Ubuntu – fast way to add album cover art to 199 different albums

This is a common problem with Cyrillic id3tags encoded in Windows.

There is a python script, tag2utf, you could try to fix the encoding.

Just place the script into the same folder where the songs are, run it with python ./tag2utf-0.16.py, and follow the prompt.

Reportedly, there is also another tool, mid3iconv. It is part of the python-mutagen package in the repositories.

Randomness

To explain why you have observed this apparent random display of coverart you need to understand what is happening behind the scenes.

The CoverArt Search plugin is the culprit here. It obtains coverart from a number of sources:

• local cache (images in the track folder itself)
• tracks themselves
• lastfm
• musicbrainz

However - it does this in a very "strange" way - it throws requests out to each coverart source provider all at the same time. As each source provider returns a result, it stores the coverart in its database cache located in ~/.cache/rhythmbox/album-art. Thus what you see is the result of all four searches - you maybe seeing coverart from tracks or you maybe seeing coverart from one of the internet providers. You have no control - its totally random.

To the solution

Out of the box, the only real solution you have is to disconnect the network when using Rhythmbox so to force rhythmbox to use either cached files or from the tracks themselves.

There must be a better way...

Well yes - there is and I know this, because I wrote it.

You need an external plugin called CoverArt Search Providers.

This has the key capability to allow you to choose where you want to download coverart from.

Even better - you can control the order - if you want track based art - just put your choice higher up the order.

If you are not interested in internet based coverart - dont add the internet based coverart providers.

If you are interested in coverart from a wider range of internet providers - well that's built-in - just look at the screenshot.

So have I sold this to you yet?

Lets install this. Its available in my Rhythmbox Plugin PPA as described in the linked question below. Add the PPA and install the package rhythmbox-plugin-coverart-search i.e.

sudo apt-get install rhythmbox-plugin-coverart-search

If you dont like to install PPA's, you can install directly using the instructions in my GitHub project page, reproduced here to complete the answer:

RB2.96 - 2.99:

sudo apt-get install git gettext python-mako python-mutagen python-requests python-gdbm python-imaging

rm -rf ~/.local/share/rhythmbox/plugins/coverart_search_providers
git clone https://github.com/fossfreedom/coverart-search-providers.git
cd coverart-search-providers
./install.sh

RB 3.0 and later:

sudo apt-get install git gettext python3-mako python3-requests python3-gdbm python3-pil python3-lxml

rm -rf ~/.local/share/rhythmbox/plugins/coverart_search_providers
git clone https://github.com/fossfreedom/coverart-search-providers.git
cd coverart-search-providers
./install.sh --rb3

cleanup coverart database

If you want a clean start to ensure that only the coverart from your tracks is remembered then delete the coverart database

 rm -rf ~/.cache/rhythmbox/album-art

Don't worry, next time you restart rhythmbox the database is recreated.

important point for RB2.96 users

Since you are using RB2.96, the Art Display plugin has a hard-coded dependency on the Art Search plugin. You cannot run both Art Search and CoverArt Search Providers at the same time.

To break the link (it doesnt do any harm!) then do the following:

sudo nano /usr/lib/rhythmbox/plugins/artdisplay/artdisplay.plugin

Change the line from Depends=rb;artsearch to Depends=rb

CTRL+O, and CTRL+X to save.

Alternatively, you can install the artdisplay plugin manually from this GitHub project

Linked Question:

• How do I install third-party rhythmbox plugins?