[zephcom]

Is it possible for someone like me with limited coding experience but a willingness to make changes to get Artist Fanart to display during a song instead of the Various Artist panel?  As an example, if I'm playing a John Denver song in 'full screen' that is associated in the metadata with a John Denver album, I get a picture of John Denver on the screen.  If I'm playing a John Denver song in 'full screen' that is associated in the metadata with a compilation album, I get a 'various artist' panel that is sorta yellow with writing all around on it.

I would like the artist fanart to appear on all songs regardless of the type of album the song is associated with.  I roughly understand that Kodi uses the MusicBrainz album coding in some manner to identify songs from compilation albums.  But I sense there is some trigger in the code which sends that one panel to the screen whenever a compilation album is played.  Is it possible that just a few lines of changed code would send the artist fanart instead of the Various Artist panel?  

Thanks for any help even if that help is to tell me it isn't possible.  At least then I would have to just learn to accept it.

[Karellen]

I cannot help you with your original question. But while you wait for someone to explain how to do it, you can change that annoying Various Artist fanart.

I guess it is one of the "backgrounds" you see here... https://fanart.tv/artist/89ad4ac3-39f7-4...s-artists/

Go to your Artist listing, find the "Various Artists" entry, call up the Information Page and select "Choose Art". Replace the fanart with something to your liking.

Also, do you have the Artist information folder (wiki) setup?

[zephcom]

I cannot help you with your original question. But while you wait for someone to explain how to do it, you can change that annoying Various Artist fanart.

I guess it is one of the "backgrounds" you see here... https://fanart.tv/artist/89ad4ac3-39f7-4...s-artists/

Go to your Artist listing, find the "Various Artists" entry, call up the Information Page and select "Choose Art". Replace the fanart with something to your liking.

Also, do you have the Artist information folder (wiki) setup?

I didn't go through all the fanart on that site.  It is a large site but I doubt it is in there.  This is a static panel that has remained the same on Kodi all the years I've used it well back into XBMC.  The same one comes up on every compilation album even when the artist playing has fanart which is used when the album is not a compilation. My understanding...as limited as that is...is that it is built into the heart and soul of Kodi.

I don't have an artist information folder setup.  At one time I tried to find fanart for the artists which the scrapers couldn't find but it was too tedious.  My music collection is rather large and I've decided having an occasional black screen isn't all that bad.  The scapers are getting better and better these days.

[Karellen]

My understanding...as limited as that is...is that it is built into the heart and soul of Kodi.

No.

You are 0/3

[zephcom]

My understanding...as limited as that is...is that it is built into the heart and soul of Kodi.

No.

You are 0/3 

<chuckle> That doesn't surprise me.

[zephcom]

My understanding...as limited as that is...is that it is built into the heart and soul of Kodi.

No.

You are 0/3  

<chuckle> That doesn't surprise me. 

Additional <chuckle> I go back and look again on that site and am amazed at how I could have missed seeing the panel.  Sorry for being so uppity.

Unfortunately, changing it to something else really doesn't fix things for me.  I do apologize though and appreciate your efforts to help.

[Karellen]

Sure, no problems. Like I said, I can't provide the fix for your original question, but you can change the fanart (if you find it unlikable) until you get the answer you are after.

[black_eagle]

@zephcom Firstly, if you are using ArtistSlideshow then you will have to go into your addons and disable it, else the following will not work.

Find the skin location in your addons directory and open the 720p directory.  In there you will find a file called MusicVisualisation.xml.  Open that in Notepad.

Find the section that reads

xml:
            <control type="image">

            <description>Fanart Image for Artist</description>

            <left>0</left>

            <top>0</top>

            <width>1280</width>

            <height>720</height>

            <aspectratio>scale</aspectratio>

            <texture background="true">$INFO[Player.Art(fanart)]</texture>

            <colordiffuse>AAFFFFFF</colordiffuse>

            <visible>!String.IsEmpty(Player.Art(fanart)) + !Skin.HasSetting(HideVisualizationFanart)</visible>

            <fadetime>600</fadetime>

        </control>

Change Player.Art(fanart) to Player.Art(artist.fanart) in both lines.  Save the file and restart kodi /reload the skin.   Artists without associated art will now just show a black screen rather than the fallback art.

If you want to add some art for an artist (maybe you found a picture online and downloaded it), if you go to the artist list and get up the context menu on the artist you want to add the art for, then choose information.  Click 'choose art' and then the type of art you want to add (eg fanart).  you can then navigate to where you downloaded the picture and select it.  Once done you can close that dialog window by pressing back or choosing cancel.

Of course you may know that already

[zephcom]

@zephcom Firstly, if you are using ArtistSlideshow then you will have to go into your addons and disable it, else the following will not work.

Find the skin location in your addons directory and open the 720p directory.  In there you will find a file called MusicVisualisation.xml.  Open that in Notepad.

Find the section that reads

xml:
            <control type="image">

            <description>Fanart Image for Artist</description>

            <left>0</left>

            <top>0</top>

            <width>1280</width>

            <height>720</height>

            <aspectratio>scale</aspectratio>

            <texture background="true">$INFO[Player.Art(fanart)]</texture>

            <colordiffuse>AAFFFFFF</colordiffuse>

            <visible>!String.IsEmpty(Player.Art(fanart)) + !Skin.HasSetting(HideVisualizationFanart)</visible>

            <fadetime>600</fadetime>

        </control>

Change Player.Art(fanart) to Player.Art(artist.fanart) in both lines.  Save the file and restart kodi /reload the skin.   Artists without associated art will now just show a black screen rather than the fallback art.

If you want to add some art for an artist (maybe you found a picture online and downloaded it), if you go to the artist list and get up the context menu on the artist you want to add the art for, then choose information.  Click 'choose art' and then the type of art you want to add (eg fanart).  you can then navigate to where you downloaded the picture and select it.  Once done you can close that dialog window by pressing back or choosing cancel.

Of course you may know that already

Thank You!  It works perfectly.  

If I could provide some additional advice for others who might like to make that change...save a copy of the file somewhere else.  I modified that file years ago to remove the picture of the album from the information line and then recentered the rest.  One day it came back and I had to make the changes again.  When Confluence is updated all the files get reinstalled with the default.  It is simple to copy that file back if it is saved elsewhere.

Thank you again.  I'm pretty sure I can handle it from here.

[burcs]

If I could provide some additional advice for others who might like to make that change...

I'll go one further and suggest the proper fix, at least for Leia+, is to create an Artist Info folder and source some artwork. Yes, it's tedious, but assuming your files are tagged correctly you should never see the Various Artist artwork, unless you're in the Artist menu, or in the album menu on a Various Artist tagged album.