Music Search
gfontenot58 downloadsSearch for music releases and generate notes for them that include release metadata and links to MusicBrainz, Discogs, and Wikipedia.
- Overview
- Scorecard
- Updates3
An Obsidian plugin that searches the MusicBrainz database and creates structured notes for music releases.
Features
- Search for albums, EPs, singles, and other releases by artist, title, or both
- Rich metadata: genres, tracklist, release date, cover art, MusicBrainz/Discogs/Wikipedia links
- Optionally downloads cover art locally to your vault
- Fully customisable note output via template variables, custom frontmatter fields, or a full template file
Usage
Open the command palette and run Search music release, or click the music note ribbon icon. Type an artist name, album title, or both, then select a result from the list. The plugin fetches full release details and creates a note in your configured folder.
Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Note destination folder | Where new notes are saved. Leave empty for the vault root. |
| Note file name template | Template for the note filename. Supports all {{variables}}. Default: {{artist}} - {{title}} |
| Tags | Comma-separated tags added to every note's frontmatter. |
| Album art folder | Folder to save downloaded cover images. When set, {{coverUrl}} and {{coverEmbed}} resolve to the local vault path instead of a remote URL. Leave empty to use remote URLs. |
| Open note after creation | Automatically open the newly created note. |
| Show cover art in search results | Display album artwork in the release picker. |
Note Template
Two modes are available, selectable via the Note Template tab in settings:
Custom Fields — Extends the built-in default template with additional frontmatter fields. Each field can use {{variables}} in its value. This is the right choice if you just want to add a few extra properties.
Template File — Points to a Markdown file in your vault that is used as the full note template. All {{variables}} are substituted. Use this for complete control over note structure.
Template Variables
| Variable | YAML type | Description |
|---|---|---|
{{title}} |
string | Album/release title |
{{artist}} |
string | Artist name(s) |
{{artistMbid}} |
string | Artist MusicBrainz ID |
{{year}} |
string | First release year (e.g. "1997") |
{{date}} |
string | First release date (e.g. 1997-05-21) |
{{trackCount}} |
number | Number of tracks |
{{trackList}} |
string | Formatted tracklist — use in the note body, not frontmatter |
{{genres}} |
string[] | Genres as a YAML list |
{{genresInline}} |
string | Genres as a comma-separated string |
{{coverUrl}} |
string | Cover art URL, or local vault path if art folder is configured |
{{coverEmbed}} |
string | Embedded cover art: ![[path]] for local files,  for remote — use in the note body, not frontmatter |
{{mbid}} |
string | MusicBrainz release group ID |
{{releaseGroupMbid}} |
string | MusicBrainz release group ID (alias for {{mbid}}) |
{{mbUrl}} |
string | MusicBrainz release group URL |
{{discogsUrl}} |
string | Discogs master release URL |
{{wikipediaUrl}} |
string | Wikipedia article URL |
{{releaseType}} |
string | Release type (Album, Single, EP, etc.) |
{{disambiguation}} |
string | Disambiguation comment |
{{tags}} |
string[] | Custom tags from settings |
{{DATE}} |
string | Current date in YYYY-MM-DD format |
{{DATE:FORMAT}} |
string | Current date in a custom format, e.g. {{DATE:DD/MM/YYYY}}. Tokens: YYYY, MM, DD, HH, mm, ss |
Default Template
When no template file is set and no custom fields are configured, the plugin generates a note like this:
---
tags: []
artist: Radiohead
title: OK Computer
genres:
- alternative rock
- art rock
album-art: "https://coverartarchive.org/..."
album-type: Album
track-count: 12
release-date: 1997-05-21
release-year: "1997"
disambiguation:
mbid: a7ccb528-da8a-11e8-b9e4-005056ad73f4
artist-mbid: a74b1b7f-71a5-4011-9441-d0b5e4122711
link-musicbrainz: "https://musicbrainz.org/release-group/..."
link-discogs: "https://www.discogs.com/master/..."
link-wikipedia: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OK_Computer"
---
![[Radiohead - OK Computer.jpg]]
## Tracklist
1. Airbag (4:44)
2. Paranoid Android (6:23)
...
Data Sources
- MusicBrainz — release metadata, genres, URL relations
- Cover Art Archive — album artwork
- Wikidata / Wikipedia — Wikipedia article links via Wikidata sitelinks
Development
npm install
npm test
npm run build
License
AGPL-3.0. See LICENSE.