Tutorial - Adding Artists

**Need help adding an artist?** You've come to the right place! Adding an artist to the Archives is quick and easy.

We fully understand that knowing everything is impossible. While our goal is to get as close to providing a listing of every Oklahoma artist, in reality we can't do it alone. That is why we have designed the Archives so that any person can add information.

Likewise, you may not know how to code or are having some other issue with adding information. We will try to guide you through the process with this tutorial. If you still require help, feel free to reach out to us through Facebook and we will respond as soon as we are able.

## How to Add an Active Band or Solo Artist Using Source Editor (Recommended)

**Step 1:** Click the Edit button.

**Step 2:** Click the Options dropdown (3 horizontal lines).

**Step 3:** Select "Source Editor".

**Step 4:** Scroll through the current artists and locate where the artist you are adding would fall alphabetically.

**Step 5:** Copy an existing artist's code or copy and paste the following:

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**Step 6:** Replace ARTIST, GENRE, and CITY with the correct information. If more genres are necessary, add " • [[:Category:GENRE|GENRE]]" after the first genre. All information is case-sensitive and should begin with a capital letter.

The "ARTIST" line of code is simply a direct link to the artist's page. This artist page will also need to be created. Please visit Tutorial - Adding Artist Bios for information about creating artist pages.

The ":Category:" lines of code will direct the user to a automatically generated page. You will also notice, for example, on the GENRE line, GENRE must be replaced twice. The first instance of GENRE after :Category: is the actual link. The second instance, after |, is the text that will be written on the page. In other words, [[:Category:Rap|Rock]] will read "Rock" to the viewer, but will actually link to the Rap category.

**Step 7:** Click "Apply changes".

**Step 8:** Click "Save page".

**Step 9:** A confirmation will appear. Click "Save page" again.

## How to Add an Inactive Band or Solo Artist Using Source Editor (Recommended)

Editing with Source Editor (Recommended)
**Step 1:** Click the Edit button.

**Step 2:** Click the Options dropdown (3 horizontal lines).

**Step 3:** Select "Source Editor".

**Step 4:** Scroll through the current artists and locate where the artist you are adding would fall alphabetically.

**Step 5:** Copy an existing artist's code or copy and paste the following:

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**Step 6:** Replace ARTIST, GENRE, CITY, and YEAR with the correct information. If more genres are necessary, add " • [[:Category:GENRE|GENRE]]" after the first genre. Likewise, if the artist has dissolved and reformed once or more, add " • [[YEAR events|YEAR]]-[[YEAR events|YEAR]]" as many times as needed. All information is case-sensitive and should begin with a capital letter.

The "ARTIST" line of code is simply a direct link to the artist's page. This artist page will also need to be created. Please visit Tutorial - Adding Artist Bios for information about creating artist pages.

The ":Category:" lines of code will direct the user to a automatically generated page. You will also notice, for example, on the GENRE line, GENRE must be replaced twice. The first instance of GENRE after :Category: is the actual link. The second instance, after |, is the text that will be written on the page. In other words, [[:Category:Rap|Rock]] will read "Rock" to the viewer, but will actually link to the Rap category.

The "YEAR" lines are direct links to the Events pages. Like with Categories, "[[2004 events|2005]]" will read "2005", but link to the "2004 events" page.

**Step 7:** Click "Apply changes".

**Step 8:** Click "Save page".

**Step 9:** A confirmation will appear. Click "Save page" again.

## Guidelines

1. **The artist must be from Oklahoma or have strong Oklahoma ties.** There is a slightly grey area as to what defines "strong Oklahoma ties". Here are some general rules we go by:
	1. Based in Oklahoma = Obviously.
	2. Founded in Oklahoma, but relocated = Yes
	3. Relocated to Oklahoma = Yes
	4. A member left the band and later relocated to Oklahoma = No
	5. A member left Oklahoma and joined an existing band = No
	6. A founding member was born in, raised in, or previously resided in Oklahoma = Yes
	7. A founding member owns property in Oklahoma, but has never considered Oklahoma home = No
2. **No artist is too big or too small.** We are all-inclusive, meaning we want to include artists on major labels as well as those playing for friends in their parents' basement.
3. **Please keep the artists alphabetical.** We want to make things as easy as possible for our visitors to locate the information they are looking for. The exception to this is if the artist name begins with "The". In that case, add the artist alphabetically as if the second word was in front.
4. **Place your artist on the correct page.**  For example, solo artists should not be listed under bands and cover artists should be on their respective Cover Artists page.
5. **Make sure the artist's name is written correctly**. Write their name as it would appear on official materials. For example, if the artist has "The" in front of their name, include it. **The exception to this rule is stylization.** If the name is stylized in all caps, only capitalize the first letter. If there are special characters used that appear like letters, use the actual letter. Notes on stylization can be added in the artist biographies.
6. **Links are case-sensitive.** With few exceptions, we adhere to the grammatical rules of title capitalization across the site. Following these standards allow our links to function properly. Those rules are as follows:
	1. Always capitalize the first and last word, no matter what the word is.
	2. Always capitalize the following five word categories: Nouns, Pronouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs.
	3. Always capitalize words of five or more letters, regardless of whether the word falls into one of the aforementioned five categories.

## FAQs

* **Do I need to log in to edit pages?**
	+ *Technically no. However, it is recommended and will allow you to see whenever additional edits are made to the page(s) you author and other user-only abilities.*
* **Why don't I see a button to edit the page?**
	+ *More than likely, you are trying to edit on a mobile device. To edit on mobile, please switch your browser over to "Desktop View" and the edit button will appear.*
* **How are Artists ordered on the page?**
	+ *Alphabetically. However, artists starting with the word "The" are listed as if the following word was the first word of the name. Artists starting with numbers have their own section at the top and those are ordered numerically (24 comes before 124).*
* **I've added an artist. How do I add information about the artist as well?**
	+ *Please visit our tutorial on adding artist biographies.*
* **What do you mean by "owns property in Oklahoma, but has never considered Oklahoma home?"**
	+ *For example, Jack White of The White Stripes bought a house in Tulsa to stay in while touring. He loves the city and claims to have almost fired his booking agent because he had not been booked in Tulsa yet. However, he also owns additional property across the country and currently calls his home Nashville. Sorry, Jack. We appreciate your love of Tulsa, but until you call Oklahoma home you don't meet the requirements.*
* **Under the "Defunct" artist sections, what do I do if I don't know when they were formed?**
	+ *We have an "Unknown" section at the bottom for artists added without that information. There is a chance someone else will come along who knows and can move it to the correct spot. We understand knowledge can sometimes be limited and we do our best to accommodate for a lack of information.*
* **I want to add an artist who performs both solo and with a backing band. Which page do I add it to?**
	+ *That is going to depend on a few factors. If the backing band are official members, add the artist to a "Bands" page. If they are solely live performers, add the artist to a "Solo" page. If the artist distinguishes the solo work and band work as two separate entities, add them to both.*
* **Why are "bandleaders" listed as "Solo Artists"?**
	+ *Very good question. They are somewhat of an exception to the aforementioned answer. While they have official backing members, generally speaking it is the bandleader who frames the artist and attains recognition for the music even while other members sometimes gain personal recognition for their contributions. Think of it this way: Who is credited with "The Lord of the Rings" soundtrack? Howard Shore.*
* **How do I add an artist that has changed its name once or more times?**
	+ *If they have changed names, have only their current name represented. You may add former names in the artist biographies. If they changed names as a means of rebranding themselves after a lineup change, you may include both entities. It comes down to whether or not the artists themselves consider it a new band or a rebranding.*
* **Do I make cities outside of Oklahoma into Category links?**
	+ *No. Only cities inside of Oklahoma should have Category links. If the artist began in or no longer is based in Oklahoma, just type the current location.*

## Other Tutorials

* Tutorial - Adding Album Info (Coming Soon)
* Tutorial - Adding Album Release (Coming Soon)
* Tutorial - Adding Artist Bios (Coming Soon)
* Tutorial - Adding Concerts (Coming Soon)