Keep the initial scan and later enrichment separate
Kodi's music documentation distinguishes scanning embedded tags from scraping additional information. That gives a useful stopping point: first inspect what your own files say, then decide whether to add external information. A folder or filename that looks correct is not proof that the music database will contain the intended identity.
Select a small authorised sample with an ordinary album, a compilation and a multi-disc release. Preserve the original files and export or record their tags using a trusted tool. Define the expected album count and album-artist identities before scanning. This is an identity audit, not a player installation guide or a claim about access to any music service.
Compare repeated names precisely
After the initial scan, look for duplicate-looking albums and artists. Compare embedded values across the affected tracks, including spelling, accents and edition names. The Kodi guide explains that tag differences can produce separate library identities. Do not try to repair every duplicate by changing only a directory label.
For a compilation you produced, distinguish the artist credited for a track from the artist identity assigned to the album. Preserve real performer credits while deciding how the shared release should be represented. Record the exception where a work intentionally has several credited artists rather than forcing every track into a single simplified name.
Use layout to support the later maintenance work
Although music identity comes from tags, the official guide explains why sensible album and disc folders still help artwork, sidecar and import/export workflows. Keep related tracks in an intelligible layout and check that each source is genuinely a music source. Avoid importing an entire mixed-purpose disk merely because it is convenient to select once.
Rescan the corrected sample using the operation appropriate to the installed release, then inspect the expected counts and identities again. Do not add online scraping as a simultaneous attempted fix. If both the embedded identity and external metadata change together, the source of a remaining error becomes harder to isolate.
Enrich only the accepted identities
Once the small sample has the correct library identities, decide what supplementary metadata you want. Record the selected provider and any manual exceptions. A successful identity audit does not guarantee that every online match or image will be correct, so retain the comparison between original tags and later enrichment.
Expand gradually and keep the sample as a regression check after tag-tool or Kodi changes. The finished record states what was scanned, which fields were corrected and when enrichment occurred. No music library was installed or tested for this guide, and the suggested sample is an original review method rather than a claim that a metadata service has verified your collection.
Questions answered
Can renaming my audio files repair Kodi's embedded album identity?
Kodi's music guide says it does not derive this identity from filenames. Review the embedded tags and scan result.
Should I scrape online information while diagnosing tag duplicates?
First isolate and accept the identities produced by the scan, then review supplementary metadata separately.
Sources & further reading
Official references for the subjects discussed. Service terms and device software can change.