feat: normalize release-cardinal fields out of track into a Release entity (Phase 8 §8.0)

DeepDrftAPI/Controllers/TrackController.cs

@@ -77,12 +77,13 @@ public class TrackController : ControllerBase
     }
 
     // GET api/track/albums (unauthenticated)
-    // Distinct non-null albums with track counts and cover keys. Public browse data, same posture as
-    // GET api/track/page. Literal segment, declared before the parameterized "{trackId}" route.
+    // All releases with per-release track counts. Public browse data, same posture as GET
+    // api/track/page. Literal segment, declared before the parameterized "{trackId}" route.
+    // Route name kept as "albums" for client/proxy compatibility; the payload is List<ReleaseDto>.
     [HttpGet("albums")]
     public async Task<ActionResult> GetAlbums(CancellationToken ct = default)
     {
-        var result = await _sqlTrackService.GetDistinctAlbums(ct);
+        var result = await _sqlTrackService.GetReleases(ct);
         if (!result.Success || result.Value is null)
         {
             var error = result.Messages.FirstOrDefault()?.Message ?? "Unknown error";
@@ -367,23 +368,33 @@ public class TrackController : ControllerBase
             return BadRequest("trackNumber must be a positive integer when provided.");
 
         var track = lookup.Value;
+
+        // Track-cardinal fields update the track row directly.
         track.TrackName = request.TrackName;
-        track.Artist = request.Artist;
-        track.Album = request.Album;
-        track.Genre = request.Genre;
-        track.ReleaseDate = request.ReleaseDate;
-
-        // Only update ImagePath when the request explicitly provides a value (null = no change, "" = clear).
-        if (request.ImagePath is not null)
-            track.ImagePath = string.IsNullOrEmpty(request.ImagePath) ? null : request.ImagePath;
-
-        // ReleaseType / TrackNumber are non-null on the entity; null in the request means "no change".
-        if (request.ReleaseType is not null)
-            track.ReleaseType = request.ReleaseType.Value;
-
         if (request.TrackNumber is > 0)
             track.TrackNumber = request.TrackNumber.Value;
 
+        // Release-cardinal fields update the linked release (handled in TrackManager.Update, which
+        // persists track.Release when the track carries a resolved ReleaseId). The loaded track has
+        // its Release populated via the Include; mutate it in place so the edited values flow through.
+        // A loose track (no release) cannot take release-cardinal edits — there is no release row to
+        // write to — so these fields are simply not persisted in that case.
+        if (track.Release is { } release)
+        {
+            release.Artist = request.Artist;
+            release.Title = request.Album ?? string.Empty;
+            release.Genre = request.Genre;
+            release.ReleaseDate = request.ReleaseDate;
+
+            // ImagePath is tri-state: null = no change, "" = clear, value = set.
+            if (request.ImagePath is not null)
+                release.ImagePath = string.IsNullOrEmpty(request.ImagePath) ? null : request.ImagePath;
+
+            // ReleaseType is non-null on the release; null in the request means "no change".
+            if (request.ReleaseType is not null)
+                release.ReleaseType = request.ReleaseType.Value;
+        }
+
         var update = await _sqlTrackService.Update(track);
         if (!update.Success)
         {

DeepDrftAPI/Services/UnifiedTrackService.cs

@@ -65,11 +65,43 @@ public class UnifiedTrackService
             return ResultContainer<TrackDto>.CreateFailResult("Failed to process and store WAV.");
         }
 
-        unpersisted.CreatedByUserId = createdByUserId;
-        unpersisted.ReleaseType = releaseType;
         unpersisted.TrackNumber = trackNumber;
 
-        var saveResult = await _sqlTrackService.Create(TrackConverter.Convert(unpersisted));
+        // Resolve the release FK before persisting the track. An upload with an album lands on the
+        // shared release (created on first sighting); an upload without one stays a loose track with
+        // a null ReleaseId. Release-cardinal metadata (artist/genre/releaseDate/type/uploader) rides
+        // on the release, not the track.
+        long? releaseId = null;
+        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(album))
+        {
+            var releaseData = new ReleaseDto
+            {
+                Title = album,
+                Artist = artist,
+                Genre = genre,
+                ReleaseDate = releaseDate,
+                ReleaseType = releaseType,
+                CreatedByUserId = createdByUserId,
+            };
+
+            var releaseResult = await _sqlTrackService.FindOrCreateRelease(album, artist, releaseData, ct);
+            if (!releaseResult.Success || releaseResult.Value is null)
+            {
+                var error = releaseResult.Messages.FirstOrDefault()?.Message ?? "Unknown error";
+                _logger.LogError(
+                    "Track persisted to vault but release resolution failed. Orphaned entry: {EntryKey}. Error: {Error}",
+                    unpersisted.EntryKey, error);
+                return ResultContainer<TrackDto>.CreateFailResult($"Track was uploaded but could not be saved: {error}");
+            }
+
+            releaseId = releaseResult.Value.Id;
+        }
+
+        var trackDto = TrackConverter.Convert(unpersisted);
+        trackDto.ReleaseId = releaseId;
+        trackDto.Release = null; // FK already resolved; Create must not re-resolve a detached graph.
+
+        var saveResult = await _sqlTrackService.Create(trackDto);
         if (!saveResult.Success || saveResult.Value is null)
         {
             // Vault write succeeded, SQL persist failed — audio is orphaned in the tracks vault

DeepDrftContent/TrackContentService.cs

@@ -67,15 +67,13 @@ public class TrackContentService
                 throw new InvalidOperationException("Failed to store audio in FileDatabase");
             }
 
-            // Create the track entity for SQL database
+            // Create the track entity for SQL database. Post Phase 8 §8.0 the entity holds only
+            // track-cardinal fields; release-cardinal data (artist/album/genre/releaseDate) is
+            // resolved into a ReleaseEntity by the caller (UnifiedTrackService) and linked via FK.
             var trackEntity = new TrackEntity
             {
                 EntryKey = trackId, // FileDatabase entry ID
                 TrackName = trackName,
-                Artist = artist,
-                Album = album,
-                Genre = genre,
-                ReleaseDate = releaseDate,
                 OriginalFileName = originalFileName
             };
 

DeepDrftData/Data/Configurations/ReleaseConfiguration.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+using Data.Data.Configurations;
+using DeepDrftModels.Entities;
+using DeepDrftModels.Enums;
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Metadata.Builders;
+
+namespace DeepDrftData.Data.Configurations;
+
+public class ReleaseConfiguration : BaseEntityConfiguration<ReleaseEntity>
+{
+    public override void Configure(EntityTypeBuilder<ReleaseEntity> builder)
+    {
+        // Wires up Id PK + audit columns (CreatedAt, UpdatedAt, IsDeleted) and the IsDeleted index.
+        base.Configure(builder);
+
+        builder.ToTable("release");
+
+        // Map the base audit columns to the snake_case naming the rest of the schema uses.
+        builder.Property(e => e.Id).HasColumnName("id");
+        builder.Property(e => e.CreatedAt).HasColumnName("created_at");
+        builder.Property(e => e.UpdatedAt).HasColumnName("updated_at");
+        builder.Property(e => e.IsDeleted).HasColumnName("is_deleted");
+
+        builder.Property(e => e.Title)
+            .IsRequired()
+            .HasMaxLength(200)
+            .HasColumnName("title");
+
+        builder.Property(e => e.Artist)
+            .IsRequired()
+            .HasMaxLength(200)
+            .HasColumnName("artist");
+
+        builder.Property(e => e.Genre)
+            .HasMaxLength(100)
+            .HasColumnName("genre");
+
+        builder.Property(e => e.ReleaseDate)
+            .HasColumnName("release_date");
+
+        builder.Property(e => e.ImagePath)
+            .HasMaxLength(500)
+            .HasColumnName("image_path");
+
+        builder.Property(e => e.ReleaseType)
+            .IsRequired()
+            .HasConversion<string>()   // Store as readable string, not int ordinal
+            .HasMaxLength(20)
+            .HasColumnName("release_type")
+            .HasDefaultValue(ReleaseType.Single);
+
+        builder.Property(e => e.CreatedByUserId)
+            .HasColumnName("created_by_user_id");
+
+        // Names the is_deleted index explicitly. BaseEntityConfiguration.Configure already
+        // calls HasIndex(e => e.IsDeleted); this adds HasDatabaseName so EF always uses
+        // "IX_release_is_deleted" regardless of auto-naming conventions.
+        builder.HasIndex(e => e.IsDeleted).HasDatabaseName("IX_release_is_deleted");
+    }
+}

DeepDrftData/Data/Configurations/TrackConfiguration.cs

@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 using Data.Data.Configurations;
 using DeepDrftModels.Entities;
-using DeepDrftModels.Enums;
 using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
 using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Metadata.Builders;
 
@@ -31,45 +30,25 @@ public class TrackConfiguration : BaseEntityConfiguration<TrackEntity>
             .HasMaxLength(200)
             .HasColumnName("track_name");
 
-        builder.Property(e => e.Artist)
-            .IsRequired()
-            .HasMaxLength(200)
-            .HasColumnName("artist");
-
-        builder.Property(e => e.Album)
-            .HasMaxLength(200)
-            .HasColumnName("album");
-
-        builder.Property(e => e.Genre)
-            .HasMaxLength(100)
-            .HasColumnName("genre");
-
-        builder.Property(e => e.ReleaseDate)
-            .HasColumnName("release_date");
-
-        builder.Property(e => e.ImagePath)
-            .HasMaxLength(500)
-            .HasColumnName("image_path");
-
-        builder.Property(e => e.CreatedByUserId)
-            .HasColumnName("created_by_user_id");
-
         builder.Property(e => e.OriginalFileName)
             .HasMaxLength(500)
             .HasColumnName("original_file_name");
 
-        builder.Property(e => e.ReleaseType)
-            .IsRequired()
-            .HasConversion<string>()   // Store as readable string, not int ordinal
-            .HasMaxLength(20)
-            .HasColumnName("release_type")
-            .HasDefaultValue(ReleaseType.Single);
-
         builder.Property(e => e.TrackNumber)
             .IsRequired()
             .HasColumnName("track_number")
             .HasDefaultValue(1);
 
+        builder.Property(e => e.ReleaseId)
+            .HasColumnName("release_id");
+
+        // Nullable FK to the release-cardinal row. SetNull on delete: removing a release leaves its
+        // tracks intact as loose tracks rather than cascading them away.
+        builder.HasOne(e => e.Release)
+            .WithMany(r => r.Tracks)
+            .HasForeignKey(e => e.ReleaseId)
+            .OnDelete(DeleteBehavior.SetNull);
+
         // Names the is_deleted index explicitly. BaseEntityConfiguration.Configure already
         // calls HasIndex(e => e.IsDeleted); this adds HasDatabaseName so EF always uses
         // "IX_track_is_deleted" regardless of auto-naming conventions.

DeepDrftData/Data/DeepDrftContext.cs

@@ -11,11 +11,13 @@ public class DeepDrftContext : DbContext
     }
 
     public DbSet<TrackEntity> Tracks { get; set; }
+    public DbSet<ReleaseEntity> Releases { get; set; }
 
     protected override void OnModelCreating(ModelBuilder modelBuilder)
     {
         base.OnModelCreating(modelBuilder);
 
         modelBuilder.ApplyConfiguration(new TrackConfiguration());
+        modelBuilder.ApplyConfiguration(new ReleaseConfiguration());
     }
 }

DeepDrftData/ITrackService.cs

@@ -22,12 +22,20 @@ public interface ITrackService
     Task<ResultContainer<List<TrackDto>>> GetAll();
     Task<ResultContainer<PagedResult<TrackDto>>> GetPaged(int pageNumber, int pageSize, string? sortColumn, bool sortDescending, TrackFilter? filter = null, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default);
 
-    /// <summary>Distinct non-null albums with track counts and a representative cover key, album-ascending.</summary>
-    Task<ResultContainer<List<AlbumSummaryDto>>> GetDistinctAlbums(CancellationToken cancellationToken = default);
+    /// <summary>All releases, title-ascending, each carrying its non-deleted track count.</summary>
+    Task<ResultContainer<List<ReleaseDto>>> GetReleases(CancellationToken cancellationToken = default);
 
     /// <summary>Distinct non-null genres with track counts, genre-ascending.</summary>
     Task<ResultContainer<List<GenreSummaryDto>>> GetDistinctGenres(CancellationToken cancellationToken = default);
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Resolve the release matching <paramref name="title"/> + <paramref name="artist"/>, creating
+    /// one from <paramref name="releaseData"/> when none exists. Backs the upload flow's FK
+    /// resolution so a track lands on a shared release rather than duplicating release-cardinal data.
+    /// </summary>
+    Task<ResultContainer<ReleaseDto>> FindOrCreateRelease(
+        string title, string artist, ReleaseDto releaseData, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default);
+
     Task<ResultContainer<TrackDto>> Create(TrackDto newTrack);
     Task<ResultContainer<TrackDto>> Update(TrackDto track);
     Task<Result> Delete(long id);

DeepDrftData/Migrations/20260611164537_NormalizeReleaseTrack.Designer.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,174 @@
+// <auto-generated />
+using System;
+using DeepDrftData.Data;
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Infrastructure;
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Migrations;
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Storage.ValueConversion;
+using Npgsql.EntityFrameworkCore.PostgreSQL.Metadata;
+
+#nullable disable
+
+namespace DeepDrftData.Migrations
+{
+    [DbContext(typeof(DeepDrftContext))]
+    [Migration("20260611164537_NormalizeReleaseTrack")]
+    partial class NormalizeReleaseTrack
+    {
+        /// <inheritdoc />
+        protected override void BuildTargetModel(ModelBuilder modelBuilder)
+        {
+#pragma warning disable 612, 618
+            modelBuilder
+                .HasAnnotation("ProductVersion", "10.0.7")
+                .HasAnnotation("Relational:MaxIdentifierLength", 63);
+
+            NpgsqlModelBuilderExtensions.UseIdentityByDefaultColumns(modelBuilder);
+
+            modelBuilder.Entity("DeepDrftModels.Entities.ReleaseEntity", b =>
+                {
+                    b.Property<long>("Id")
+                        .ValueGeneratedOnAdd()
+                        .HasColumnType("bigint")
+                        .HasColumnName("id");
+
+                    NpgsqlPropertyBuilderExtensions.UseIdentityByDefaultColumn(b.Property<long>("Id"));
+
+                    b.Property<string>("Artist")
+                        .IsRequired()
+                        .HasMaxLength(200)
+                        .HasColumnType("character varying(200)")
+                        .HasColumnName("artist");
+
+                    b.Property<DateTime>("CreatedAt")
+                        .HasColumnType("timestamp with time zone")
+                        .HasColumnName("created_at");
+
+                    b.Property<long?>("CreatedByUserId")
+                        .HasColumnType("bigint")
+                        .HasColumnName("created_by_user_id");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("Genre")
+                        .HasMaxLength(100)
+                        .HasColumnType("character varying(100)")
+                        .HasColumnName("genre");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("ImagePath")
+                        .HasMaxLength(500)
+                        .HasColumnType("character varying(500)")
+                        .HasColumnName("image_path");
+
+                    b.Property<bool>("IsDeleted")
+                        .ValueGeneratedOnAdd()
+                        .HasColumnType("boolean")
+                        .HasDefaultValue(false)
+                        .HasColumnName("is_deleted");
+
+                    b.Property<DateOnly?>("ReleaseDate")
+                        .HasColumnType("date")
+                        .HasColumnName("release_date");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("ReleaseType")
+                        .IsRequired()
+                        .ValueGeneratedOnAdd()
+                        .HasMaxLength(20)
+                        .HasColumnType("character varying(20)")
+                        .HasDefaultValue("Single")
+                        .HasColumnName("release_type");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("Title")
+                        .IsRequired()
+                        .HasMaxLength(200)
+                        .HasColumnType("character varying(200)")
+                        .HasColumnName("title");
+
+                    b.Property<DateTime>("UpdatedAt")
+                        .HasColumnType("timestamp with time zone")
+                        .HasColumnName("updated_at");
+
+                    b.HasKey("Id");
+
+                    b.HasIndex("IsDeleted")
+                        .HasDatabaseName("IX_release_is_deleted");
+
+                    b.ToTable("release", (string)null);
+                });
+
+            modelBuilder.Entity("DeepDrftModels.Entities.TrackEntity", b =>
+                {
+                    b.Property<long>("Id")
+                        .ValueGeneratedOnAdd()
+                        .HasColumnType("bigint")
+                        .HasColumnName("id");
+
+                    NpgsqlPropertyBuilderExtensions.UseIdentityByDefaultColumn(b.Property<long>("Id"));
+
+                    b.Property<DateTime>("CreatedAt")
+                        .HasColumnType("timestamp with time zone")
+                        .HasColumnName("created_at");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("EntryKey")
+                        .IsRequired()
+                        .HasMaxLength(100)
+                        .HasColumnType("character varying(100)")
+                        .HasColumnName("entry_key");
+
+                    b.Property<bool>("IsDeleted")
+                        .ValueGeneratedOnAdd()
+                        .HasColumnType("boolean")
+                        .HasDefaultValue(false)
+                        .HasColumnName("is_deleted");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("OriginalFileName")
+                        .HasMaxLength(500)
+                        .HasColumnType("character varying(500)")
+                        .HasColumnName("original_file_name");
+
+                    b.Property<long?>("ReleaseId")
+                        .HasColumnType("bigint")
+                        .HasColumnName("release_id");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("TrackName")
+                        .IsRequired()
+                        .HasMaxLength(200)
+                        .HasColumnType("character varying(200)")
+                        .HasColumnName("track_name");
+
+                    b.Property<int>("TrackNumber")
+                        .ValueGeneratedOnAdd()
+                        .HasColumnType("integer")
+                        .HasDefaultValue(1)
+                        .HasColumnName("track_number");
+
+                    b.Property<DateTime>("UpdatedAt")
+                        .HasColumnType("timestamp with time zone")
+                        .HasColumnName("updated_at");
+
+                    b.HasKey("Id");
+
+                    b.HasIndex("IsDeleted")
+                        .HasDatabaseName("IX_track_is_deleted");
+
+                    b.HasIndex("ReleaseId");
+
+                    b.ToTable("track", (string)null);
+                });
+
+            modelBuilder.Entity("DeepDrftModels.Entities.TrackEntity", b =>
+                {
+                    b.HasOne("DeepDrftModels.Entities.ReleaseEntity", "Release")
+                        .WithMany("Tracks")
+                        .HasForeignKey("ReleaseId")
+                        .OnDelete(DeleteBehavior.SetNull);
+
+                    b.Navigation("Release");
+                });
+
+            modelBuilder.Entity("DeepDrftModels.Entities.ReleaseEntity", b =>
+                {
+                    b.Navigation("Tracks");
+                });
+#pragma warning restore 612, 618
+        }
+    }
+}

DeepDrftData/Migrations/20260611164537_NormalizeReleaseTrack.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,184 @@
+using System;
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Migrations;
+using Npgsql.EntityFrameworkCore.PostgreSQL.Metadata;
+
+#nullable disable
+
+namespace DeepDrftData.Migrations
+{
+    /// <inheritdoc />
+    public partial class NormalizeReleaseTrack : Migration
+    {
+        /// <inheritdoc />
+        protected override void Up(MigrationBuilder migrationBuilder)
+        {
+            // 1. Create the release table.
+            migrationBuilder.CreateTable(
+                name: "release",
+                columns: table => new
+                {
+                    id = table.Column<long>(type: "bigint", nullable: false)
+                        .Annotation("Npgsql:ValueGenerationStrategy", NpgsqlValueGenerationStrategy.IdentityByDefaultColumn),
+                    title = table.Column<string>(type: "character varying(200)", maxLength: 200, nullable: false),
+                    artist = table.Column<string>(type: "character varying(200)", maxLength: 200, nullable: false),
+                    genre = table.Column<string>(type: "character varying(100)", maxLength: 100, nullable: true),
+                    release_date = table.Column<DateOnly>(type: "date", nullable: true),
+                    image_path = table.Column<string>(type: "character varying(500)", maxLength: 500, nullable: true),
+                    release_type = table.Column<string>(type: "character varying(20)", maxLength: 20, nullable: false, defaultValue: "Single"),
+                    created_by_user_id = table.Column<long>(type: "bigint", nullable: true),
+                    created_at = table.Column<DateTime>(type: "timestamp with time zone", nullable: false),
+                    updated_at = table.Column<DateTime>(type: "timestamp with time zone", nullable: false),
+                    is_deleted = table.Column<bool>(type: "boolean", nullable: false, defaultValue: false)
+                },
+                constraints: table =>
+                {
+                    table.PrimaryKey("PK_release", x => x.id);
+                });
+
+            migrationBuilder.CreateIndex(
+                name: "IX_release_is_deleted",
+                table: "release",
+                column: "is_deleted");
+
+            // 2. Add the nullable FK column to track. A fresh column (not a rename of
+            //    created_by_user_id) so existing rows start with a null release until back-filled.
+            migrationBuilder.AddColumn<long>(
+                name: "release_id",
+                table: "track",
+                type: "bigint",
+                nullable: true);
+
+            // 3. Data migration — must run after the release table exists and release_id is added,
+            //    and before the release-cardinal columns are dropped from track (the SELECT reads them).
+            //    Create one release row per distinct (album, artist) from existing tracks, carrying
+            //    the release-cardinal fields. Tracks with a null album remain release_id = null.
+            migrationBuilder.Sql(@"
+                INSERT INTO release (title, artist, genre, release_date, image_path, release_type,
+                                    created_by_user_id, created_at, updated_at, is_deleted)
+                SELECT DISTINCT ON (album, artist)
+                    album, artist, genre, release_date, image_path, release_type,
+                    created_by_user_id, NOW(), NOW(), false
+                FROM track
+                WHERE album IS NOT NULL
+                ORDER BY album, artist, id;
+            ");
+
+            // Back-fill the FK: match each track to the release created from its (album, artist).
+            migrationBuilder.Sql(@"
+                UPDATE track
+                SET release_id = r.id
+                FROM release r
+                WHERE track.album = r.title
+                  AND track.artist = r.artist;
+            ");
+
+            // 4. Index + FK now that the column carries its back-filled values.
+            migrationBuilder.CreateIndex(
+                name: "IX_track_release_id",
+                table: "track",
+                column: "release_id");
+
+            migrationBuilder.AddForeignKey(
+                name: "FK_track_release_release_id",
+                table: "track",
+                column: "release_id",
+                principalTable: "release",
+                principalColumn: "id",
+                onDelete: ReferentialAction.SetNull);
+
+            // 5. Drop the now-migrated release-cardinal columns from track.
+            migrationBuilder.DropColumn(name: "album", table: "track");
+            migrationBuilder.DropColumn(name: "artist", table: "track");
+            migrationBuilder.DropColumn(name: "genre", table: "track");
+            migrationBuilder.DropColumn(name: "image_path", table: "track");
+            migrationBuilder.DropColumn(name: "release_date", table: "track");
+            migrationBuilder.DropColumn(name: "release_type", table: "track");
+            migrationBuilder.DropColumn(name: "created_by_user_id", table: "track");
+        }
+
+        /// <inheritdoc />
+        protected override void Down(MigrationBuilder migrationBuilder)
+        {
+            // 1. Re-add the track release-cardinal columns. artist is non-nullable with a default so
+            //    the add succeeds against existing rows before the back-fill repopulates it.
+            migrationBuilder.AddColumn<string>(
+                name: "album",
+                table: "track",
+                type: "character varying(200)",
+                maxLength: 200,
+                nullable: true);
+
+            migrationBuilder.AddColumn<string>(
+                name: "artist",
+                table: "track",
+                type: "character varying(200)",
+                maxLength: 200,
+                nullable: false,
+                defaultValue: "");
+
+            migrationBuilder.AddColumn<string>(
+                name: "genre",
+                table: "track",
+                type: "character varying(100)",
+                maxLength: 100,
+                nullable: true);
+
+            migrationBuilder.AddColumn<string>(
+                name: "image_path",
+                table: "track",
+                type: "character varying(500)",
+                maxLength: 500,
+                nullable: true);
+
+            migrationBuilder.AddColumn<DateOnly>(
+                name: "release_date",
+                table: "track",
+                type: "date",
+                nullable: true);
+
+            migrationBuilder.AddColumn<string>(
+                name: "release_type",
+                table: "track",
+                type: "character varying(20)",
+                maxLength: 20,
+                nullable: false,
+                defaultValue: "Single");
+
+            migrationBuilder.AddColumn<long>(
+                name: "created_by_user_id",
+                table: "track",
+                type: "bigint",
+                nullable: true);
+
+            // 2. Re-populate the track columns from the release join before the release table and FK go.
+            migrationBuilder.Sql(@"
+                UPDATE track
+                SET artist             = r.artist,
+                    album              = r.title,
+                    genre              = r.genre,
+                    release_date       = r.release_date,
+                    image_path         = r.image_path,
+                    release_type       = r.release_type,
+                    created_by_user_id = r.created_by_user_id
+                FROM release r
+                WHERE track.release_id = r.id;
+            ");
+
+            // 3. Drop the FK, index, the release_id column, and the release table.
+            migrationBuilder.DropForeignKey(
+                name: "FK_track_release_release_id",
+                table: "track");
+
+            migrationBuilder.DropIndex(
+                name: "IX_track_release_id",
+                table: "track");
+
+            migrationBuilder.DropColumn(
+                name: "release_id",
+                table: "track");
+
+            migrationBuilder.DropTable(
+                name: "release");
+        }
+    }
+}

DeepDrftData/Migrations/DeepDrftContextModelSnapshot.cs

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ namespace DeepDrftData.Migrations
 
             NpgsqlModelBuilderExtensions.UseIdentityByDefaultColumns(modelBuilder);
 
-            modelBuilder.Entity("DeepDrftModels.Entities.TrackEntity", b =>
+            modelBuilder.Entity("DeepDrftModels.Entities.ReleaseEntity", b =>
                 {
                     b.Property<long>("Id")
                         .ValueGeneratedOnAdd()
@@ -31,11 +31,6 @@ namespace DeepDrftData.Migrations
 
                     NpgsqlPropertyBuilderExtensions.UseIdentityByDefaultColumn(b.Property<long>("Id"));
 
-                    b.Property<string>("Album")
-                        .HasMaxLength(200)
-                        .HasColumnType("character varying(200)")
-                        .HasColumnName("album");
-
                     b.Property<string>("Artist")
                         .IsRequired()
                         .HasMaxLength(200)
@@ -50,12 +45,6 @@ namespace DeepDrftData.Migrations
                         .HasColumnType("bigint")
                         .HasColumnName("created_by_user_id");
 
-                    b.Property<string>("EntryKey")
-                        .IsRequired()
-                        .HasMaxLength(100)
-                        .HasColumnType("character varying(100)")
-                        .HasColumnName("entry_key");
-
                     b.Property<string>("Genre")
                         .HasMaxLength(100)
                         .HasColumnType("character varying(100)")
@@ -72,11 +61,6 @@ namespace DeepDrftData.Migrations
                         .HasDefaultValue(false)
                         .HasColumnName("is_deleted");
 
-                    b.Property<string>("OriginalFileName")
-                        .HasMaxLength(500)
-                        .HasColumnType("character varying(500)")
-                        .HasColumnName("original_file_name");
-
                     b.Property<DateOnly?>("ReleaseDate")
                         .HasColumnType("date")
                         .HasColumnName("release_date");
@@ -89,6 +73,58 @@ namespace DeepDrftData.Migrations
                         .HasDefaultValue("Single")
                         .HasColumnName("release_type");
 
+                    b.Property<string>("Title")
+                        .IsRequired()
+                        .HasMaxLength(200)
+                        .HasColumnType("character varying(200)")
+                        .HasColumnName("title");
+
+                    b.Property<DateTime>("UpdatedAt")
+                        .HasColumnType("timestamp with time zone")
+                        .HasColumnName("updated_at");
+
+                    b.HasKey("Id");
+
+                    b.HasIndex("IsDeleted")
+                        .HasDatabaseName("IX_release_is_deleted");
+
+                    b.ToTable("release", (string)null);
+                });
+
+            modelBuilder.Entity("DeepDrftModels.Entities.TrackEntity", b =>
+                {
+                    b.Property<long>("Id")
+                        .ValueGeneratedOnAdd()
+                        .HasColumnType("bigint")
+                        .HasColumnName("id");
+
+                    NpgsqlPropertyBuilderExtensions.UseIdentityByDefaultColumn(b.Property<long>("Id"));
+
+                    b.Property<DateTime>("CreatedAt")
+                        .HasColumnType("timestamp with time zone")
+                        .HasColumnName("created_at");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("EntryKey")
+                        .IsRequired()
+                        .HasMaxLength(100)
+                        .HasColumnType("character varying(100)")
+                        .HasColumnName("entry_key");
+
+                    b.Property<bool>("IsDeleted")
+                        .ValueGeneratedOnAdd()
+                        .HasColumnType("boolean")
+                        .HasDefaultValue(false)
+                        .HasColumnName("is_deleted");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("OriginalFileName")
+                        .HasMaxLength(500)
+                        .HasColumnType("character varying(500)")
+                        .HasColumnName("original_file_name");
+
+                    b.Property<long?>("ReleaseId")
+                        .HasColumnType("bigint")
+                        .HasColumnName("release_id");
+
                     b.Property<string>("TrackName")
                         .IsRequired()
                         .HasMaxLength(200)
@@ -110,8 +146,25 @@ namespace DeepDrftData.Migrations
                     b.HasIndex("IsDeleted")
                         .HasDatabaseName("IX_track_is_deleted");
 
+                    b.HasIndex("ReleaseId");
+
                     b.ToTable("track", (string)null);
                 });
+
+            modelBuilder.Entity("DeepDrftModels.Entities.TrackEntity", b =>
+                {
+                    b.HasOne("DeepDrftModels.Entities.ReleaseEntity", "Release")
+                        .WithMany("Tracks")
+                        .HasForeignKey("ReleaseId")
+                        .OnDelete(DeleteBehavior.SetNull);
+
+                    b.Navigation("Release");
+                });
+
+            modelBuilder.Entity("DeepDrftModels.Entities.ReleaseEntity", b =>
+                {
+                    b.Navigation("Tracks");
+                });
 #pragma warning restore 612, 618
         }
     }

DeepDrftData/Repositories/TrackRepository.cs

@@ -11,18 +11,26 @@ namespace DeepDrftData.Repositories;
 
 public class TrackRepository : Repository<DeepDrftContext, TrackEntity>
 {
+    // The base Repository<> exposes Query (soft-delete-filtered IQueryable<TrackEntity>) but no
+    // DbContext accessor, and release-cardinal queries need a second DbSet. Keep our own reference
+    // to the injected context rather than reaching for a service locator — it is the same scoped
+    // instance the base holds, so reads/writes stay in one unit of work.
+    private readonly DeepDrftContext _context;
+
     public TrackRepository(
         DeepDrftContext context,
         ILogger<Repository<DeepDrftContext, TrackEntity>> logger,
         IDbExceptionClassifier? classifier = null)
         : base(context, logger, classifier: classifier)
     {
+        _context = context;
     }
 
     // Lookup by vault entry key. The base Repository<> only exposes id-based queries, so this
-    // uses Query (soft-delete filtered) rather than the raw DbSet.
+    // uses Query (soft-delete filtered) rather than the raw DbSet. Includes Release so the
+    // converter can project the release-cardinal fields.
     public async Task<TrackEntity?> GetByEntryKeyAsync(string entryKey)
-        => await Query.FirstOrDefaultAsync(t => t.EntryKey == entryKey);
+        => await Query.Include(t => t.Release).FirstOrDefaultAsync(t => t.EntryKey == entryKey);
 
     // Picks one track uniformly at random. Two round-trips (count, then a single offset row)
     // rather than ORDER BY random() so the database never sorts the whole table — the catalogue
@@ -37,6 +45,7 @@ public class TrackRepository : Repository<DeepDrftContext, TrackEntity>
 
         var index = Random.Shared.Next(count);
         return await Query
+            .Include(t => t.Release)
             .OrderBy(t => t.Id)
             .Skip(index)
             .Take(1)
@@ -53,27 +62,29 @@ public class TrackRepository : Repository<DeepDrftContext, TrackEntity>
         TrackFilter? filter,
         CancellationToken ct = default)
     {
-        IQueryable<TrackEntity> query = Query;
+        // Include Release so both the filter predicates and the converter can read release-cardinal
+        // fields through the navigation.
+        IQueryable<TrackEntity> query = Query.Include(t => t.Release);
 
         if (filter is not null)
         {
             if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(filter.SearchText))
             {
                 // Postgres case-insensitive LIKE. The '%' wraps make it a contains-match; ILike is
-                // EF-translatable where ToLower().Contains() is not. Album is nullable — ILike on a
-                // null column yields false, which is the desired "no match" behaviour.
+                // EF-translatable where ToLower().Contains() is not. Artist/Title live on the joined
+                // Release, which is null for loose tracks — guard the navigation before ILike.
                 var pattern = $"%{filter.SearchText}%";
                 query = query.Where(t =>
                     EF.Functions.ILike(t.TrackName, pattern)
-                    || EF.Functions.ILike(t.Artist, pattern)
-                    || (t.Album != null && EF.Functions.ILike(t.Album, pattern)));
+                    || (t.Release != null && EF.Functions.ILike(t.Release.Artist, pattern))
+                    || (t.Release != null && EF.Functions.ILike(t.Release.Title, pattern)));
             }
 
             if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(filter.Album))
-                query = query.Where(t => t.Album == filter.Album);
+                query = query.Where(t => t.Release != null && t.Release.Title == filter.Album);
 
             if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(filter.Genre))
-                query = query.Where(t => t.Genre == filter.Genre);
+                query = query.Where(t => t.Release != null && t.Release.Genre == filter.Genre);
         }
 
         var totalCount = await query.CountAsync(ct);
@@ -99,30 +110,21 @@ public class TrackRepository : Repository<DeepDrftContext, TrackEntity>
         };
     }
 
-    // Distinct albums (non-null) with track counts and a representative cover key. The cover is the
-    // first non-null ImagePath in the group; GroupBy + projection keeps it a single round-trip.
-    public async Task<List<AlbumSummaryDto>> GetDistinctAlbumsAsync(CancellationToken ct = default)
-        => await Query
-            .Where(t => t.Album != null)
-            .GroupBy(t => t.Album!)
-            .Select(g => new AlbumSummaryDto
-            {
-                Album = g.Key,
-                TrackCount = g.Count(),
-                CoverImageKey = g
-                    .Where(t => t.ImagePath != null)
-                    .OrderBy(t => t.Id)
-                    .Select(t => t.ImagePath)
-                    .FirstOrDefault(),
-            })
-            .OrderBy(a => a.Album)
+    // All non-deleted releases, title-ascending, each carrying its count of non-deleted tracks.
+    // The TrackCount subquery keeps this a single round-trip; the manager projects to ReleaseDto.
+    public async Task<List<ReleaseEntity>> GetReleasesAsync(CancellationToken ct = default)
+        => await _context.Set<ReleaseEntity>()
+            .Where(r => !r.IsDeleted)
+            .OrderBy(r => r.Title)
             .ToListAsync(ct);
 
-    // Distinct genres (non-null) with track counts.
+    // Distinct genres (non-null) with track counts, sourced from the release join. Counting tracks
+    // (not releases) keeps the browse counts consistent with the track-level catalogue. Loose tracks
+    // (no release) carry no genre and are excluded.
     public async Task<List<GenreSummaryDto>> GetDistinctGenresAsync(CancellationToken ct = default)
         => await Query
-            .Where(t => t.Genre != null)
-            .GroupBy(t => t.Genre!)
+            .Where(t => t.Release != null && t.Release.Genre != null)
+            .GroupBy(t => t.Release!.Genre!)
             .Select(g => new GenreSummaryDto
             {
                 Genre = g.Key,
@@ -131,16 +133,52 @@ public class TrackRepository : Repository<DeepDrftContext, TrackEntity>
             .OrderBy(g => g.Genre)
             .ToListAsync(ct);
 
+    // Count of non-deleted tracks per release, keyed by ReleaseId. The manager joins this against
+    // GetReleasesAsync to populate ReleaseDto.TrackCount without an N+1 fan-out.
+    public async Task<Dictionary<long, int>> GetTrackCountsByReleaseAsync(CancellationToken ct = default)
+        => await Query
+            .Where(t => t.ReleaseId != null)
+            .GroupBy(t => t.ReleaseId!.Value)
+            .Select(g => new { ReleaseId = g.Key, Count = g.Count() })
+            .ToDictionaryAsync(x => x.ReleaseId, x => x.Count, ct);
+
+    // Resolve an existing release by its natural key (title + artist). Returns null when no match,
+    // signalling the manager to create one. Soft-deleted releases never match.
+    public async Task<ReleaseEntity?> GetReleaseByTitleAndArtistAsync(
+        string title, string artist, CancellationToken ct = default)
+        => await _context.Set<ReleaseEntity>()
+            .FirstOrDefaultAsync(r => r.Title == title && r.Artist == artist && !r.IsDeleted, ct);
+
+    // Persist a new release row and return it with its assigned Id. Lives here (not the manager)
+    // because the repository owns the DbContext — the manager stays free of direct context access.
+    public async Task<ReleaseEntity> AddReleaseAsync(ReleaseEntity release, CancellationToken ct = default)
+    {
+        _context.Set<ReleaseEntity>().Add(release);
+        await _context.SaveChangesAsync(ct);
+        return release;
+    }
+
+    // Load a tracked release by id so the manager can edit its fields in place and save. Returns
+    // null when the id does not resolve (or the release is soft-deleted).
+    public async Task<ReleaseEntity?> GetReleaseByIdAsync(long id, CancellationToken ct = default)
+        => await _context.Set<ReleaseEntity>()
+            .FirstOrDefaultAsync(r => r.Id == id && !r.IsDeleted, ct);
+
+    // Persist edits to a release. Update marks the whole entity modified, so it works whether the
+    // instance is the change-tracked one from GetReleaseByIdAsync or a detached graph.
+    public async Task UpdateReleaseAsync(ReleaseEntity release, CancellationToken ct = default)
+    {
+        _context.Set<ReleaseEntity>().Update(release);
+        await _context.SaveChangesAsync(ct);
+    }
+
     protected override void UpdateEntity(TrackEntity target, TrackEntity source)
     {
         base.UpdateEntity(target, source); // copies CreatedAt, UpdatedAt, IsDeleted
         target.EntryKey = source.EntryKey;
         target.TrackName = source.TrackName;
-        target.Artist = source.Artist;
-        target.Album = source.Album;
-        target.Genre = source.Genre;
-        target.ReleaseDate = source.ReleaseDate;
-        target.ImagePath = source.ImagePath;
-        target.CreatedByUserId = source.CreatedByUserId;
+        target.TrackNumber = source.TrackNumber;
+        target.OriginalFileName = source.OriginalFileName;
+        target.ReleaseId = source.ReleaseId;
     }
 }

DeepDrftData/TrackConverter.cs

@@ -9,9 +9,40 @@ namespace DeepDrftData;
 /// The DTO side mirrors the entity field-for-field; the audit columns
 /// (CreatedAt, UpdatedAt) come from BaseEntity / BaseModel.
 /// IsDeleted does not round-trip — soft-deleted rows are not exposed via the model.
+///
+/// Post Phase 8 §8.0: TrackEntity carries only track-cardinal fields plus a nullable
+/// ReleaseId/Release. The release-cardinal data converts through the Release maps below.
 /// </summary>
 public class TrackConverter : IEntityToModelConverter<TrackEntity, TrackDto>
 {
+    public static ReleaseDto Convert(ReleaseEntity entity) => new()
+    {
+        Id = entity.Id,
+        CreatedAt = entity.CreatedAt,
+        UpdatedAt = entity.UpdatedAt,
+        Title = entity.Title,
+        Artist = entity.Artist,
+        Genre = entity.Genre,
+        ReleaseDate = entity.ReleaseDate,
+        ImagePath = entity.ImagePath,
+        ReleaseType = entity.ReleaseType,
+        CreatedByUserId = entity.CreatedByUserId
+    };
+
+    public static ReleaseEntity Convert(ReleaseDto dto) => new()
+    {
+        Id = dto.Id,
+        CreatedAt = dto.CreatedAt,
+        UpdatedAt = dto.UpdatedAt,
+        Title = dto.Title,
+        Artist = dto.Artist,
+        Genre = dto.Genre,
+        ReleaseDate = dto.ReleaseDate,
+        ImagePath = dto.ImagePath,
+        ReleaseType = dto.ReleaseType,
+        CreatedByUserId = dto.CreatedByUserId
+    };
+
     public static TrackDto Convert(TrackEntity entity) => new()
     {
         Id = entity.Id,
@@ -19,17 +50,15 @@ public class TrackConverter : IEntityToModelConverter<TrackEntity, TrackDto>
         UpdatedAt = entity.UpdatedAt,
         EntryKey = entity.EntryKey,
         TrackName = entity.TrackName,
-        Artist = entity.Artist,
-        Album = entity.Album,
-        Genre = entity.Genre,
-        ReleaseDate = entity.ReleaseDate,
-        ImagePath = entity.ImagePath,
-        CreatedByUserId = entity.CreatedByUserId,
         OriginalFileName = entity.OriginalFileName,
-        ReleaseType = entity.ReleaseType,
-        TrackNumber = entity.TrackNumber
+        TrackNumber = entity.TrackNumber,
+        ReleaseId = entity.ReleaseId,
+        Release = entity.Release is null ? null : Convert(entity.Release)
     };
 
+    // DTO → entity maps track-cardinal fields + ReleaseId only. The Release navigation is left
+    // unset: the manager resolves/attaches the release row against the tracked context so a detached
+    // graph never overwrites a shared release record.
     public static TrackEntity Convert(TrackDto model) => new()
     {
         Id = model.Id,
@@ -37,14 +66,8 @@ public class TrackConverter : IEntityToModelConverter<TrackEntity, TrackDto>
         UpdatedAt = model.UpdatedAt,
         EntryKey = model.EntryKey,
         TrackName = model.TrackName,
-        Artist = model.Artist,
-        Album = model.Album,
-        Genre = model.Genre,
-        ReleaseDate = model.ReleaseDate,
-        ImagePath = model.ImagePath,
-        CreatedByUserId = model.CreatedByUserId,
         OriginalFileName = model.OriginalFileName,
-        ReleaseType = model.ReleaseType,
-        TrackNumber = model.TrackNumber
+        TrackNumber = model.TrackNumber,
+        ReleaseId = model.ReleaseId
     };
 }

DeepDrftData/TrackManager.cs

@@ -107,13 +107,16 @@ public class TrackManager
                 Page = pageNumber,
                 PageSize = pageSize,
                 IsDescending = sortDescending,
+                // Sorts navigate through the nullable Release relation; the null-coalescing
+                // sentinels push loose tracks (no release) to the end, matching the prior
+                // nulls-last behaviour on the flat columns.
                 OrderBy = sortColumn switch
                 {
                     "TrackName"   => e => e.TrackName,
-                    "Artist"      => e => e.Artist,
-                    "Album"       => e => (object)(e.Album ?? string.Empty),
-                    "Genre"       => e => (object)(e.Genre ?? string.Empty),
-                    "ReleaseDate" => e => (object)(e.ReleaseDate ?? DateOnly.MaxValue),
+                    "Artist"      => e => (object)(e.Release == null ? string.Empty : e.Release.Artist),
+                    "Album"       => e => (object)(e.Release == null ? string.Empty : e.Release.Title),
+                    "Genre"       => e => (object)(e.Release == null ? string.Empty : (e.Release.Genre ?? string.Empty)),
+                    "ReleaseDate" => e => (object)(e.Release == null ? DateOnly.MaxValue : (e.Release.ReleaseDate ?? DateOnly.MaxValue)),
                     _             => e => e.Id
                 }
             };
@@ -135,16 +138,52 @@ public class TrackManager
         }
     }
 
-    public async Task<ResultContainer<List<AlbumSummaryDto>>> GetDistinctAlbums(CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
+    public async Task<ResultContainer<List<ReleaseDto>>> GetReleases(CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
     {
         try
         {
-            var albums = await Repository.GetDistinctAlbumsAsync(cancellationToken);
-            return ResultContainer<List<AlbumSummaryDto>>.CreatePassResult(albums);
+            var releases = await Repository.GetReleasesAsync(cancellationToken);
+            var counts = await Repository.GetTrackCountsByReleaseAsync(cancellationToken);
+
+            var dtos = releases
+                .Select(r =>
+                {
+                    var dto = TrackConverter.Convert(r);
+                    dto.TrackCount = counts.GetValueOrDefault(r.Id);
+                    return dto;
+                })
+                .ToList();
+
+            return ResultContainer<List<ReleaseDto>>.CreatePassResult(dtos);
         }
         catch (Exception e)
         {
-            return ResultContainer<List<AlbumSummaryDto>>.CreateFailResult(e.Message);
+            return ResultContainer<List<ReleaseDto>>.CreateFailResult(e.Message);
+        }
+    }
+
+    public async Task<ResultContainer<ReleaseDto>> FindOrCreateRelease(
+        string title, string artist, ReleaseDto releaseData, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            var existing = await Repository.GetReleaseByTitleAndArtistAsync(title, artist, cancellationToken);
+            if (existing is not null)
+                return ResultContainer<ReleaseDto>.CreatePassResult(TrackConverter.Convert(existing));
+
+            // The natural key (title + artist) is authoritative — override whatever the caller put
+            // in releaseData so a typo upstream cannot create a release that won't be found again.
+            var entity = TrackConverter.Convert(releaseData);
+            entity.Id = 0;
+            entity.Title = title;
+            entity.Artist = artist;
+
+            var added = await Repository.AddReleaseAsync(entity, cancellationToken);
+            return ResultContainer<ReleaseDto>.CreatePassResult(TrackConverter.Convert(added));
+        }
+        catch (Exception e)
+        {
+            return ResultContainer<ReleaseDto>.CreateFailResult(e.Message);
         }
     }
 
@@ -165,6 +204,22 @@ public class TrackManager
     {
         try
         {
+            // A track with release context resolves (or creates) the shared release first so the FK
+            // is set before insert. A standalone track (Release null) stays a loose track, ReleaseId
+            // null. Callers that already resolved the FK (UnifiedTrackService) pass Release null and
+            // a populated ReleaseId, which falls straight through.
+            if (newTrack.Release is { } release && !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(release.Title))
+            {
+                var resolved = await FindOrCreateRelease(release.Title, release.Artist, release);
+                if (!resolved.Success || resolved.Value is null)
+                {
+                    var error = resolved.Messages.FirstOrDefault()?.Message ?? "Failed to resolve release.";
+                    return ResultContainer<TrackDto>.CreateFailResult(error);
+                }
+
+                newTrack.ReleaseId = resolved.Value.Id;
+            }
+
             var added = await Repository.AddAsync(TrackConverter.Convert(newTrack));
             return ResultContainer<TrackDto>.CreatePassResult(TrackConverter.Convert(added));
         }
@@ -181,6 +236,26 @@ public class TrackManager
         try
         {
             await Repository.UpdateAsync(TrackConverter.Convert(track));
+
+            // Release-cardinal edits flow through the linked release row, not the track. When the
+            // track carries a Release payload and a resolved FK, load the tracked release, apply the
+            // edited fields, and save. EntryKey/track fields are already persisted above.
+            if (track.Release is { } release && track.ReleaseId is { } releaseId)
+            {
+                var releaseEntity = await Repository.GetReleaseByIdAsync(releaseId);
+                if (releaseEntity is not null)
+                {
+                    releaseEntity.Title = release.Title;
+                    releaseEntity.Artist = release.Artist;
+                    releaseEntity.Genre = release.Genre;
+                    releaseEntity.ReleaseDate = release.ReleaseDate;
+                    releaseEntity.ImagePath = release.ImagePath;
+                    releaseEntity.ReleaseType = release.ReleaseType;
+                    releaseEntity.CreatedByUserId = release.CreatedByUserId;
+                    await Repository.UpdateReleaseAsync(releaseEntity);
+                }
+            }
+
             var updated = await Repository.GetByIdAsync(track.Id);
             return updated is not null
                 ? ResultContainer<TrackDto>.CreatePassResult(TrackConverter.Convert(updated))

DeepDrftManager/Components/Pages/Index.razor

@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@
     {
         try
         {
-            var result = await CmsTrackService.GetAlbumSummariesAsync();
+            var result = await CmsTrackService.GetReleasesAsync();
             _albumCount = result.Success && result.Value is not null ? result.Value.Count : null;
             if (!result.Success)
             {

DeepDrftManager/Components/Pages/Tracks/TrackEdit.razor

@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@
 
         var confirmed = await DialogService.ShowMessageBox(
             "Delete track",
-            $"Permanently delete \"{_track.TrackName}\" by {_track.Artist}? This cannot be undone.",
+            $"Permanently delete \"{_track.TrackName}\" by {_track.Release?.Artist ?? "Unknown"}? This cannot be undone.",
             yesText: "Delete",
             cancelText: "Cancel");
 
@@ -310,14 +310,14 @@
         public static TrackEditForm From(TrackDto track) => new()
         {
             TrackName = track.TrackName,
-            Artist = track.Artist,
-            Album = track.Album,
-            Genre = track.Genre,
-            ImagePath = track.ImagePath,
-            ReleaseDate = track.ReleaseDate is { } d
+            Artist = track.Release?.Artist ?? string.Empty,
+            Album = track.Release?.Title,
+            Genre = track.Release?.Genre,
+            ImagePath = track.Release?.ImagePath,
+            ReleaseDate = track.Release?.ReleaseDate is { } d
                 ? d.ToDateTime(TimeOnly.MinValue)
                 : null,
-            ReleaseType = track.ReleaseType,
+            ReleaseType = track.Release?.ReleaseType ?? ReleaseType.Single,
             TrackNumber = track.TrackNumber
         };
     }

DeepDrftManager/Components/Pages/Tracks/TrackList.razor

@@ -52,10 +52,10 @@
                 </HeaderContent>
                 <RowTemplate>
                     <MudTd DataLabel="Track Name">@context.TrackName</MudTd>
-                    <MudTd DataLabel="Artist">@context.Artist</MudTd>
-                    <MudTd DataLabel="Album">@(context.Album ?? "—")</MudTd>
-                    <MudTd DataLabel="Genre">@(context.Genre ?? "—")</MudTd>
-                    <MudTd DataLabel="Release Date">@(context.ReleaseDate?.ToString("yyyy-MM-dd") ?? "—")</MudTd>
+                    <MudTd DataLabel="Artist">@(context.Release?.Artist ?? "—")</MudTd>
+                    <MudTd DataLabel="Album">@(context.Release?.Title ?? "—")</MudTd>
+                    <MudTd DataLabel="Genre">@(context.Release?.Genre ?? "—")</MudTd>
+                    <MudTd DataLabel="Release Date">@(context.Release?.ReleaseDate?.ToString("yyyy-MM-dd") ?? "—")</MudTd>
                     <MudTd DataLabel="Entry Key"><MudText Typo="Typo.caption" Style="font-family: monospace;">@context.EntryKey</MudText></MudTd>
                     <MudTd DataLabel="File Name"><MudText Typo="Typo.caption" Style="font-family: monospace;">@(context.OriginalFileName ?? "—")</MudText></MudTd>
                     <MudTd DataLabel="Actions">
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@
     {
         var confirmed = await DialogService.ShowMessageBox(
             title: "Delete track",
-            markupMessage: new MarkupString($"Delete <strong>{WebUtility.HtmlEncode(track.TrackName)}</strong> by {WebUtility.HtmlEncode(track.Artist)}? This removes both the metadata row and the underlying audio entry."),
+            markupMessage: new MarkupString($"Delete <strong>{WebUtility.HtmlEncode(track.TrackName)}</strong> by {WebUtility.HtmlEncode(track.Release?.Artist ?? "Unknown")}? This removes both the metadata row and the underlying audio entry."),
             yesText: "Delete",
             cancelText: "Cancel");
 

DeepDrftManager/Services/CmsTrackService.cs

@@ -450,7 +450,7 @@ public class CmsTrackService : ICmsTrackService
         }
     }
 
-    public async Task<ResultContainer<List<AlbumSummaryDto>>> GetAlbumSummariesAsync(CancellationToken ct = default)
+    public async Task<ResultContainer<List<ReleaseDto>>> GetReleasesAsync(CancellationToken ct = default)
     {
         var client = _httpClientFactory.CreateClient(ContentCmsClientName);
 
@@ -461,36 +461,36 @@ public class CmsTrackService : ICmsTrackService
         }
         catch (Exception ex)
         {
-            _logger.LogError(ex, "Content API call failed for album summaries");
-            return ResultContainer<List<AlbumSummaryDto>>.CreateFailResult("Content API is unreachable.");
+            _logger.LogError(ex, "Content API call failed for releases");
+            return ResultContainer<List<ReleaseDto>>.CreateFailResult("Content API is unreachable.");
         }
 
         using (response)
         {
             if (!response.IsSuccessStatusCode)
             {
-                _logger.LogError("Content API album summaries failed: {Status}", (int)response.StatusCode);
-                return ResultContainer<List<AlbumSummaryDto>>.CreateFailResult("Failed to load albums.");
+                _logger.LogError("Content API releases failed: {Status}", (int)response.StatusCode);
+                return ResultContainer<List<ReleaseDto>>.CreateFailResult("Failed to load albums.");
             }
 
-            List<AlbumSummaryDto>? albums;
+            List<ReleaseDto>? releases;
             try
             {
-                albums = await response.Content.ReadFromJsonAsync<List<AlbumSummaryDto>>(ct);
+                releases = await response.Content.ReadFromJsonAsync<List<ReleaseDto>>(ct);
             }
             catch (Exception ex)
             {
-                _logger.LogError(ex, "Failed to deserialize album summaries from Content API response");
-                return ResultContainer<List<AlbumSummaryDto>>.CreateFailResult("Content API returned an unexpected response.");
+                _logger.LogError(ex, "Failed to deserialize releases from Content API response");
+                return ResultContainer<List<ReleaseDto>>.CreateFailResult("Content API returned an unexpected response.");
             }
 
-            if (albums is null)
+            if (releases is null)
             {
-                _logger.LogError("Content API returned a null album summaries list");
-                return ResultContainer<List<AlbumSummaryDto>>.CreateFailResult("Content API returned an empty response.");
+                _logger.LogError("Content API returned a null releases list");
+                return ResultContainer<List<ReleaseDto>>.CreateFailResult("Content API returned an empty response.");
             }
 
-            return ResultContainer<List<AlbumSummaryDto>>.CreatePassResult(albums);
+            return ResultContainer<List<ReleaseDto>>.CreatePassResult(releases);
         }
     }
 

DeepDrftManager/Services/ICmsTrackService.cs

@@ -88,8 +88,8 @@ public interface ICmsTrackService
     /// </summary>
     Task<Result> GenerateWaveformProfileAsync(string entryKey, CancellationToken ct = default);
 
-    /// <summary>Returns all distinct albums with track counts from GET api/track/albums.</summary>
-    Task<ResultContainer<List<AlbumSummaryDto>>> GetAlbumSummariesAsync(CancellationToken ct = default);
+    /// <summary>Returns all releases with track counts from GET api/track/albums.</summary>
+    Task<ResultContainer<List<ReleaseDto>>> GetReleasesAsync(CancellationToken ct = default);
 
     /// <summary>Returns all distinct genres with track counts from GET api/track/genres.</summary>
     Task<ResultContainer<List<GenreSummaryDto>>> GetGenreSummariesAsync(CancellationToken ct = default);

DeepDrftModels/DTOs/AlbumSummaryDto.cs

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ namespace DeepDrftModels.DTOs;
 /// One distinct album with its track count and a representative cover image key. Backs the
 /// /albums browse grid.
 /// </summary>
+[Obsolete("Replaced by ReleaseDto. Use ITrackService.GetReleases().")]
 public class AlbumSummaryDto
 {
     public required string Album { get; set; }

DeepDrftModels/DTOs/ReleaseDto.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+using DeepDrftModels.Enums;
+using Models.Models;
+
+namespace DeepDrftModels.DTOs;
+
+// Mirror of ReleaseEntity (Phase 8 §8.0). Inherits Id, CreatedAt, UpdatedAt from BaseModel
+// (Cerebellum.BlazorBlocks.Models). No `required` members — BlazorBlocks's Manager<> generic
+// constraint requires `new()`, which does not compose with required members (see TrackDto header).
+// TrackConverter assigns every field on the round-trip, so an empty default is never observable.
+public class ReleaseDto : BaseModel
+{
+    public string Title { get; set; } = string.Empty;
+    public string Artist { get; set; } = string.Empty;
+    public string? Genre { get; set; }
+    public DateOnly? ReleaseDate { get; set; }
+    public string? ImagePath { get; set; }
+    public ReleaseType ReleaseType { get; set; } = ReleaseType.Single;
+    public long? CreatedByUserId { get; set; }
+
+    // Read-model field: count of non-deleted tracks in this release. Not on ReleaseEntity — the
+    // service projects it from the joined Tracks collection so the /albums browse grid and the CMS
+    // dashboard can show a per-album track count. Defaults to 0 when not populated.
+    public int TrackCount { get; set; }
+}

DeepDrftModels/DTOs/TrackDto.cs

@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-using DeepDrftModels.Enums;
 using Models.Models;
 
 namespace DeepDrftModels.DTOs;
@@ -6,20 +5,17 @@ namespace DeepDrftModels.DTOs;
 // Inherits Id, CreatedAt, UpdatedAt from BaseModel (Cerebellum.BlazorBlocks.Models).
 // BlazorBlocks's Manager<> generic constraint requires `new()` on the model type, which
 // disqualifies `required` properties (the `new()` constraint and required members do not
-// compose). EntryKey/TrackName/Artist therefore drop `required` here — the TrackEntity
-// side remains required, and TrackConverter assigns every field on the round-trip so an
-// empty default is never observable in production code paths.
+// compose). EntryKey/TrackName therefore drop `required` here — the TrackEntity side remains
+// required, and TrackConverter assigns every field on the round-trip so an empty default is
+// never observable in production code paths.
+//
+// Track-cardinal data only (Phase 8 §8.0). Release-cardinal fields are read via Release?.X.
 public class TrackDto : BaseModel
 {
     public string EntryKey { get; set; } = string.Empty;
     public string TrackName { get; set; } = string.Empty;
-    public string Artist { get; set; } = string.Empty;
-    public string? Album { get; set; }
-    public string? Genre { get; set; }
-    public DateOnly? ReleaseDate { get; set; }
-    public string? ImagePath { get; set; }
-    public long? CreatedByUserId { get; set; }
     public string? OriginalFileName { get; set; }
-    public ReleaseType ReleaseType { get; set; } = ReleaseType.Single;
     public int TrackNumber { get; set; } = 1;
+    public long? ReleaseId { get; set; }
+    public ReleaseDto? Release { get; set; }
 }

DeepDrftModels/Entities/ReleaseEntity.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+using DeepDrftModels.Enums;
+using Models.Entities;
+
+namespace DeepDrftModels.Entities;
+
+// The release-cardinal half of the normalized track schema (Phase 8 §8.0). One ReleaseEntity is
+// shared by every track on the same album; track-cardinal data stays on TrackEntity, which points
+// back here via a nullable ReleaseId (singles and loose tracks have no release context).
+//
+// Inherits Id, CreatedAt, UpdatedAt, IsDeleted from BaseEntity (Cerebellum.BlazorBlocks.Models).
+// BaseEntity ships the audit columns but does not declare IEntity itself, so subclasses declare it
+// explicitly to satisfy the generic constraints on Repository<>/Manager<>/etc.
+public class ReleaseEntity : BaseEntity, IEntity
+{
+    public required string Title { get; set; }
+    public required string Artist { get; set; }
+    public string? Genre { get; set; }
+    public DateOnly? ReleaseDate { get; set; }
+    public string? ImagePath { get; set; }
+    public ReleaseType ReleaseType { get; set; } = ReleaseType.Single;
+    public long? CreatedByUserId { get; set; }
+    public ICollection<TrackEntity> Tracks { get; set; } = new List<TrackEntity>();
+}

DeepDrftModels/Entities/TrackEntity.cs

@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-using DeepDrftModels.Enums;
 using Models.Entities;
 
 namespace DeepDrftModels.Entities;
@@ -6,17 +5,16 @@ namespace DeepDrftModels.Entities;
 // Inherits Id, CreatedAt, UpdatedAt, IsDeleted from BaseEntity (Cerebellum.BlazorBlocks.Models).
 // BaseEntity ships the audit columns but does not declare IEntity itself, so subclasses
 // declare it explicitly to satisfy the generic constraints on Repository<>/Manager<>/etc.
+//
+// Track-cardinal data only (Phase 8 §8.0). Release-cardinal fields (Artist, Album→Title, Genre,
+// ReleaseDate, ImagePath, ReleaseType, CreatedByUserId) live on ReleaseEntity, reached via the
+// nullable Release navigation; ReleaseId is null for singles and loose tracks.
 public class TrackEntity : BaseEntity, IEntity
 {
     public required string EntryKey { get; set; }
     public required string TrackName { get; set; }
-    public required string Artist { get; set; }
-    public string? Album { get; set; }
-    public string? Genre { get; set; }
-    public DateOnly? ReleaseDate { get; set; }
-    public string? ImagePath { get; set; }
-    public long? CreatedByUserId { get; set; }
     public string? OriginalFileName { get; set; }
-    public ReleaseType ReleaseType { get; set; } = ReleaseType.Single;
     public int TrackNumber { get; set; } = 1;
+    public long? ReleaseId { get; set; }
+    public ReleaseEntity? Release { get; set; }
 }

DeepDrftPublic.Client/Clients/TrackClient.cs

@@ -89,22 +89,22 @@ public class TrackClient
             : ApiResult<TrackDto?>.CreateFailResult("Failed to deserialize response");
     }
 
-    public async Task<ApiResult<List<AlbumSummaryDto>>> GetAlbums()
+    public async Task<ApiResult<List<ReleaseDto>>> GetAlbums()
     {
         var response = await _http.GetAsync("api/track/albums");
 
         if (!response.IsSuccessStatusCode)
-            return ApiResult<List<AlbumSummaryDto>>.CreateFailResult($"HTTP {(int)response.StatusCode}");
+            return ApiResult<List<ReleaseDto>>.CreateFailResult($"HTTP {(int)response.StatusCode}");
 
         var json = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
-        var albums = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<List<AlbumSummaryDto>>(json, new JsonSerializerOptions
+        var releases = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<List<ReleaseDto>>(json, new JsonSerializerOptions
         {
             PropertyNameCaseInsensitive = true
         });
 
-        return albums is not null
-            ? ApiResult<List<AlbumSummaryDto>>.CreatePassResult(albums)
-            : ApiResult<List<AlbumSummaryDto>>.CreateFailResult("Failed to deserialize response");
+        return releases is not null
+            ? ApiResult<List<ReleaseDto>>.CreatePassResult(releases)
+            : ApiResult<List<ReleaseDto>>.CreateFailResult("Failed to deserialize response");
     }
 
     public async Task<ApiResult<List<GenreSummaryDto>>> GetGenres()

DeepDrftPublic.Client/Controls/AudioPlayerBar/TrackMetaLabel.razor

@@ -13,26 +13,26 @@
             </a>
             <MudText Typo="Typo.subtitle2" Class="track-meta-sep"> - </MudText>
             <MudText Typo="Typo.caption" Class="track-meta-artist text-truncate">
-                @Track.Artist
+                @Track.Release?.Artist
             </MudText>
         </div>
 
         <div class="track-meta-accents">
-            @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(Track.Genre))
+            @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(Track.Release?.Genre))
             {
                 <MudChip T="string"
                          Size="Size.Small"
                          Variant="Variant.Outlined"
                          Color="Color.Tertiary"
                          Class="deepdrft-genre-chip">
-                    @Track.Genre
+                    @Track.Release.Genre
                 </MudChip>
             }
 
-            @if (Track.ReleaseDate.HasValue)
+            @if (Track.Release?.ReleaseDate.HasValue == true)
             {
                 <MudText Typo="Typo.caption" Class="track-meta-year">
-                    @Track.ReleaseDate.Value.Year
+                    @Track.Release.ReleaseDate.Value.Year
                 </MudText>
             }
         </div>

DeepDrftPublic.Client/Controls/NowPlayingCard.razor

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
     <div class="np-title">@(Player?.CurrentTrack?.TrackName ?? "Nothing playing")</div>
     <div class="np-sub">
         @(Player?.CurrentTrack != null
-            ? $"{Player.CurrentTrack.Artist} · {Player.CurrentTrack.Album ?? "Single"}"
+            ? $"{Player.CurrentTrack.Release?.Artist} · {Player.CurrentTrack.Release?.Title ?? "Single"}"
             : "Select a track to begin")
     </div>
 

DeepDrftPublic.Client/Controls/TrackCard.razor

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 @{
     var hasLink = !string.IsNullOrEmpty(TrackModel?.EntryKey);
     var trackHref = hasLink ? $"/track/{TrackModel!.EntryKey}" : null;
-    var hasArt = !string.IsNullOrEmpty(TrackModel?.ImagePath);
+    var hasArt = !string.IsNullOrEmpty(TrackModel?.Release?.ImagePath);
 }
 
 @if (ViewMode == GalleryViewMode.Grid)
@@ -13,9 +13,9 @@
     @if (hasLink)
     {
         <a href="@trackHref" class="deepdrft-track-card-link">
-            @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(TrackModel?.ImagePath))
+            @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(TrackModel?.Release?.ImagePath))
             {
-                <div class="deepdrft-track-card-bg" style="background-image: url('api/image/@Uri.EscapeDataString(TrackModel.ImagePath)');">
+                <div class="deepdrft-track-card-bg" style="background-image: url('api/image/@Uri.EscapeDataString(TrackModel.Release!.ImagePath)');">
                 </div>
             }
             else
@@ -24,9 +24,9 @@
             }
         </a>
     }
-    else if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(TrackModel?.ImagePath))
+    else if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(TrackModel?.Release?.ImagePath))
     {
-        <div class="deepdrft-track-card-bg" style="background-image: url('api/image/@Uri.EscapeDataString(TrackModel.ImagePath)');">
+        <div class="deepdrft-track-card-bg" style="background-image: url('api/image/@Uri.EscapeDataString(TrackModel.Release!.ImagePath)');">
         </div>
     }
     else
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
 
                     <MudText Typo="Typo.caption"
                              Class="deepdrft-track-artist text-truncate mb-2">
-                        @TrackModel?.Artist
+                        @TrackModel?.Release?.Artist
                     </MudText>
                 </div>
             </a>
@@ -62,38 +62,38 @@
 
                 <MudText Typo="Typo.caption"
                          Class="deepdrft-track-artist text-truncate mb-2">
-                    @TrackModel?.Artist
+                    @TrackModel?.Release?.Artist
                 </MudText>
             </div>
         }
 
         <div class="deepdrft-track-info-middle">
-            @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(TrackModel?.Album))
+            @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(TrackModel?.Release?.Title))
             {
                 <MudText Typo="Typo.caption"
                          Class="deepdrft-track-meta text-truncate">
-                    @TrackModel.Album
+                    @TrackModel.Release!.Title
                 </MudText>
             }
 
-            @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(TrackModel?.Genre))
+            @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(TrackModel?.Release?.Genre))
             {
                 <MudChip T="string"
                          Size="Size.Small"
                          Variant="Variant.Outlined"
                          Color="Color.Tertiary"
                          Class="deepdrft-genre-chip">
-                    @TrackModel.Genre
+                    @TrackModel.Release!.Genre
                 </MudChip>
             }
         </div>
 
         <div class="deepdrft-track-info-bottom">
-            @if (TrackModel?.ReleaseDate.HasValue == true)
+            @if (TrackModel?.Release?.ReleaseDate.HasValue == true)
             {
                 <MudText Typo="Typo.caption"
                          Class="deepdrft-track-meta">
-                    @TrackModel.ReleaseDate.Value.Year
+                    @TrackModel.Release!.ReleaseDate!.Value.Year
                 </MudText>
             }
             else
@@ -127,10 +127,10 @@ else
     {
         <a href="@trackHref" class="deepdrft-track-row-link">
             @* art thumb *@
-            @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(TrackModel?.ImagePath))
+            @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(TrackModel?.Release?.ImagePath))
             {
                 <div class="deepdrft-track-row-thumb"
-                     style="background-image: url('api/image/@Uri.EscapeDataString(TrackModel.ImagePath)');">
+                     style="background-image: url('api/image/@Uri.EscapeDataString(TrackModel.Release!.ImagePath)');">
                 </div>
             }
             else
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ else
             @* text block *@
             <div class="deepdrft-track-row-text">
                 <MudText Typo="Typo.subtitle2" Class="deepdrft-track-title text-truncate">
-                    @TrackModel?.Artist
+                    @TrackModel?.Release?.Artist
                 </MudText>
                 <MudText Typo="Typo.caption" Class="deepdrft-track-meta text-truncate">
                     @TrackModel?.TrackName
@@ -150,20 +150,20 @@ else
 
             @* right metadata *@
             <div class="deepdrft-track-row-meta">
-                @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(TrackModel?.Genre))
+                @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(TrackModel?.Release?.Genre))
                 {
                     <MudChip T="string"
                              Size="Size.Small"
                              Variant="Variant.Outlined"
                              Color="Color.Tertiary"
                              Class="deepdrft-genre-chip">
-                        @TrackModel.Genre
+                        @TrackModel.Release!.Genre
                     </MudChip>
                 }
-                @if (TrackModel?.ReleaseDate.HasValue == true)
+                @if (TrackModel?.Release?.ReleaseDate.HasValue == true)
                 {
                     <MudText Typo="Typo.caption" Class="deepdrft-track-meta">
-                        @TrackModel.ReleaseDate.Value.Year
+                        @TrackModel.Release!.ReleaseDate!.Value.Year
                     </MudText>
                 }
             </div>
@@ -172,10 +172,10 @@ else
     else
     {
         @* same structure without anchor *@
-        @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(TrackModel?.ImagePath))
+        @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(TrackModel?.Release?.ImagePath))
         {
             <div class="deepdrft-track-row-thumb"
-                 style="background-image: url('api/image/@Uri.EscapeDataString(TrackModel.ImagePath)');">
+                 style="background-image: url('api/image/@Uri.EscapeDataString(TrackModel.Release!.ImagePath)');">
             </div>
         }
         else
@@ -184,27 +184,27 @@ else
         }
         <div class="deepdrft-track-row-text">
             <MudText Typo="Typo.subtitle2" Class="deepdrft-track-title text-truncate">
-                @TrackModel?.Artist
+                @TrackModel?.Release?.Artist
             </MudText>
             <MudText Typo="Typo.caption" Class="deepdrft-track-meta text-truncate">
                 @TrackModel?.TrackName
             </MudText>
         </div>
         <div class="deepdrft-track-row-meta">
-            @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(TrackModel?.Genre))
+            @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(TrackModel?.Release?.Genre))
             {
                 <MudChip T="string"
                          Size="Size.Small"
                          Variant="Variant.Outlined"
                          Color="Color.Tertiary"
                          Class="deepdrft-genre-chip">
-                    @TrackModel.Genre
+                    @TrackModel.Release!.Genre
                 </MudChip>
             }
-            @if (TrackModel?.ReleaseDate.HasValue == true)
+            @if (TrackModel?.Release?.ReleaseDate.HasValue == true)
             {
                 <MudText Typo="Typo.caption" Class="deepdrft-track-meta">
-                    @TrackModel.ReleaseDate.Value.Year
+                    @TrackModel.Release!.ReleaseDate!.Value.Year
                 </MudText>
             }
         </div>

DeepDrftPublic.Client/Pages/AlbumsView.razor

@@ -33,11 +33,11 @@
                             <div class="album-card"
                                  role="button"
                                  tabindex="0"
-                                 @onclick="@(() => OpenAlbum(album.Album))">
-                                @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(album.CoverImageKey))
+                                 @onclick="@(() => OpenAlbum(album.Title))">
+                                @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(album.ImagePath))
                                 {
                                     <div class="album-card-cover"
-                                         style="background-image: url('api/image/@Uri.EscapeDataString(album.CoverImageKey)');">
+                                         style="background-image: url('api/image/@Uri.EscapeDataString(album.ImagePath)');">
                                     </div>
                                 }
                                 else
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
 
                                 <div class="album-card-body">
                                     <MudText Typo="Typo.subtitle1" Class="album-card-title text-truncate">
-                                        @album.Album
+                                        @album.Title
                                     </MudText>
                                     <MudText Typo="Typo.caption" Class="album-card-count">
                                         @album.TrackCount @(album.TrackCount == 1 ? "track" : "tracks")

DeepDrftPublic.Client/Pages/AlbumsView.razor.cs

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ public partial class AlbumsView : ComponentBase
     [Inject] public required NavigationManager Navigation { get; set; }
 
     private bool _loading = true;
-    private List<AlbumSummaryDto> _albums = [];
+    private List<ReleaseDto> _albums = [];
 
     protected override async Task OnInitializedAsync()
     {

DeepDrftPublic.Client/Pages/TrackDetail.razor

@@ -43,7 +43,9 @@ else if (ViewModel.Track is not null)
     var isThisTrackPlaying = PlayerService.CurrentTrack?.Id == track.Id
                              && PlayerService.IsPlaying
                              && !PlayerService.IsPaused;
-    var hasMeta = track.Album is not null || track.Genre is not null || track.ReleaseDate is not null;
+    var release = track.Release;
+    var hasMeta = release is not null
+                  && (release.Title is not null || release.Genre is not null || release.ReleaseDate is not null);
 
     <div class="deepdrft-track-detail-container">
 
@@ -54,7 +56,7 @@ else if (ViewModel.Track is not null)
         <MudStack Row AlignItems="AlignItems.Start" Justify="Justify.SpaceBetween" Style="margin: 2rem 0 1.5rem;">
             <div class="deepdrft-track-detail-masthead">
                 <MudText Typo="Typo.h3">@track.TrackName</MudText>
-                <MudText Typo="Typo.h6" Color="Color.Primary">@track.Artist</MudText>
+                <MudText Typo="Typo.h6" Color="Color.Primary">@release?.Artist</MudText>
             </div>
             
             <MudStack Row AlignItems="AlignItems.Center" Spacing="1">
@@ -64,10 +66,10 @@ else if (ViewModel.Track is not null)
         </MudStack>
 
         <div class="deepdrft-track-detail-cover">
-            @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(track.ImagePath))
+            @if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(release?.ImagePath))
             {
                 <MudPaper Elevation="2" Class="deepdrft-track-detail-cover-art"
-                          Style="@($"background-image: url('api/image/{Uri.EscapeDataString(track.ImagePath)}');")" />
+                          Style="@($"background-image: url('api/image/{Uri.EscapeDataString(release.ImagePath)}');")" />
             }
             else
             {
@@ -82,31 +84,31 @@ else if (ViewModel.Track is not null)
             <MudDivider />
 
             <div class="deepdrft-track-detail-meta">
-                @if (track.Album is not null)
+                @if (release?.Title is not null)
                 {
                     <div>
                         <MudText Typo="Typo.overline">Album</MudText>
-                        <MudText Typo="Typo.body1">@track.Album</MudText>
+                        <MudText Typo="Typo.body1">@release.Title</MudText>
                     </div>
                 }
 
-                @if (track.Genre is not null)
+                @if (release?.Genre is not null)
                 {
                     <div>
                         <MudChip T="string"
                                  Variant="Variant.Outlined"
                                  Color="Color.Tertiary"
                                  Class="deepdrft-genre-chip">
-                            @track.Genre
+                            @release.Genre
                         </MudChip>
                     </div>
                 }
 
-                @if (track.ReleaseDate is not null)
+                @if (release?.ReleaseDate is not null)
                 {
                     <div>
                         <MudText Typo="Typo.overline">Released</MudText>
-                        <MudText Typo="Typo.body1">@track.ReleaseDate.Value.ToString("MMMM yyyy")</MudText>
+                        <MudText Typo="Typo.body1">@release.ReleaseDate.Value.ToString("MMMM yyyy")</MudText>
                     </div>
                 }
             </div>

DeepDrftPublic.Client/Services/ITrackDataService.cs

@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ public interface ITrackDataService
         string? album = null,
         string? genre = null);
 
-    /// <summary>Distinct non-null albums with track counts and a representative cover key.</summary>
-    Task<ApiResult<List<AlbumSummaryDto>>> GetAlbums();
+    /// <summary>All releases with track counts, title-ascending.</summary>
+    Task<ApiResult<List<ReleaseDto>>> GetAlbums();
 
     /// <summary>Distinct non-null genres with track counts.</summary>
     Task<ApiResult<List<GenreSummaryDto>>> GetGenres();

DeepDrftPublic.Client/Services/TrackClientDataService.cs

@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ public class TrackClientDataService : ITrackDataService
         string? genre = null)
         => _trackClient.GetPage(pageNumber, pageSize, sortColumn, sortDescending, searchText, album, genre);
 
-    public Task<ApiResult<List<AlbumSummaryDto>>> GetAlbums()
+    public Task<ApiResult<List<ReleaseDto>>> GetAlbums()
         => _trackClient.GetAlbums();
 
     public Task<ApiResult<List<GenreSummaryDto>>> GetGenres()

DeepDrftTests/TrackFilterQueryTests.cs

@@ -10,15 +10,18 @@ using Models.Common;
 namespace DeepDrftTests;
 
 /// <summary>
-/// Query-shape tests for the Phase 2.2/2.3 filter and distinct-browse repository methods.
+/// Query-shape tests for the filter and distinct-browse repository methods, updated for the
+/// Phase 8 §8.0 normalized schema: release-cardinal data (Artist, Album→Title, Genre, ImagePath)
+/// lives on <see cref="ReleaseEntity"/>, reached through the nullable Release navigation. Tracks
+/// link via <c>ReleaseId</c>; loose tracks have a null release.
 ///
 /// Provider note: these run on the EF in-memory provider, which executes LINQ in process. That
-/// covers exact-match equality, null passthrough, GroupBy/Count, and ordering — every predicate
-/// in <see cref="TrackRepository.GetPagedFilteredAsync"/> except the free-text branch. That branch
-/// uses <c>EF.Functions.ILike</c>, an Npgsql-only relational function with no in-memory translation,
-/// so the SearchText case is a Postgres integration test gated on a DSN (see SearchText_*). It is
-/// ignored when no test database is configured rather than asserted against a provider that never
-/// runs the predicate.
+/// covers exact-match equality through the navigation, null passthrough, GroupBy/Count, and
+/// ordering — every predicate in <see cref="TrackRepository.GetPagedFilteredAsync"/> except the
+/// free-text branch. That branch uses <c>EF.Functions.ILike</c>, an Npgsql-only relational
+/// function with no in-memory translation, so the SearchText case is a Postgres integration test
+/// gated on a DSN (see SearchText_*). It is ignored when no test database is configured rather
+/// than asserted against a provider that never runs the predicate.
 /// </summary>
 [TestFixture]
 public class TrackFilterQueryTests
@@ -43,16 +46,23 @@ public class TrackFilterQueryTests
     private TrackRepository CreateRepository()
         => new(_context, NullLogger<Repository<DeepDrftContext, TrackEntity>>.Instance);
 
-    private static TrackEntity Track(
-        string name, string artist, string? album = null, string? genre = null, string? image = null)
+    private static ReleaseEntity Release(
+        string title, string artist, string? genre = null, string? image = null)
+        => new()
+        {
+            Title = title,
+            Artist = artist,
+            Genre = genre,
+            ImagePath = image,
+        };
+
+    // A track linked to the given release (or loose when release is null).
+    private static TrackEntity Track(string name, ReleaseEntity? release = null)
         => new()
         {
             EntryKey = Guid.NewGuid().ToString("N"),
             TrackName = name,
-            Artist = artist,
-            Album = album,
-            Genre = genre,
-            ImagePath = image,
+            Release = release,
         };
 
     private async Task SeedAsync(params TrackEntity[] tracks)
@@ -64,16 +74,18 @@ public class TrackFilterQueryTests
     private static PagingParameters<TrackEntity> DefaultPaging()
         => new() { Page = 1, PageSize = 20, OrderBy = t => t.Id, IsDescending = false };
 
-    // Case 2 — exact album match: returns only rows whose Album equals the filter value, and
-    // TotalCount reflects the filtered set, not the table.
+    // Case 2 — exact album match: returns only rows whose linked release Title equals the filter
+    // value, and TotalCount reflects the filtered set, not the table.
     [Test]
     public async Task GetPagedFilteredAsync_WithExactAlbum_ReturnsOnlyThatAlbum()
     {
+        var blue = Release("Blue", "A");
+        var red = Release("Red", "C");
         await SeedAsync(
-            Track("One", "A", album: "Blue"),
-            Track("Two", "B", album: "Blue"),
-            Track("Three", "C", album: "Red"),
-            Track("Four", "D", album: null));
+            Track("One", blue),
+            Track("Two", blue),
+            Track("Three", red),
+            Track("Four"));
 
         var repo = CreateRepository();
         var result = await repo.GetPagedFilteredAsync(DefaultPaging(), new TrackFilter { Album = "Blue" });
@@ -82,14 +94,14 @@ public class TrackFilterQueryTests
         Assert.That(result.Items.Select(t => t.TrackName), Is.EquivalentTo(new[] { "One", "Two" }));
     }
 
-    // Case 2b — exact genre match composes the same way as album.
+    // Case 2b — exact genre match composes the same way as album, through the release join.
     [Test]
     public async Task GetPagedFilteredAsync_WithExactGenre_ReturnsOnlyThatGenre()
     {
         await SeedAsync(
-            Track("One", "A", genre: "Techno"),
-            Track("Two", "B", genre: "House"),
-            Track("Three", "C", genre: "Techno"));
+            Track("One", Release("A1", "A", genre: "Techno")),
+            Track("Two", Release("A2", "B", genre: "House")),
+            Track("Three", Release("A3", "C", genre: "Techno")));
 
         var repo = CreateRepository();
         var result = await repo.GetPagedFilteredAsync(DefaultPaging(), new TrackFilter { Genre = "Techno" });
@@ -103,9 +115,9 @@ public class TrackFilterQueryTests
     public async Task GetPagedFilteredAsync_WithNullFilter_MatchesUnfilteredPagedQuery()
     {
         await SeedAsync(
-            Track("One", "A", album: "Blue"),
-            Track("Two", "B", album: "Red"),
-            Track("Three", "C"));
+            Track("One", Release("Blue", "A")),
+            Track("Two", Release("Red", "B")),
+            Track("Three"));
 
         var repo = CreateRepository();
         var baseline = await repo.GetPagedAsync(DefaultPaging());
@@ -117,56 +129,98 @@ public class TrackFilterQueryTests
             Is.EqualTo(baseline.Items.Select(t => t.Id)).AsCollection);
     }
 
-    // Case 4 — distinct albums: excludes null-album rows, counts per group, and takes the cover from
-    // the first track in the group that has a non-null ImagePath. Ordered by album ascending.
+    // Case 4 — releases: returns every non-deleted release, title-ascending. Replaces the old
+    // distinct-albums grouping; one row per release rather than per distinct album string.
     [Test]
-    public async Task GetDistinctAlbumsAsync_GroupsCountsAndPicksCover()
+    public async Task GetReleasesAsync_ReturnsAllReleasesTitleAscending()
     {
         await SeedAsync(
-            Track("One", "A", album: "Zephyr", image: null),
-            Track("Two", "A", album: "Zephyr", image: "cover-z"),
-            Track("Three", "B", album: "Aria", image: "cover-a"),
-            Track("Four", "C", album: null, image: "ignored"));
+            Track("One", Release("Zephyr", "A", image: "cover-z")),
+            Track("Two", Release("Aria", "B", image: "cover-a")),
+            Track("Three"));
 
         var repo = CreateRepository();
-        var albums = await repo.GetDistinctAlbumsAsync();
+        var releases = await repo.GetReleasesAsync();
 
-        Assert.That(albums.Select(a => a.Album), Is.EqualTo(new[] { "Aria", "Zephyr" }).AsCollection,
-            "albums sort ascending and the null-album track is excluded");
-
-        var zephyr = albums.Single(a => a.Album == "Zephyr");
-        Assert.That(zephyr.TrackCount, Is.EqualTo(2));
-        Assert.That(zephyr.CoverImageKey, Is.EqualTo("cover-z"),
-            "cover is the first non-null ImagePath in the group");
-
-        var aria = albums.Single(a => a.Album == "Aria");
-        Assert.That(aria.TrackCount, Is.EqualTo(1));
-        Assert.That(aria.CoverImageKey, Is.EqualTo("cover-a"));
+        Assert.That(releases.Select(r => r.Title), Is.EqualTo(new[] { "Aria", "Zephyr" }).AsCollection,
+            "releases sort by title ascending; the loose track contributes none");
+        Assert.That(releases.Single(r => r.Title == "Zephyr").ImagePath, Is.EqualTo("cover-z"));
+        Assert.That(releases.Single(r => r.Title == "Aria").ImagePath, Is.EqualTo("cover-a"));
     }
 
-    // Case 5 — distinct genres: excludes null-genre rows, counts per group, ordered genre ascending.
+    // Case 4b — per-release track counts: keyed by ReleaseId, counting only non-deleted tracks.
+    // Loose tracks (null ReleaseId) contribute no entry. Backs ReleaseDto.TrackCount.
+    [Test]
+    public async Task GetTrackCountsByReleaseAsync_CountsTracksPerRelease()
+    {
+        var zephyr = Release("Zephyr", "A");
+        var aria = Release("Aria", "B");
+        await SeedAsync(
+            Track("One", zephyr),
+            Track("Two", zephyr),
+            Track("Three", aria),
+            Track("Four"));
+
+        var repo = CreateRepository();
+        var counts = await repo.GetTrackCountsByReleaseAsync();
+
+        Assert.That(counts[zephyr.Id], Is.EqualTo(2));
+        Assert.That(counts[aria.Id], Is.EqualTo(1));
+        Assert.That(counts.Count, Is.EqualTo(2), "the loose track contributes no release key");
+    }
+
+    // Case 5 — distinct genres: sourced from the release join, excludes releases with null genre,
+    // counts tracks per genre, ordered genre ascending.
     [Test]
     public async Task GetDistinctGenresAsync_GroupsCountsAndExcludesNull()
     {
         await SeedAsync(
-            Track("One", "A", genre: "Techno"),
-            Track("Two", "B", genre: "Ambient"),
-            Track("Three", "C", genre: "Techno"),
-            Track("Four", "D", genre: null));
+            Track("One", Release("A1", "A", genre: "Techno")),
+            Track("Two", Release("A2", "B", genre: "Ambient")),
+            Track("Three", Release("A3", "C", genre: "Techno")),
+            Track("Four", Release("A4", "D")));
 
         var repo = CreateRepository();
         var genres = await repo.GetDistinctGenresAsync();
 
         Assert.That(genres.Select(g => g.Genre), Is.EqualTo(new[] { "Ambient", "Techno" }).AsCollection,
-            "genres sort ascending and the null-genre track is excluded");
+            "genres sort ascending and the null-genre release is excluded");
         Assert.That(genres.Single(g => g.Genre == "Techno").TrackCount, Is.EqualTo(2));
         Assert.That(genres.Single(g => g.Genre == "Ambient").TrackCount, Is.EqualTo(1));
     }
 
-    // Case 1 — free-text search across TrackName/Artist/Album, case-insensitive. EF.Functions.ILike
-    // is Npgsql-only and does not translate on the in-memory provider, so this runs only against a
-    // real Postgres database supplied via the DEEPDRFT_TEST_PG environment variable. Without it the
-    // test is ignored rather than asserted against a provider that cannot execute the predicate.
+    // Case 6 — find-or-create resolution: an existing (title, artist) returns the stored row, no
+    // duplicate insert. Exercises the natural-key lookup that backs the upload FK resolution.
+    [Test]
+    public async Task GetReleaseByTitleAndArtistAsync_ReturnsExistingMatch()
+    {
+        var blue = Release("Blue", "Artist A");
+        await SeedAsync(Track("One", blue));
+
+        var repo = CreateRepository();
+        var found = await repo.GetReleaseByTitleAndArtistAsync("Blue", "Artist A");
+
+        Assert.That(found, Is.Not.Null);
+        Assert.That(found!.Id, Is.EqualTo(blue.Id));
+    }
+
+    // Case 6b — no match returns null so the manager creates a fresh release.
+    [Test]
+    public async Task GetReleaseByTitleAndArtistAsync_ReturnsNullWhenNoMatch()
+    {
+        await SeedAsync(Track("One", Release("Blue", "Artist A")));
+
+        var repo = CreateRepository();
+        var found = await repo.GetReleaseByTitleAndArtistAsync("Red", "Artist A");
+
+        Assert.That(found, Is.Null);
+    }
+
+    // Case 1 — free-text search across TrackName plus the joined release Artist/Title,
+    // case-insensitive. EF.Functions.ILike is Npgsql-only and does not translate on the in-memory
+    // provider, so this runs only against a real Postgres database supplied via the
+    // DEEPDRFT_TEST_PG environment variable. Without it the test is ignored rather than asserted
+    // against a provider that cannot execute the predicate.
     [Test]
     public async Task GetPagedFilteredAsync_WithSearchText_MatchesNameArtistOrAlbumCaseInsensitive()
     {
@@ -183,10 +237,10 @@ public class TrackFilterQueryTests
         try
         {
             pg.Tracks.AddRange(
-                Track("Jazz Odyssey", "Spinal Tap", album: "Smell the Glove"),
-                Track("Quiet Storm", "jazzmin", album: "Nightfall"),
-                Track("Loud Noises", "Brick", album: "All JAZZ Hands"),
-                Track("Unrelated", "Nobody", album: "Silence"));
+                Track("Jazz Odyssey", Release("Smell the Glove", "Spinal Tap")),
+                Track("Quiet Storm", Release("Nightfall", "jazzmin")),
+                Track("Loud Noises", Release("All JAZZ Hands", "Brick")),
+                Track("Unrelated", Release("Silence", "Nobody")));
             await pg.SaveChangesAsync();
 
             var repo = new TrackRepository(
@@ -195,7 +249,7 @@ public class TrackFilterQueryTests
 
             Assert.That(result.Items.Select(t => t.TrackName),
                 Is.EquivalentTo(new[] { "Jazz Odyssey", "Quiet Storm", "Loud Noises" }),
-                "ILike matches 'jazz' case-insensitively in TrackName, Artist, or Album");
+                "ILike matches 'jazz' case-insensitively in TrackName, release Artist, or release Title");
         }
         finally
         {