# How important is folder structure for music? **URL:** \ **Category:** Metadata & Adding Files\ **Tags:** server-synology\ **Created:** [April 26, 2020, 4:36pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-important-is-folder-structure-for-music/581154 "2020-04-26T16:36:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![blademan007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c37758/32.png) [@blademan007](https://forums.plex.tv/u/blademan007)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 4:36pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-important-is-folder-structure-for-music/581154/1 "2020-04-26T16:36:49Z")
Server Version#: 1.19.1.2701 Player Version#: web 4.32.1 How important is folder structure for music? I’d rather reorganize and follow [Plex’s recommendation now](https://support.plex.tv/articles/200265296-adding-music-media-from-folders/). My setup is as follows, since I used to only put high bit rate on a separate device: ```auto /Music /lossless /classical /artist - album /01 - track name /02 - track name /jazz /mainstream /lossless high bitrate /classical /jazz /mainstream /lossless surround /classical /jazz /mainstream ``` ---
**Author:** ![ChuckPa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/chuckpa/32/79710_2.png) [@ChuckPa](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChuckPa)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 5:20pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-important-is-folder-structure-for-music/581154/2 "2020-04-26T17:20:13Z")
Structure is important To create music libraries, presuming all your groupings follow the same structure, creating library sections which reference: ## Classical 1. Music/lossless/classical 2. Music/lossless high bitrate 3. Music/lossless surround Would work correctly as each TLD has `Artist - Album/Track` underneath it. ---
**Author:** ![TeknoJunky](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/teknojunky/32/165055_2.png) [@TeknoJunky](https://forums.plex.tv/u/TeknoJunky)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-important-is-folder-structure-for-music/581154/3 "2020-04-26T17:56:25Z")
if you change it to ```auto /Music /lossless /classical /artist/ /album /01 - track name /02 - track name /jazz /mainstream /lossless high bitrate /classical /jazz /mainstream /lossless surround /classical /jazz /mainstream ``` it should work, I have mine in a similar manner `../audio/ext/firstletteralbumartist/albumartist/year - album/track# - artist - title` ```auto /databackup/media/audio/MP3/0-9/+44/2006 - When Your Heart Stops Beating [MP3]/01 - +44 - Lycanthrope.mp3 ``` audio is the music library root path ---
**Author:** ![blademan007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c37758/32.png) [@blademan007](https://forums.plex.tv/u/blademan007)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 9:07pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-important-is-folder-structure-for-music/581154/4 "2020-04-26T21:07:41Z")
Thanks for the responses. I’m going through and editing/cleaning up ID3 as well. So the most important thing is to follow the _artist/album/## - track name_ format? What if I have the same artist in multiple locations? ```auto /Music /lossless /classical /jazz /mainstream /U2/ /War /01 - track name /02 - track name /lossless high bitrate /classical /jazz /mainstream /U2/ /War /01 - track name /02 - track name /lossless surround /classical /jazz /mainstream ``` ---
**Author:** ![TeknoJunky](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/teknojunky/32/165055_2.png) [@TeknoJunky](https://forums.plex.tv/u/TeknoJunky)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 10:17pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-important-is-folder-structure-for-music/581154/5 "2020-04-26T22:17:30Z")
I have the same artists in multiple locations, and it seems to work ‘ok’, that is not to say there may not be issues, especially in the cases of ‘singles’ or other random tracks with no attached album/track#. But it should work for the most part. I have the music library option ‘prefer local metadata’ enabled, so I keep my tags sometimes non-standard album names, etc. The biggest issues, IMO, are - plex insists only only using various/various artists for compilations (I have/had ‘soundtrack’ as the album artists for my soundtracks, and some other ‘collections’ like time-life, or vh-1 albums I used as album artists to keep those albums grouped together. which causes all kinds of problems) - plex ‘removes’ the track artists from the tracks display (it makes the track artist the album artist) except for the ‘various’ artists albums, which do display the track artists - plex does not import any ratings tags, so your library will be unrated ---
**Author:** ![blademan007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c37758/32.png) [@blademan007](https://forums.plex.tv/u/blademan007)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 12:12am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-important-is-folder-structure-for-music/581154/6 "2020-04-27T00:12:10Z")
If I’m using ‘prefer local metadata’, does folder structure matter for Plex? Why does folder structure matter for Plex? ---
**Author:** ![TeknoJunky](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/teknojunky/32/165055_2.png) [@TeknoJunky](https://forums.plex.tv/u/TeknoJunky)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 1:15am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-important-is-folder-structure-for-music/581154/7 "2020-04-27T01:15:38Z")
yes. because plex is plex. ---
**Author:** ![Ryuzaki\_2](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ryuzaki_2/32/211321_2.png) [@Ryuzaki\_2](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Ryuzaki_2)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2020, 4:17am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-important-is-folder-structure-for-music/581154/8 "2020-05-16T04:17:07Z")
Does the dash matter? I know Plex wants 01 - Song Name.flac. Have you noticed any issues with naming without the dashes? Just curious. ---
**Author:** ![ChuckPa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/chuckpa/32/79710_2.png) [@ChuckPa](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChuckPa)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2020, 4:40am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-important-is-folder-structure-for-music/581154/9 "2020-05-16T04:40:04Z")
If all other naming structure is perfect, you can get away with `01. track name.ext` It must be otherwise clean. The software expects specific structure. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2020, 4:48am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-important-is-folder-structure-for-music/581154/10 "2020-08-14T04:48:32Z")
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