.g. http://www.jamendo.com/album/1003/ or http://cdbaby.com/cd/esposthumus
• For other sites enter the URL to the image itself (i.e. ends in .jpg or .JPG)
  • archive.org

• For CD Baby and Jamendo, you're done. For archive.org, proceed to the next step
• Since archive.org does not have a consistent scheme for music URLs and coverart URLs, you need to add a separate get the music link to the music page. (e.g. http://www.archive.org/details/xgn017_-_dissident). You can choose any of the 4 get the music' link sub-types.

That should link in the cover art and make sure the Info link below the cover art goes to the right place.

Ruoak has said that links to art on artist's own website may be linked to, but only if written permission to do so is requested and received from the artist or their representative. In such a case, that written permission must be published here in the wiki. -- BrianFreud [2007-05-10:4:33EST]

Using Archive.org's Wayback Machine

Upon a consultation with our IP attorney Ed Cavazos, linking to images in the Wayback machine is OK. You may link any type of album cover in the wayback machine, including bootlegs. However, if we receive a request to remove a link to a Wayback machine image from a copyright owner, we will comply and remove that link.

If you believe that MusicBrainz violates your copyright by linking to a Wayback machine image, please see CopyrightViolationNotice for details on how to report a copyright violation to MusicBrainz.

Proposed Web Sites

• When adding a site, please include an example release and a direct link to its cover.
• Please also place the sites alphabetically.

Specific permissions for individual releases is tracked on the Permission For Artwork page.

Contact

This section should contain form letters that volunteers could use to ask for permission. Please volunteer to write such a letter!

References

Discussion on MB-Users: http://www.nabble.com/Proposal%3A-URL-based-cover-art-tf2817425s2885.html#a7863760

FootNotes

1. ↑ http://bugs.musicbrainz.org/browser/mb_server/trunk/cgi-bin/MusicBrainz/Server/CoverArt.pm#L39
2. ↑ http://bugs.musicbrainz.org/browser/mb_server/trunk/cgi-bin/MusicBrainz/Server/CoverArt.pm#L39