# Metadata priorities and embedding covers

**URL:** <https://discourse.beets.io/t/metadata-priorities-and-embedding-covers/1312>\
**Category:** Help\
**Created:** [May 28, 2020, 10:54pm UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/metadata-priorities-and-embedding-covers/1312 "2020-05-28T22:54:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![tcurdt](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.beets.io/tcurdt/32/418_2.png) [@tcurdt](https://discourse.beets.io/u/tcurdt)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 10:54pm UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/metadata-priorities-and-embedding-covers/1312/1 "2020-05-28T22:54:07Z")

</div>

My music library is pretty cleaned up already - at least on the file level. But when I do an import, beets disagrees on some artist names, track titles and it skips some albums. So I basically end up with a database that isn’t really better at all.

Is there a way beets to just use the metadata from my filenames?

TBH all I want to do is to embed my cover.jpg files into the mp3/m4a/flac files - without moving or renaming the files. Removing genres and other metadata would be nice, too.

Is that possible?

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**Author:** ![adrian](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.beets.io/adrian/32/4_2.png) [@adrian](https://discourse.beets.io/u/adrian)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 12:34am UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/metadata-priorities-and-embedding-covers/1312/2 "2020-05-29T00:34:27Z")

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Yo! If you don’t want to move your files, I’d recommend an in-pace, non-autotagged import, as described in the last bullet of the “Configuring” section of the “Getting Started” guide:  
[https://beets.readthedocs.io/en/stable/guides/main.html#configuring](https://beets.readthedocs.io/en/stable/guides/main.html#configuring)

And the end of the “Importing Your Library” section:  
[https://beets.readthedocs.io/en/stable/guides/main.html#importing-your-library](https://beets.readthedocs.io/en/stable/guides/main.html#importing-your-library)

Namely, disable the importer’s default copying, tag-writing, and auto-tagging behavior.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tcurdt](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.beets.io/tcurdt/32/418_2.png) [@tcurdt](https://discourse.beets.io/u/tcurdt)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 1:07am UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/metadata-priorities-and-embedding-covers/1312/3 "2020-05-29T01:07:23Z")

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I’ve already followed that guide and have

```auto
import:
  copy: no
  write: no

```

but it still seems to be skipping albums on import.  
IIUC this should not be the case when I use `import -A`?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![adrian](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.beets.io/adrian/32/4_2.png) [@adrian](https://discourse.beets.io/u/adrian)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 1:32am UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/metadata-priorities-and-embedding-covers/1312/4 "2020-05-29T01:32:42Z")

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Yep, sounds about right. Can you elaborate on what you mean by “skipping albums on import” (perhaps with pasted output) and also include your full config?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tcurdt](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.beets.io/tcurdt/32/418_2.png) [@tcurdt](https://discourse.beets.io/u/tcurdt)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 10:15am UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/metadata-priorities-and-embedding-covers/1312/5 "2020-05-29T10:15:43Z")

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I assume it’s because I used `import -q`. So there also isn’t much output. But then I again I would have thought “skip” in this context means skipping the tagging, not the import.

As for the skipped: After moving, I’ve gone through the library and quite a few albums didn’t have the specified track naming scheme. I didn’t double check but assume those were skipped albums.

I’ll give it a try with `import -A`

That’s the current config I working with:

```auto
directory: path/to/music
library: path/to/library.db
per_disc_numbering: yes
original_date: yes
languages: de en
ui:
  color: no

import:
  copy: no
  write: no

sort_album: albumartist+ year+ album+ disc+ track+
sort_item: albumartist+ year+ album+ disc+ track+

plugins: fromfilename discogs inline the edit duplicates missing fetchart #scrub #zero #rewrite

duplicates:
  full: yes

discogs:
  user_token: <token>

embedart:
  ifempty: yes
  maxwidth: 1024

keep_fields: title artist album year track images

replace:
    '[\\/]': ' '
    '^\.': _
    '[\x00-\x1f]': _
    '[<>:"\?\*\|]': _
    '\.$': _
    '\s+$': ''
    '^\s+': ''
    '^-': _
asciify_paths: yes

item_fields:
  disc_and_track: u'%i-%02i' % (disc, track) if disctotal > 1 else u'%02i' % (track)

format_item: Bands/%the{$albumartist}/$year [$album]/$disc_and_track $title
format_album: Bands/%the{$albumartist}/$year [$album]/$disc_and_track $title

paths:
  default: Bands/%the{$albumartist}/$year [$album]/$disc_and_track $title
  singleton: Singles/[$artist] $title
  comp: Compilations/$album/$disc_and_track [$artist] $title
  albumtype:soundtrack: Soundtracks/OST $album/$disc_and_track [$artist] $title

```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tcurdt](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.beets.io/tcurdt/32/418_2.png) [@tcurdt](https://discourse.beets.io/u/tcurdt)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 11:03am UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/metadata-priorities-and-embedding-covers/1312/6 "2020-05-29T11:03:31Z")

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I now did an `import -A` but how can I see what metadata `beets` has on my files?  
`list` just shows the path, `fields` just the fields. Isn’t there a way to see the populated fields for the various tracks and albums?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![adrian](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.beets.io/adrian/32/4_2.png) [@adrian](https://discourse.beets.io/u/adrian)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 11:16am UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/metadata-priorities-and-embedding-covers/1312/7 "2020-05-29T11:16:54Z")

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> [@tcurdt](#):
>
> I assume it’s because I used `import -q` . So there also isn’t much output. But then I again I would have thought “skip” in this context means skipping the tagging, not the import.

Aha, yes, it does mean “skip the import.” To change that, use the `quiet_fallback` config option:  
[https://beets.readthedocs.io/en/stable/reference/config.html#quiet-fallback](https://beets.readthedocs.io/en/stable/reference/config.html#quiet-fallback)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![adrian](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.beets.io/adrian/32/4_2.png) [@adrian](https://discourse.beets.io/u/adrian)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 11:17am UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/metadata-priorities-and-embedding-covers/1312/8 "2020-05-29T11:17:38Z")

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> [@tcurdt](#):
>
> I now did an `import -A` but how can I see what metadata `beets` has on my files?  
> `list` just shows the path, `fields` just the fields. Isn’t there a way to see the populated fields for the various tracks and albums?

See the `-f` flag to the list command or the `info` plugin (in library mode).

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tcurdt](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.beets.io/tcurdt/32/418_2.png) [@tcurdt](https://discourse.beets.io/u/tcurdt)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 11:46am UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/metadata-priorities-and-embedding-covers/1312/9 "2020-05-29T11:46:26Z")

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> [@adrian](#):
>
> Aha, yes, it does mean “skip the import.” To change that, use the `quiet_fallback` config option

So I guess `quiet_fallback: asis` should make it work the way I thought it would.

> [@adrian](#):
>
> See the `-f` flag to the list command or the `info` plugin (in library mode).

Well, the `-f` flag needs me to specify a format, but I rather want to see a all fields.  
But it looks like `info -l` is what I am after.

Not sure what “library mode” is though. Searching in the docs did not help either.

Thanks for the help!