# Some fields don't seem to get retrieved from MusicBrainz

**URL:** <https://discourse.beets.io/t/some-fields-dont-seem-to-get-retrieved-from-musicbrainz/1366>\
**Category:** Help\
**Created:** [June 28, 2020, 2:22am UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/some-fields-dont-seem-to-get-retrieved-from-musicbrainz/1366 "2020-06-28T02:22:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![RobertBernstein](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.beets.io/robertbernstein/32/436_2.png) [@RobertBernstein](https://discourse.beets.io/u/RobertBernstein)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 2:22am UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/some-fields-dont-seem-to-get-retrieved-from-musicbrainz/1366/1 "2020-06-28T02:22:03Z")

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I am trying to figure out how to get the Composer field to be populated when I tag my music with beets. For example, I would expect track # 1 of the Beatles 1962-1966 (i.e. Love Me Do) from [https://musicbrainz.org/release/301aa0fc-75a7-3e55-82e2-74c3e9a7ebf7](https://musicbrainz.org/release/301aa0fc-75a7-3e55-82e2-74c3e9a7ebf7) to store the data from the Writers field in MusicBrainz (which would be something like “John Lennon and Paul McCartney”) in the tag somewhere, e.g. the Composer field.

1. Why isn’t this stored in my tag/database?
2. How can I make this data get saved to my tag/database?

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![dorade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b3f665/32.png) [@dorade](https://discourse.beets.io/u/dorade)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 7:36am UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/some-fields-dont-seem-to-get-retrieved-from-musicbrainz/1366/2 "2020-06-28T07:36:24Z")

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> [@RobertBernstein](#):
>
> Why isn’t this stored in my tag/database?

I guess that’s because beets won’t translate Writer to Composer. [Love Me Do](https://musicbrainz.org/work/3d2be76e-8193-307e-bca5-71f9c734c0f0) doesn’t have a composer specified, only writers. But [We Can Work It Out](https://musicbrainz.org/recording/e432f23f-4fad-4780-ba3d-9b33240dfd10) from the same album does have composers, and I have them in my tags.

> [@RobertBernstein](#):
>
> How can I make this data get saved to my tag/database?

Specify a composer in MusicBrainz. But Love Me Do is credited to Lennon and McCartney as Writers because it’s unknown who did what.

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**Author:** ![RobertBernstein](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.beets.io/robertbernstein/32/436_2.png) [@RobertBernstein](https://discourse.beets.io/u/RobertBernstein)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 6:45pm UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/some-fields-dont-seem-to-get-retrieved-from-musicbrainz/1366/3 "2020-06-28T18:45:10Z")

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I do see the composer field filled in for “We Can Work It Out”. Thanks for pointing that out. I’ll look into specifying a composer in MusicBrainz.

I appreciate the help!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dorade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b3f665/32.png) [@dorade](https://discourse.beets.io/u/dorade)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 7:35pm UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/some-fields-dont-seem-to-get-retrieved-from-musicbrainz/1366/4 "2020-06-28T19:35:45Z")

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> [@RobertBernstein](#):
>
> I’ll look into specifying a composer in MusicBrainz.

Beware of nerdy editors, though. The Beatles are too popular a band to have wrong credits on MusicBrainz.