# Multiple Artist Tags?
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [February 13, 2008, 2:11pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246 "2008-02-13T14:11:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@stricko](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/stricko)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2008, 2:11pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/1 "2008-02-13T14:11:48Z")
Hi there, I've been using MP3tag for a while now (various versions) to maintain a library of about 600 albums on a server (XP). This is then used by various networked PCs (XP and XP MCE, and Twonky via a couple of Pinnacle Soundbridges. Files are a mixture of MP3 and WMA
Some of the Artist tags I've used have Artist entries, which appear as ;
But I'm getting problems, especially in MCE where the individual artist entries are not being recognised. Tags are being picked up as just the first entry, or a string with both, with a semi colon in the middle.
ANy hints on how to set up and maintain multiple tag values succesfully?
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### Author:  [@dano](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/dano)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2008, 3:16pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/2 "2008-02-13T15:16:11Z")
First you should get the latest dev. version [http://developer.mp3tag.de/](http://developer.mp3tag.de/)
Then for your mp3 files, use this syntax:
artist1/artist2/artist3
For wma, use
artist1\\artist2\\artist3
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### Author:  [@stricko](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/stricko)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2008, 5:44pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/3 "2008-02-14T17:44:45Z")
Thanks, I'll give it a try
Later update: Brilliant, works a treat
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [February 15, 2008, 1:49am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/4 "2008-02-15T01:49:20Z")
Coo... are those defined in any standards specs?
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### Author:  [@drbeachboy](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/drbeachboy)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2008, 10:10pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/5 "2008-02-16T22:10:25Z")
My multiple artists MP3's that were originally tagged within foobar2k with V2.3 show in mp3tag with the "\\". Do you know why that is? It's really becoming a difficult task to keep my tags straight for fb2k & my iPod. Is there a handy system that I am not aware for this problem? Thanks for your advice.
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2008, 8:42pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/6 "2008-02-17T20:42:15Z")
`\\` is used as the separator character sequence for multiple tag fields in Mp3tag. They will also show up as separate entries in the extended tag dialog.
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### Author:  [@drbeachboy](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/drbeachboy)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2008, 8:50pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/7 "2008-02-17T20:50:13Z")
> [@Florian](#):
>
> \\ is used as the separator character sequence for multiple tag fields in Mp3tag. They will also show up as separate entries in the extended tag dialog.
Thank you for the answer, Florian! Also, does this explain why only one artist shows up in the "Customized Columns" of Mp3tag? Seems only the first artist listed shows in the column.
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/8 "2008-02-17T20:53:13Z")
> [@drbeachboy](#):
>
> Thank you for the answer, Florian! Also, does this explain why only one artist shows up in the "Customized Columns" of Mp3tag? Seems only the first artist listed shows in the column.
Exactly. This is an inconsistency that I'd like to address in a post-v2.40 version of Mp3tag.
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2008, 11:01pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/9 "2008-02-17T23:01:16Z")
> \\ is used as the separator character sequence for multiple tag fields in Mp3tag.
Wow. I've for a long time been assuming that was odd data in tags from other sources. Thanks for the info.
May I suggest this be mentioned in the docs?
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2008, 9:29pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/10 "2008-02-18T21:29:35Z")
> [@chrisjj](#):
>
> May I suggest this be mentioned in the docs?
I have no idea where to put it.
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### Author:  [@JJ\_Johnson](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/JJ_Johnson)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2008, 7:37am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/11 "2008-02-24T07:37:40Z")
> [@Florian](#):
>
> Exactly. This is an inconsistency that I'd like to address in a post-v2.40 version of Mp3tag.
Is there any reason you can't use and display the same separator in the columns, or were you thinking of doing something different?
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2008, 8:27pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/12 "2008-02-26T20:27:14Z")
I suggest a good place to put it is in help\main\_tags.html , in a new section "Multiple tag fields".
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2008, 8:50pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/13 "2008-02-26T20:50:37Z")
May I vote for something different, please? It would be really poor to use a character sequence such that literal and marker instances were visually indistinguishable. Better would be something reserved from the lietral space, such as **/** or **|**.
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### Author:  [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2008, 5:28am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/14 "2008-02-27T05:28:11Z")
> [@chrisjj](#):
>
> ... May I vote for something different, please?...
Hmm..., I think that an unusual character sequence like '\\' when used as an inline multi tagfield separator consistently all over Mp3tag it would be the best choice, otherwise when using single characters like '/' or '|' as separator there would come up interferences with the tagfields content data itself.
DD.20080227.0727.CET
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2008, 9:35am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/15 "2008-02-27T09:35:22Z")
My suggestion was for / or | in bold, so that, unlike plain \\, the separator would be visually distinguishable from literal tag content.
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### Author:  [@JJ\_Johnson](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/JJ_Johnson)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2008, 9:45am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/16 "2008-02-27T09:45:47Z")
So exactly how does one _enter_ a separator in 'bold'? 
What's wrong with \\? Is that something that would interfere with your tagging strategy? Like maybe, ala Prince, ''The artist who calls himself "\\"'? Yeah, that might present a proboem.
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2008, 10:55am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/17 "2008-02-27T10:55:10Z")
> So exactly how does one _enter_ a separator in 'bold'? 
Whatever key combination Mp3tag assigns.
> What's wrong with \\?
See previous messages in this topic.
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### Author:  [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2008, 12:17pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/18 "2008-02-27T12:17:50Z")
> [@chrisjj](#):
>
> ... \> So exactly how does one _enter_ a separator in 'bold'? 
> Whatever key combination Mp3tag assigns. ...
I think there is no rich text user interface in Mp3tag.
DD.20080227.1417.CET
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2008, 12:36pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/19 "2008-02-27T12:36:51Z")
OK, can you suggest an alternative representation of the separator, that likewise is unambiguous with respect to literal content?
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### Author:  [@Clubstyler](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Clubstyler)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2008, 9:25am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246/20 "2008-03-02T09:25:48Z")
I think one should just stick to "/" and define a black list entry for AC/DC.
If that's the way how it's defined in the ID3v2.3 specs, it's the way to go.
WMP uses the slash, too, so we already have a wide user base.
Another solution is to let users choose their favoured separator strings themselves in program options.
[Next page](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/multiple-artist-tags/6246.md?page=2)