[ ] Canonical band names and trivial changes

What's the rule on band names that undergo "trivial" changes (for some definition of trivial), in terms of which name is canonical?

Examples:
* Arc Angel released two albums as "Arc Angel" and one as "ArcAngel".
* White Heart released most albums as "White Heart" and at least one (maybe two) as "WhiteHeart".
* Apollo 440 released several albums as "Apollo Four Forty".

All these are cases where I'd pick one name and make the other an alias, but which one should be the canonical name? The one used on the earliest release? The most frequently-used one?

I recently brought up the issue of spaces too, and the answer was to go with spaces in the primary band name, eg. Arc Angel, White Heart, No Means No, Boy Sets Fire. The idea being that putting standard spaces in there simplifies the band name (along similar lines to dropping the 'The' or omitting punctuation):
[www.bandtoband.com] http://www.bandtoband.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11605

If you look hard enough you might find exceptions to that, but maybe not clear cut ones. For example, sometimes bands will split their name across two lines in their logo, but otherwise they'll always write their band name as one word.


For trivial changes where neither spelling could be said to be simpler than the other, we just go with the first spelling used. Looks like they were Apollo 440 on the first single, so that becomes primary name:
[www.discogs.com] https://www.discogs.com/Apollo-440-Destiny/release/49634

Heh, I suspect your "split across lines" example is referring to AdrianGale. I probably would have chosen to render that with no spaces. After all, plenty of typographic work splits words across multiple lines when doing artistic layout, but just because something is laid out as

PRO
JECT
TWO

Doesn't mean it's "PRO JECT TWO" instead of "PROJECT TWO". It might be, or it might not; must use other context. That said, I don't feel so violently that I'm going to ask for the band to be renamed to AdrianGale. I can live with it how it is.

I like the rule of "go with the first one used" on things like Apollo 440. I kinda wish we'd do that for the spaces thing too, but I can see why adding spaces seems like a "simplification". So I can live with that too.

Thanks for clarifying. Mark, any interest in adding these details to the formal rules page?