File structure

As you browse your collection using tags, why bother about the file structure?
In principle you shouldn't but in practice you'd better do.

Tagging is using software. Software is in general not bug free.

We are prone to make errors too. One day you have all of a sudden a list of songs with unknown album or unknown artist because of a cockpit error.

Descriptive filenames

In cases like this it is convenient to have descriptive file names allowing you to identify them and re-tag them properly or even use a tagging program to generate the tags from the file name.

Folder per CD/download

Sometimes you miss a track from a ripped CD.

If you rip to a folder per CD, it is easy to locate the missing one.

Also prefix the file name with the track number. It not only sorts nicely but also makes it easy to spot a missing track.

Likewise downloads, store them in a single folder.

Folder per genre

Media players often allow you to create multiple libraries e.g. one for classical, one for jazz, one for pop, etc.

What to do with samplers containing multiple genres e.g. jazz, rock and classical? What to do with crossovers like Frank Zappa? A pop musician writing modern classical so part of his work is in the pop library, part in the classical. Now how to get an overview of all his work?

If your media player offers filters you can use the file system in the following manner

Create folders for each genre e.g.

C:\Noise
\Classical
\Jazz

\Pop
\etc.

Point your media player to the root and you have one library containing them all.
Create a filter like “path contains /classical/” and you have classical music only.

Rules

Ripping software and media players can be tailored to generated file names and folder structures for you.

A common practice is Drive:\Root\[artist]\[album]\[track] - [title].xyz

(Anything between [] is the value of a tag)

If the album contains multiple artists this will scatter your tracks over as many folders as there are artist on the CD.

Use the [album artitst) to avoid this.
Likewise a lot of media players can and will alter the file names and the folder structure automatically if you change your tags.
Check these options before you embark on mass ripping or tagging as it might ruin your carefully designed file structure.

Length

1_Franz Schubert _Schubert: Lieder, Vol. 2 (Box Set)_D. 699_Der entsühnte Orest ("Zu meinen Füssen brichst du dich"), song for voice & piano _1820_Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau / Gerald Moore

This file name contains a hell of a lot of information.

Nice but be aware of the 256 character size limit (path + file name).
If you e.g backup to a NAS this will be to a different locantion. Hence the path/filename might exceed the 256 limit..