MusicBrainz API

MusicBrainz artists, releases, recordings, labels, works and cover art as clean JSON.

The API.SH MusicBrainz API returns the open music encyclopedia as clean JSON. Search any entity with MusicBrainz's query syntax, read artists, labels, recordings, works, releases and release groups, browse linked entities such as an artist's albums or a label's releases, and get every cover image of a release from the Cover Art Archive. Releases include tracklists with lengths, ISRCs, barcodes, labels and catalog numbers.

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9 endpoints
from $1 / 1,000 calls
1,000 free credits / month
failed calls free

MusicBrainz search

GET https://api.api.sh/musicbrainz/v1/search

{ "success": true }

1 credit · $1 per 1,000 calls

What you can build with the MusicBrainz API

Music library tagging

Match files to recordings and releases and fill in track numbers, lengths, ISRCs and artist credits.

/search /release /recording

Discographies

List an artist's albums and singles or a label's releases, then read each release group across its editions.

/browse /release-group

Album artwork

Get front and back covers and booklet scans at several sizes for a release or a whole album.

/cover-art

Rights and publishing data

Look up works with their ISWCs and writers, and artists and labels with their ISNI, IPI and label codes.

/work /artist /label

Music apps and AI agents

Give an app or agent artist, album and track lookups with stable MusicBrainz IDs (MBIDs) to link with other music data.

/search /artist

MusicBrainz data you get

Field names from real responses. Numbers come parsed, URLs absolute, dates in ISO 8601.

MusicBrainz API endpoints and prices

Every MusicBrainz endpoint costs 1 credit per call: credits are $1 per 1,000 on a monthly plan, $2 pay-as-you-go. Pricing

Search and discovery1

MusicBrainz search

/musicbrainz/v1/search

$1 · $2 PAYG

1 credit

Profiles and accounts1

MusicBrainz artist

/musicbrainz/v1/artist

$1 · $2 PAYG

1 credit

More data7

MusicBrainz browse /musicbrainz/v1/browse	$1 · $2 PAYG 1 credit
MusicBrainz cover art /musicbrainz/v1/cover-art	$1 · $2 PAYG 1 credit
MusicBrainz label /musicbrainz/v1/label	$1 · $2 PAYG 1 credit
MusicBrainz recording /musicbrainz/v1/recording	$1 · $2 PAYG 1 credit
MusicBrainz release /musicbrainz/v1/release	$1 · $2 PAYG 1 credit
MusicBrainz release group /musicbrainz/v1/release-group	$1 · $2 PAYG 1 credit
MusicBrainz work /musicbrainz/v1/work	$1 · $2 PAYG 1 credit

Call the MusicBrainz API

MusicBrainz search: GET https://api.api.sh/musicbrainz/v1/search

curl "https://api.api.sh/musicbrainz/v1/search?q=in+rainbows" \
  -H "x-api-key: $APISH_KEY"

import os, requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.api.sh/musicbrainz/v1/search",
    params={"q": "in rainbows"},
    headers={"x-api-key": os.environ["APISH_KEY"]},
    timeout=120,
)
res.raise_for_status()
data = res.json()

const url = new URL("https://api.api.sh/musicbrainz/v1/search");
url.searchParams.set("q", "in rainbows");

const res = await fetch(url, { headers: { "x-api-key": process.env.APISH_KEY } });
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);
const data = await res.json();

# Google Sheets (API.SH add-on)
=APISH("/musicbrainz/v1/search", "q", "in rainbows")

# Zapier, Make, n8n (verified node): pick the API.SH app,
# choose "MusicBrainz" and "MusicBrainz search".

# AI agents (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor): add the
# API.SH MCP server https://api.sh/mcp

Create a free accountConfirm your email and get 1,000 free credits every month. No card needed.
Create an API keyOne key works for all 483 platforms.
Send the requestJSON back in one call. Add output=csv or output=ndjson for files.

Why API.SH for MusicBrainz data

Public data only: no MusicBrainz login, cookies or account needed
One key and one response shape for MusicBrainz and 482 other platforms
Built and maintained by API.SH, not third-party publishers
Pay per call; errors on our side cost nothing
Live status for every endpoint

API.SH vs the official MusicBrainz API

Yes. MusicBrainz has a free official web service run by the MetaBrainz Foundation; it needs no key but limits clients to about one request per second, asks for a descriptive User-Agent and expects commercial users to support the project. API.SH returns the same open data as simplified JSON with paging, Cover Art Archive images in the same call style, and one key you also use for other platforms.

Instead of writing your own rate-limited client or hosting a MusicBrainz database mirror, API.SH gives you ready JSON with one key and a fixed price per call.

MusicBrainz API questions

What MusicBrainz data can I get?+

Search across every entity type (/musicbrainz/v1/search), artists, labels, recordings, works, releases and release groups by MBID or URL, linked-entity browsing (/musicbrainz/v1/browse) and cover art (/musicbrainz/v1/cover-art).

How much does the MusicBrainz API cost?+

Every MusicBrainz endpoint costs 1 credit per call. On a monthly plan 1,000 credits cost $1 (Starter is $50/month for 50,000 credits). Pay-as-you-go is $2 per 1,000 credits, with top-ups from $15 that never expire.

Is there a free trial?+

Yes. Every account gets 1,000 free credits every month. That is 1,000 calls to /musicbrainz/v1/artist at 1 credit each.

Is there an official MusicBrainz API?+

Yes, and it is free. It has a strict rate limit and requires a meaningful User-Agent. API.SH is a paid option for when you want simpler JSON, cover art in the same API and one key across many sources.

Do I need a MusicBrainz account or API key?+

No. API.SH reads public MusicBrainz data, so you only need your API.SH key.

Is there an API for music metadata?+

Yes. MusicBrainz is one of the largest open music databases, and through API.SH you can search artists, albums and tracks, read tracklists with ISRCs, and get album artwork as JSON.

How does MusicBrainz search work?+

/musicbrainz/v1/search takes a type (artist, release, recording, label, work and more) and a query in MusicBrainz syntax, for example artist:radiohead AND date:2007. Results include a score and support page and limit.

How do I get started?+

1. Sign up at api.sh. 2. Copy your API key from the dashboard. 3. Call /musicbrainz/v1/search with type artist and a name, then pass the artist id to /musicbrainz/v1/browse to list their releases. Every parameter and request examples are in the docs at https://api.sh/docs. You can also use the JS or Python SDK, Google Sheets, Zapier, Make, n8n or the MCP server at https://api.sh/mcp.