# VA - get year!
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/va-get-year/15985
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [August 10, 2014, 12:26am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/va-get-year/15985 "2014-08-10T00:26:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Azevedo](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Azevedo)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2014, 12:26am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/va-get-year/15985/1 "2014-08-10T00:26:41Z")
Hi!
I have this large collection of mp3s which actually is a mix of songs I collected along the years.
The files are tagged with ARTIST and TITLE only.
Is it possible for mp3tag to find those songs' **YEAR** on discogs/amazon/last fm?
Please note the files are a MIX (various artists), not an album. I just would like them to have the songs' year.
Thank you!
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2014, 6:23am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/va-get-year/15985/2 "2014-08-10T06:23:45Z")
> [@Azevedo](#):
>
> ...
> The files are tagged with ARTIST and TITLE only.
>
> Is it possible for mp3tag to find those songs' **YEAR** on discogs/amazon/last fm?
> ..
If you do not know the album, it is fairly hard to determine the exact year as there are remixes, re-releases and other folly around.
If you are content with a rough guess, then you might get a lot of files with a year if you copy the contents of TITLE to ALBUM and so treat the track as though it would be a single. Then let the websource script have a look.
You would have to treat each track individually.
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### Author:  [@Azevedo](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Azevedo)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2014, 8:39am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/va-get-year/15985/3 "2014-08-10T08:39:09Z")
I was wary about that. Indeed, as you said it may have remixes, re-releases, remasters, ...
In this particular case it would refer only to the original release. But I think there's no such way. ☹
This collection goes beyond 1000 tracks. It would take way too much time...
Thanks for you reply though!
---
### Author:  [@Azevedo](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Azevedo)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2014, 9:07am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/va-get-year/15985/4 "2014-08-10T09:07:52Z")
The closer I got is this:
google **1st result** :
+"" +"released: " site:discogs.com
https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=+%2B%22%22+%2B%22released%3A+%22+site%3Adiscogs.com&btnG=Search
It will work for me. Even though it may have some error margin (remixes, re-releases, remasters).
It's better to correct 50 than mannually lookup for 1600.
I'll write a vbscript to do the job.
---
### Author:  [@Azevedo](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Azevedo)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/va-get-year/15985/5 "2014-08-11T17:32:26Z")
Well, I found something even better than google.
Discogs have it's own advanced search, which puts aside the odds of getting a 'wrong' release.
The script works 100%:
Uses this small utility to write the year to the tag: [http://freecode.com/projects/id3](http://freecode.com/projects/id3)
(it is so bad that mp3tag doesn't provide such a simple funcionality from command line!)
```
' *****************************************************************************' * Description..: Get mp3 release year
' * Parameters...: mp3 file: artist - title.mp3
' * Author.......: Leandro Azevedo
' * Release......: 2014/08/11
' *****************************************************************************
Option explicit
Dim url : url = "http://www.discogs.com/search/?type=master&artist=$1&track=$2&format=Album"
Dim oIE, tagger, yr
Dim fso : Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
if WScript.Arguments.Count=0 then
msgbox "Input file is missing.", 48, ""
wscript.quit
else
dim filepath : filepath = WScript.Arguments(0)
dim filename : filename = fso.getBaseName(filepath)
dim info : info = split(filename, " - ") ' artist - title.mp3
end if
Dim shell : Set shell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set oIE = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")
url = replace(url, "$1", info(0))
url = replace(url, "$2", info(1))
With oIE
.Visible = false
Do While .Busy
WScript.Sleep 100
Loop
End With
on error resume next
yr = oIe.document.getElementsByClassName("card_release_year")(0).innerhtml '1st ocurrence
if err.number <> 0 then
msgbox "Information not found for " & filename , 48
wscript.quit
end if
on error goto 0
oIE.quit
set oIE = Nothing
tagger = "c:\id3\id3.exe -2 -y $1 /$2/"
tagger = replace(tagger, "$1", yr)
tagger = replace(tagger, "$2", filepath)
tagger = replace(tagger, "/", chr(34))
shell.run tagger, 0
```
This script get the year of the original release (album version) based on the file name ( **%ARTIST% - %TITLE%.mp3** ). It can be tweaked to adapt the search though.
---
### Author:  [@tagmusing](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/tagmusing)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2015, 9:51am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/va-get-year/15985/6 "2015-03-11T09:51:38Z")
That sounds very interesting!
How do you use it? What kind of script is it?
Do you use it as a stand alone script or can you trigger it from the mp3tag right-click tools menu?
sorry for my ignorance, but i would be very usefull to me, if I could figure how to use it.
Thank You!
---
### Author:  [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2015, 11:59am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/va-get-year/15985/7 "2015-03-11T11:59:31Z")
> [@tagmusing](#):
>
> That sounds very interesting!
> How do you use it? What kind of script is it? Do you use it as a stand alone script or can you trigger it from the mp3tag right-click tools menu? sorry for my ignorance, but i would be very usefull to me, if I could figure how to use it.Thank You!
The VBS script wants to be invoked with parameter like ....
artist - title.mp3
The VBS script relies on the correctness of the link ...
url = "[http://www.discogs.com/search/?type=master&artist=$1&track=$2&format=Album](http://www.discogs.com/search/?type=master&artist=$1&track=$2&format=Album)"
For example you can try ...
[http://www.discogs.com/search/?type=master...mp;format=Album](http://www.discogs.com/search/?type=master&artist=Alanis%20Morissette&track=You%20Oughta%20Know&format=Album)
The result is not very useful.
Maybe discogs has changed their html pages ...
and the VBS script needs to be updated.
DD.20150311.1400.CET
---
### Author:  [@tagmusing](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/tagmusing)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2015, 8:20am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/va-get-year/15985/8 "2015-03-23T08:20:25Z")
Thank You Detlev!
And excuse me please, for responding so late!
---
### Author:  [@BigEars](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/BigEars)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2024, 10:54am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/va-get-year/15985/9 "2024-10-25T10:54:36Z")
Another more simple but slower would be to use the find song on Google and just edit the tag one by one, I have mine listed by years so it's easier to spot missing ones.
Kev
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2024, 12:24pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/va-get-year/15985/10 "2024-10-25T12:24:03Z")
If I read the posts correctly with the suggestion
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> You would have to treat each track individually.
which was commented by the OP as
> [@Azevedo](#):
>
> It would take way too much time...
I doubt that
> [@BigEars](#):
>
> use the find song on Google and just edit the tag one by one
would be any better.
---
### Author:  [@BigEars](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/BigEars)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2024, 2:06pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/va-get-year/15985/11 "2024-10-25T14:06:20Z")
I don't think there is an easy way, I play some of them as I go through the process of 3622 tunes, so it is quite enjoyable too.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2024, 2:06pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/va-get-year/15985/12 "2024-11-24T14:06:25Z")
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