These problems may be new to the average music lover, but they have flummoxed data professionals since the days of punch cards.Ĭomputers love order. What’s less understood is that the file also has data – also known as metadata – that helps systems classify songs, albums or artists. We like to think of digital music as a collection of audio files. Can’t find “Sara Smile” or “She’s Gone?” Maybe they’re with that other Hall & Oates. However, if the software running these sites doesn’t have a way to reconcile these things, then “Hall and Oates” and “Hall & Oates” are essentially separate bands.

You would assume that high-powered music sites wouldn’t get confused by something as small as an ampersand. But check any music site, and how is their name listed? “Darry Hall and John Oates,” “Hall & Oates,” and “Hall and Oates” are all options. Here’s another example: Darryl Hall and John Oates.įor decades, they have been regaling fans with their Philly blue-eyed soul.

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