Navidrome, a lightweight, self-hosted music server and streaming service, has just unveiled version 0.55, famously dubbed the “Big Refactor.” And with good reason—these changes are significant.
One of the biggest novelties is the ability to store multiple artists within a single album or song. Thanks to this feature, you no longer have to juggle separate entries for collaborations or compilation albums. Instead, Navidrome automatically groups these joint efforts under one neat umbrella.
Furthermore, Navidrome now supports roles like composer and conductor. This upgraded tagging capacity dives deeper into each track’s creative details, letting you credit everyone involved in making the music.
Moreover, the platform now recognizes different album editions—think standard releases, deluxe versions, remasters, and beyond. By supporting the ALBUMVERSION tag, the software now lets you compartmentalize multiple iterations of the same album without confusion.
Navidrome 0.55 also strengthens its multi-valued tagging system, permitting multiple values for a single tag. Meanwhile, user-defined custom tags let you personalize your library management, enabling unique category filters that matter to you.
In addition to these new tagging capabilities, Smart Playlists now integrate all the new metadata elements, from multi-artist listings to custom tags. Another improvement worth mentioning is the introduction of persistent IDs for tracks and albums. These ensure that playlists, favorites, and external integrations remain stable—even if you happen to move or rename files.
Finally, the scanner has received a serious overhaul. Thanks to “watcher” mode, file paths or metadata changes are now tracked in real time, eliminating the need for a complete library rescan every time you nudge a file. Plus, resumable scanning and improved missing file handling push this update to the next level of convenience.
For more information, see the changelog. And just a friendly reminder—no worries if you’re unsure how to install Navidrome. We’ve compiled a simple, step-by-step guide to make the process quick and easy for you.
