# Album Artist common entry **URL:** \ **Category:** Support\ **Created:** [August 9, 2015, 10:48am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/album-artist-common-entry/17136 "2015-08-09T10:48:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kermit68mr](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@kermit68mr](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/kermit68mr)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2015, 10:48am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/album-artist-common-entry/17136/1 "2015-08-09T10:48:49Z")
Hi all, I try to check for this topic before posting but I could not find anything matching it. Maybe you could help. Is there any possibility to add the string "Various Artists" in the field "Album Artist", to select it on the scroll down menu, without having to type it all times? Thanks for your assistance. cheers, max ---
**Author:** ![DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/detlevd/32/123_2.png) [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2015, 11:24am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/album-artist-common-entry/17136/2 "2015-08-09T11:24:47Z")
> [@kermit68mr](#): > > ... add the string "Various Artists" in the field "Album Artist", to select it on the scroll down menu ... Please elaborate ... where in Mp3tag user interface is the dialog field "Album Artist" ... and where is the "scroll down menu" located. DD.20150809.1524.CEST ---
**Author:** ![kermit68mr](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@kermit68mr](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/kermit68mr)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2015, 11:49am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/album-artist-common-entry/17136/3 "2015-08-09T11:49:26Z")
> [@DetlevD](#): > > Please elaborate ... > where in Mp3tag user interface is the dialog field "Album Artist" ... > and where is the "scroll down menu" located. > > DD.20150809.1524.CEST thanks for the prompt reply. in the main screen interface of mp3tag, among the fields on the left side, there is the field "album artist" and scolling down the possible available strings there is only and I was trying to include as optional string because of the multitude of compilation existing. I could not find in the settings any possible option to add the above string and I was wondering if someone else already requested this add-on to the developers. Only to avoid having to type all times "Various Artists" on that empty field. Thanks Max ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2015, 12:23pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/album-artist-common-entry/17136/4 "2015-08-09T12:23:28Z")
> [@kermit68mr](#): > > thanks for the prompt reply. > > in the main screen interface of mp3tag, among the fields on the left side, there is the field "album artist" and scolling down the possible available strings there is only and > > I was trying to include as optional string because of the multitude of compilation existing. I could not find in the settings any possible option to add the above string and I was wondering if someone else already requested this add-on to the developers. Only to avoid having to type all times "Various Artists" on that empty field. > > Thanks > Max There is no option to define default values for such a field. But there are some other ways to handle it: The tag panel and its entries work for all the files that you have selected. So: select all the files that should get "Various Artists" as data for ALBUMARTIST. Enter "Various Artists" in ALBUMARTIST. Press Ctrl-S to save the modification. All selected files will get the new data - and you have typed it only once. Or you add a master file that already has the correct data in that field. Select the master file and all the others that should get the data. Select the required data from the dropdown list. Save the modification. Or you could create an action of the type "Format value" for ALBUMARTIST that sets the desired string into that field... ---
**Author:** ![DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/detlevd/32/123_2.png) [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2015, 12:42pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/album-artist-common-entry/17136/5 "2015-08-09T12:42:17Z")
> [@kermit68mr](#): > > ... in the main screen interface of mp3tag, among the fields on the left side, there is the field "album artist" and scolling down the possible available strings there is only and ... Once you have selected more than one file in the Mp3tag Listview, ... and at least one of these files already has set a tag-field ALBUMARTIST ... containing the value 'Various Artists', ... then the edit field for "Album Artists" in the Mp3tag Tag-Panel ... offers the value 'Various Artists' in the edit field's drop-down list. There is no way to preset user defined values into the Tag-Panel edit fields ... for the tag-field ALBUMARTIST. If you need the value "Various Artists" rather often, ... then create an action of type "Format value" to set the tag-field ALBUMARTIST to "Various Artists". If you want to work on the tag-field ARTIST and on multiple files, ... then you can define a standard value in the dialog "Mp3tag Options/Tag Panel/Default values". DD.20150809.1656.CEST ---
**Author:** ![kermit68mr](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@kermit68mr](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/kermit68mr)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2015, 2:12pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/album-artist-common-entry/17136/6 "2015-08-09T14:12:38Z")
thanks both, I am actually already following all advises you posted on the replies. I was trying to find an easier way to set all ALBUMARTIST as and to change it only when different than that. Do you know if there is a way to suggest it to the developers? thanks anyway for your kind reply cheers max ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/album-artist-common-entry/17136/7 "2015-08-09T15:30:24Z")
> [@kermit68mr](#): > > ..I was trying to find an easier way to set all ALBUMARTIST as and to change it only when different than that.... MP3tag is so good because it does not favour one particular workflow but offers many options to configure a local system. The suggestion is now public - but I doubt that it will ever become a program feature as there are so many ways to adapt MP3tag to your needs that you don't need anything ready-made. But who knows. In the meantime, you can use one of the alternatives. ---
**Author:** ![kermit68mr](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@kermit68mr](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/kermit68mr)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2015, 5:52pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/album-artist-common-entry/17136/8 "2015-08-09T17:52:34Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#): > > MP3tag is so good because it does not favour one particular workflow but offers many options to configure a local system. > The suggestion is now public - but I doubt that it will ever become a program feature as there are so many ways to adapt MP3tag to your needs that you don't need anything ready-made. > But who knows. In the meantime, you can use one of the alternatives. Very good mates and thanks to all for the kind assistance cheers max ---
**Author:** ![system](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/2X/c/ce7035d426cb755a7916793326d23b465222a407.png) [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 12:25pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/album-artist-common-entry/17136/9 "2026-02-09T12:25:48Z")
Closed on February 9, 2026, 12:25pm UTC