# Need an iTunes expert (sorting question)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-an-itunes-expert-sorting-question/715704
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 22, 2015, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-an-itunes-expert-sorting-question/715704 "2015-03-22T18:06:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2015, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-an-itunes-expert-sorting-question/715704/1 "2015-03-22T18:06:03Z")
iTunes is driving me to drink.
I store my songs on an iPod and an iPhone. The artists are nicely sorted in iTunes and on the iPod.
On the iPhone, though (which is new), I have some Bob Dylan albums showing up under the Bs and some under the Ds. Elton John? Some can be found in the Es, some in the Js. You get the picture.
So I went into iTunes and found the sorting options within the Get Info tab. I see:
Name
Sort as
Album
Sort as
Album Artist
Sort as
Artist
Sort as
What is the difference between album artist and artist? I want the tunes sorted by surname; how do I achieve this? Trial and error is yielding inconsistent results.
Thanks,
mmm
ETA: Also, I have all 300+ Bob Dylan songs listed as within one album on my phone. On iTunes, though, they are properly sorted. Suggestions?
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### Author:  [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2015, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-an-itunes-expert-sorting-question/715704/2 "2015-03-22T18:49:32Z")
I use all these extensively. They work for iTunes and for iPod Classic. I don’t have much music on my iPhone, so I don’t know how well it works there. I don’t have an iPod Touch, so I haven’t tried it out.
“Artist” — Is the recording artist for a particular track
“Album Artist” — Is the recording artist for a particular album
Typically, these two will be the same for most albums _except_ compilations.
On a soundtrack album, for example, on which each track is by a different recording artist, I assign “Album Artist” the value “various artists”.
On some greatest hits albums, this might also come into play. For the Neil Young compilation album “Decade,” the Album Artist is “Neil Young,” but some of the individual track Artists are “Buffalo Springfield,” or “Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young,” etc.
The way I get everything to sort properly is by going into the “Sorting” fields that you can access by clicking on a track in iTunes and showing “Get Info” (command-I).
So I’ll have it like this:
Name: Broken Arrow
Sort As: Broken Arrow
Album: Decade
Sort As: Young Neil 1977b
Artist: Buffalo Springfield
Sort As: Buffalo Springfield
Album Artist: Neil Young
Sort As: Young Neil
Composer: Neil Young
Sort As: Young Neil
And then in the main iTunes “Music” database, I’ll click on “Sort Album” to properly sort
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### Author:  [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2015, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-an-itunes-expert-sorting-question/715704/3 "2015-03-23T10:47:25Z")
Thanks, Acsenray.
I am still having trouble. Doing the same thing within iTunes (in the Get Info\>Sorting field) to different artists/albums results in different outcomes after I sync to the iPhone.
Is there a way to delete all the music in my phone from within the phone itself? I am wondering if doing this, then re-syncing with the iTunes library on my PC would correct my sorting issues.
mmm