Is this real music data?

Yes — real release metadata from MusicBrainz's own API.

No. MusicBrainz's release search API is fully key-less for reads.

Does this include streaming-only singles?

It includes any real release MusicBrainz catalogs with a matching date, digital or physical.

Yes — free, no download, in your browser.

What is the difference between a release and a release group?

A release group is the overall concept of an album, and a release is a specific product you can buy, such as a CD or a digital download, with its own country and format.

What does the country code XW mean?

MusicBrainz reserves XW for worldwide releases and XE for Europe, since neither is a single country.

Who is responsible for the data?

A community of volunteer contributors maintains it, and the MetaBrainz Foundation, a non-profit, operates MusicBrainz.

New Music Releases Screensaver

The New Music Releases screensaver streams real recently-dated album and single releases from MusicBrainz's open database. It is free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.

How the New Music Releases screensaver works

The saver reads real releases with a recent release date from MusicBrainz's own API.

Each entry shows a real title, artist credit and real release date.

The pipeline refreshes the feed regularly, respecting MusicBrainz's request pacing.

No key is required for this key-less public endpoint.

MusicBrainz and the anatomy of a release

MusicBrainz is an open music encyclopedia maintained by a community of volunteer contributors and operated by the MetaBrainz Foundation, a non-profit. It aims to be a reference that applications can use to identify artists, releases and works. Most of its data is released under Creative Commons Zero, which places it in the public domain, while a smaller part uses a non-commercial share-alike licence.

The database distinguishes a release group, the overall concept of an album, from individual releases, the specific products you can buy, such as a CD, a vinyl pressing or a digital download. Every release belongs to exactly one release group, and releases of the same album can differ by country, format or edition type, such as a deluxe edition. The country field even has special entries, with the reserved code XW for worldwide releases and XE for Europe.

The list shows entries recently dated in the database, not a ranking of what is popular. Release dates may point to the future for announced albums, and entries are edited by the community over time. A missing record usually means no editor has added it yet, so the catalogue suits broad coverage better than chart-style completeness.

A worked example

A real deluxe live album with a real recent release date scrolls past exactly as catalogued by MusicBrainz.

Settings & tips

Titles, artists and dates are real MusicBrainz catalog entries, not generated.
Accent recolours the ticker text.
Release dates reflect real label-reported dates, which can lag actual availability.

Frequently asked questions

Is this real music data?: Yes — real release metadata from MusicBrainz's own API.
Is a key needed?: No. MusicBrainz's release search API is fully key-less for reads.
Does this include streaming-only singles?: It includes any real release MusicBrainz catalogs with a matching date, digital or physical.
Is it free?: Yes — free, no download, in your browser.
What is the difference between a release and a release group?: A release group is the overall concept of an album, and a release is a specific product you can buy, such as a CD or a digital download, with its own country and format.
What does the country code XW mean?: MusicBrainz reserves XW for worldwide releases and XE for Europe, since neither is a single country.
Who is responsible for the data?: A community of volunteer contributors maintains it, and the MetaBrainz Foundation, a non-profit, operates MusicBrainz.

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