# MusicBrainz Music Metadata API Scraper (`jungle_synthesizer/musicbrainz-music-metadata-api-scraper`) Actor Search and look up music metadata from MusicBrainz — the open music encyclopedia. Retrieve artists, release groups, recordings, labels, and works with full relationship graphs, genre tags, and cross-platform ID resolution (Spotify, Discogs, ISRC, Wikidata, and more). No API key required. - **URL**: https://apify.com/jungle\_synthesizer/musicbrainz-music-metadata-api-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [BowTiedRaccoon](https://apify.com/jungle_synthesizer) (community) - **Categories:** Developer tools, For creators - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per event This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## MusicBrainz Music Metadata API Scraper Search and look up music metadata from [MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/) — the open music encyclopedia. Retrieve artists, release groups, recordings, labels, and works with full relationship graphs, genre tags, and cross-platform ID resolution. No API key required. ### What you get Each record includes: - **MBID** — the MusicBrainz identifier, the stable cross-database join key used by Spotify, Discogs, Last.fm, Wikidata, and every other major music service - **Entity metadata** — name, type, country, active dates, area - **Tags and genres** — community-sourced, sorted by vote count - **Aliases** — alternative names with locale and alias type - **External IDs** — links to Discogs, Wikidata, AllMusic, IMDb, VIAF, and streaming platforms (when relations are enabled) - **Relationships** — artist members, labels, recording-of-work links, and more (when relations are enabled) - **ISRCs / ISWCs** — international recording and work identifiers ### Entity types supported | Type | Description | |------|-------------| | `artist` | Individual musicians, bands, orchestras, and other performing groups | | `release-group` | Albums, singles, EPs, and compilations | | `release` | Specific editions or pressings of a release group | | `recording` | Individual tracks with ISRC codes and performance credits | | `label` | Record labels with label codes and catalogs | | `work` | Musical compositions with ISWC codes and lyricist/composer credits | ### Usage modes #### Search mode (default) Provide a free-text `query` and `entityType`. Returns up to `maxItems` matching results sorted by relevance score. ```json { "entityType": "artist", "query": "radiohead", "maxItems": 10 } ```` Lucene syntax is supported for precise queries: ```json { "entityType": "artist", "query": "type:group country:GB", "maxItems": 25 } ``` #### MBID lookup mode Provide an `mbid` to fetch the full entity record with all available sub-resources expanded. This is the recommended path when you already know the identifier. ```json { "entityType": "artist", "mbid": "a74b1b7f-71a5-4011-9441-d0b5e4122711" } ``` #### Relationship expansion Set `includeRelations: true` to add external IDs and artist/label relationships to search results. MBID lookups always include full relationship data. ```json { "entityType": "recording", "query": "karma police", "includeRelations": true, "maxItems": 5 } ``` ### Output schema | Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | `mbid` | string | MusicBrainz identifier | | `entity_type` | string | artist / release-group / release / recording / label / work | | `name` | string | Primary name | | `sort_name` | string | Canonical sort name (e.g. "Beatles, The") | | `disambiguation` | string | Disambiguation note for name conflicts | | `type` | string | Entity subtype (Group, Album, Single, etc.) | | `country` | string | ISO 3166-1 country code | | `life_span_begin` | string | Start of active period | | `life_span_end` | string | End of active period | | `life_span_ended` | boolean | Whether the entity is no longer active | | `area_name` | string | Geographic area | | `aliases` | string | JSON array of {name, locale, type} | | `tags` | string | Comma-separated community tags (by vote count) | | `genres` | string | Comma-separated genres (by vote count) | | `isrcs` | string | ISRC codes for recordings | | `iswcs` | string | ISWC codes for works | | `first_release_date` | string | Date of first release | | `release_count` | integer | Number of associated releases | | `label_code` | string | Label code (labels only) | | `score` | integer | Search relevance score (0-100) | | `artist_credit` | string | Artist credit string (recordings / release groups) | | `relations_summary` | string | JSON array of linked entities | | `external_ids` | string | JSON object mapping service names to URLs | ### Rate limiting MusicBrainz enforces a limit of 1 request per second for anonymous access. This actor enforces a 1.1-second delay between requests and sends a descriptive User-Agent header per MusicBrainz policy. Runs will be slower than you might expect — this is intentional to protect your IP from being blocked. ### Common use cases **Music data pipelines** — use the MBID as a universal join key across Spotify, Discogs, Last.fm, and Wikidata datasets. **Cross-ID resolution** — look up an MBID from a Discogs or Wikidata identifier by searching with known identifiers. **Catalog enrichment** — enrich a list of artist names with canonical MBIDs, genres, and external service links. **Work and recording metadata** — fetch ISRC/ISWC codes for licensing and rights management workflows. ### Technical notes - Data source: [MusicBrainz Web Service v2](https://musicbrainz.org/doc/MusicBrainz_API) - No authentication required - Datacenter proxies are not needed — MusicBrainz does not block by IP - Pagination: search results paginate via offset/limit up to 100 per page # Actor input Schema ## `sp_intended_usage` (type: `string`): Please describe how you plan to use the data extracted by this crawler. ## `sp_improvement_suggestions` (type: `string`): Provide any feedback or suggestions for improvements. ## `sp_contact` (type: `string`): Provide your email address so we can get in touch with you. ## `entityType` (type: `string`): Type of MusicBrainz entity to search or look up: artist, release-group, release, recording, label, or work. ## `query` (type: `string`): Free-text search query (Lucene syntax supported). Use this for search mode. Leave blank if using mbid for direct lookup. ## `mbid` (type: `string`): MusicBrainz identifier for direct entity lookup. When provided, fetches the full entity record with all relationships. Overrides query. ## `includeRelations` (type: `boolean`): When true, expands artist/recording/work relationships (members, labels, producers, ISRCs, Wikidata, external IDs). Adds one extra API call per record for search results. Always included for MBID lookups. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of records to return. ## Actor input object example ```json { "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "entityType": "artist", "query": "radiohead", "includeRelations": false, "maxItems": 10 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "entityType": "artist", "query": "radiohead", "includeRelations": false, "maxItems": 10 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("jungle_synthesizer/musicbrainz-music-metadata-api-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "entityType": "artist", "query": "radiohead", "includeRelations": False, "maxItems": 10, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("jungle_synthesizer/musicbrainz-music-metadata-api-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "entityType": "artist", "query": "radiohead", "includeRelations": false, "maxItems": 10 }' | apify call jungle_synthesizer/musicbrainz-music-metadata-api-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=jungle_synthesizer/musicbrainz-music-metadata-api-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "MusicBrainz Music Metadata API Scraper", "description": "Search and look up music metadata from MusicBrainz — the open music encyclopedia. Retrieve artists, release groups, recordings, labels, and works with full relationship graphs, genre tags, and cross-platform ID resolution (Spotify, Discogs, ISRC, Wikidata, and more). No API key required.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "5SHbT88WpUhJiXuEC" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/jungle_synthesizer~musicbrainz-music-metadata-api-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-jungle_synthesizer-musicbrainz-music-metadata-api-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/jungle_synthesizer~musicbrainz-music-metadata-api-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-jungle_synthesizer-musicbrainz-music-metadata-api-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/jungle_synthesizer~musicbrainz-music-metadata-api-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-jungle_synthesizer-musicbrainz-music-metadata-api-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "entityType" ], "properties": { "sp_intended_usage": { "title": "What is the intended usage of this data?", "minLength": 1, "type": "string", "description": "Please describe how you plan to use the data extracted by this crawler." }, "sp_improvement_suggestions": { "title": "How can we improve this crawler for you?", "minLength": 1, "type": "string", "description": "Provide any feedback or suggestions for improvements." }, "sp_contact": { "title": "Contact Email", "minLength": 1, "type": "string", "description": "Provide your email address so we can get in touch with you." }, "entityType": { "title": "Entity Type", "enum": [ "artist", "release-group", "release", "recording", "label", "work" ], "type": "string", "description": "Type of MusicBrainz entity to search or look up: artist, release-group, release, recording, label, or work.", "default": "artist" }, "query": { "title": "Search Query", "type": "string", "description": "Free-text search query (Lucene syntax supported). Use this for search mode. Leave blank if using mbid for direct lookup." }, "mbid": { "title": "MBID (Direct Lookup)", "type": "string", "description": "MusicBrainz identifier for direct entity lookup. When provided, fetches the full entity record with all relationships. Overrides query." }, "includeRelations": { "title": "Include Relations", "type": "boolean", "description": "When true, expands artist/recording/work relationships (members, labels, producers, ISRCs, Wikidata, external IDs). Adds one extra API call per record for search results. Always included for MBID lookups.", "default": false }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max Items", "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of records to return.", "default": 10 } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```