A media-library-device-implemented method for introducing media files into a distributed-media-library system, the method comprising: obtaining, by a media-library device, a first version of a media file of a given media type for import into the distributed-media-library system, the media file including at least one of audio or video content; and determining, by the media-library device, that the media file has not previously been processed by any device of the distributed-media-library system; obtaining, by the media-library device, a predetermined set of media-type-specific, fingerprint instructions for generating unique identifiers based on metadata associated with media files of various media types, and not based on media content of the media files; selecting, by the media-library device, a fingerprint instruction from the set of media-type-specific fingerprint instructions based at least in part on the given media type of the media file; determining, by the media-library device, a first metadata element and a second metadata element associated with the first version of the media file from the selected fingerprint instruction; combining, by the media-library device, the first metadata element and the second metadata element associated with the first version of the media file according to the selected fingerprint instruction to generate a first deterministic, system-wide, metadata-derived unique identifier; embedding, by the media-library device, the first metadata-derived unique identifier in the first version of the media file; recording, by the media-library device, the first metadata-derived unique identifier in a distributed media-metadata database in response to a determination that no other version of the media file already exists in the distributed-media-library system; generating a second version of the media file of the given media type; embedding a second metadata-derived identifier in the second version of the media file that matches the first metadata-derived identifier in the first version of the media file; making the media file available to the distributed-media-library system, including listing the media file of the given media type only once responsive to the first metadata-derived identifier being identical to the second metadata-derived identifier, rather than listing both the first and second versions of the media file, in a content list for presentation to a user. obtaining, by a media-library device, a first version of a media file of a given media type for import into the distributed-media-library system, the media file including at least one of audio or video content; and determining, by the media-library device, that the media file has not previously been processed by any device of the distributed-media-library system; obtaining, by the media-library device, a predetermined set of media-type-specific, fingerprint instructions for generating unique identifiers based on metadata associated with media files of various media types, and not based on media content of the media files; selecting, by the media-library device, a fingerprint instruction from the set of media-type-specific fingerprint instructions based at least in part on the given media type of the media file; determining, by the media-library device, a first metadata element and a second metadata element associated with the first version of the media file from the selected fingerprint instruction; combining, by the media-library device, the first metadata element and the second metadata element associated with the first version of the media file according to the selected fingerprint instruction to generate a first deterministic, system-wide, metadata-derived unique identifier; embedding, by the media-library device, the first metadata-derived unique identifier in the first version of the media file; recording, by the media-library device, the first metadata-derived unique identifier in a distributed media-metadata database in response to a determination that no other version of the media file already exists in the distributed-media-library system; generating a second version of the media file of the given media type; embedding a second metadata-derived identifier in the second version of the media file that matches the first metadata-derived identifier in the first version of the media file; making the media file available to the distributed-media-library system, including listing the media file of the given media type only once responsive to the first metadata-derived identifier being identical to the second metadata-derived identifier, rather than listing both the first and second versions of the media file, in a content list for presentation to a user.