# All Artists is sorting weirdly **URL:** \ **Category:** Plex Media Server\ **Tags:** server-western-digital\ **Created:** [December 22, 2024, 8:33pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/all-artists-is-sorting-weirdly/899644 "2024-12-22T20:33:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BlueIris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@BlueIris](https://forums.plex.tv/u/BlueIris)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 8:33pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/all-artists-is-sorting-weirdly/899644/1 "2024-12-22T20:33:45Z")
Server Version#:OS5 Player Version#: 4.142.2 \I want my artists to be sorted by what the artist name is in my music files, which is last name, first name. Thus, I turned on the “Prefer local metadata” option. However, what I’ve got is a mishmash. Some entries seem to use it and others don’t. I’ll have five artists listed as first name, last name, then folders with last name, first name. Is there another checkbox that needs to be checked? ---
**Author:** ![MarkV1320](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@MarkV1320](https://forums.plex.tv/u/MarkV1320)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 9:48pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/all-artists-is-sorting-weirdly/899644/2 "2024-12-22T21:48:47Z")
I suspect that it has something to do with your “Artist Sort” tag in your files. Note here (in Mp3tag) that Willa Amai has an Artist Sort of “Amai, Willa”. ![Capture](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/4X/f/9/3/f93bee4bc33070e4552a38a388cebde93e11af3b.jpeg) Therefore Willa Amai is listed in the “A’s” within Plex. ![Capture_1](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/4X/d/7/3/d73edce9f9ed5b0278211af59c86de1afb1e4571.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![BlueIris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@BlueIris](https://forums.plex.tv/u/BlueIris)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 10:33pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/all-artists-is-sorting-weirdly/899644/3 "2024-12-22T22:33:15Z")
I usually access my files from within iTunes and everything is sorting fine there. Are you referring to the sort within iTunes or is there some setting within Plex that I don’t know about? (I’m VERY new to Plex.) ---
**Author:** ![MarkV1320](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@MarkV1320](https://forums.plex.tv/u/MarkV1320)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 10:41pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/all-artists-is-sorting-weirdly/899644/4 "2024-12-22T22:41:48Z")
I don’t use iTunes and know zero about it. The “Tag” I’m referring to is within the music file itself. The program [Mp3tag](https://www.mp3tag.de/en/download.html) will allow you to edit/view the metadata (tags) of your music files. Plex looks at the “Artist Sort” tag to determine how to sort the artists within Plex apps. ---
**Author:** ![BlueIris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@BlueIris](https://forums.plex.tv/u/BlueIris)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2024, 4:39pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/all-artists-is-sorting-weirdly/899644/5 "2024-12-23T16:39:34Z")
I’ll have to check into it, but perhaps tomorrow – I may have a problem with my router that I have to check into first. My point with mentioning iTunes and its sort is that if iTunes is looking at the metadata and sorting it fine, then why wouldn’t Plex? Also, if that is somehow the problem, how would I fix it? ---
**Author:** ![MarkV1320](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@MarkV1320](https://forums.plex.tv/u/MarkV1320)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2024, 5:28pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/all-artists-is-sorting-weirdly/899644/6 "2024-12-23T17:28:43Z")
iTunes and Plex must use different tags to sort artists. Mp3tag will edit tags. [MusicBrainz Picard](https://picard.musicbrainz.org/downloads/) is another good tool for matching songs. I’ve found that MusicBrainz assigns the artist sort tag as “last name, first name”. But you can change that before you save. If you’ve never used MusicBrainz before I would watch/read some tutorials on how to use it optimally. ---
**Author:** ![BlueIris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@BlueIris](https://forums.plex.tv/u/BlueIris)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2024, 6:46pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/all-artists-is-sorting-weirdly/899644/7 "2024-12-24T18:46:38Z")
Hmmm… I’m not seeing an Artist Sort tag – only an Artist field in the tag, which correctly has last name, first name… ---
**Author:** ![MarkV1320](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@MarkV1320](https://forums.plex.tv/u/MarkV1320)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2024, 5:58am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/all-artists-is-sorting-weirdly/899644/8 "2024-12-28T05:58:39Z")
What (program) are you using that doesn’t see an “Artist Sort” tag? ---
**Author:** ![BlueIris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@BlueIris](https://forums.plex.tv/u/BlueIris)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 8:35pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/all-artists-is-sorting-weirdly/899644/9 "2024-12-29T20:35:43Z")
That mp3tag program you suggested. I don’t see where I can attach a file here, so can’t provide an image. ---
**Author:** ![MarkV1320](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@MarkV1320](https://forums.plex.tv/u/MarkV1320)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 1:32pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/all-artists-is-sorting-weirdly/899644/10 "2024-12-30T13:32:27Z")
Click on View \> Customize Columns \> New. Name it what you would like. Then put “$regexp(%artist%,(._) (._),‘$2, $1’)” in the value field. No I’m not smart enough to know what that means. I stole it from someone else. 🙂 ![Capture](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/4X/3/0/5/305296b46ef47f4ceed8226092e56b7785160341.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![BlueIris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@BlueIris](https://forums.plex.tv/u/BlueIris)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 10:03pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/all-artists-is-sorting-weirdly/899644/11 "2024-12-30T22:03:46Z")
OK. Did that. And then? ---
**Author:** ![MarkV1320](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@MarkV1320](https://forums.plex.tv/u/MarkV1320)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 11:46pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/all-artists-is-sorting-weirdly/899644/12 "2024-12-30T23:46:21Z")
If you checked the tick box to the left of what you added it (Artist Short) should show up then when you look at files in Mp3tag. If not, I’m lost. ---
**Author:** ![BlueIris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@BlueIris](https://forums.plex.tv/u/BlueIris)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2025, 9:57pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/all-artists-is-sorting-weirdly/899644/13 "2025-01-01T21:57:01Z")
Well, the Artist Sort field appears as a column in the list of songs on the right (I wish I could attach an image!), but that is showing as last name, first name (which is what I want). So , that would appear to be correct, but it’s still not showing correct on the device that’s displaying this. Question: Do you know what the “Enable the DLNA Server” checkbox does in the Settings area? I currently have it clicked on. ---
**Author:** ![BlueIris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@BlueIris](https://forums.plex.tv/u/BlueIris)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2025, 10:00pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/all-artists-is-sorting-weirdly/899644/14 "2025-01-01T22:00:47Z")
P.S. The Plex software also constantly has a circle with an up arrow. When I move the mouse pointer there, it indicates that it’s “updating metadata” and the artist it displays has been constant for days. Seems like it’s stuck? ---
**Author:** ![BlueIris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@BlueIris](https://forums.plex.tv/u/BlueIris)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 6:14pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/all-artists-is-sorting-weirdly/899644/15 "2025-01-09T18:14:11Z")
For anyone who visits this topic after today… I uninstalled and re-installed the Plex. Nothing changed. Someone on a forum for my NAS device recommended using Twonky. I installed that and it’s working fine. NO issues. So I uninstalled the Plex. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 6:14pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/all-artists-is-sorting-weirdly/899644/16 "2025-04-09T18:14:53Z")
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