Album Conceptualizer

What the source does

• FilesystemNone observedNo reads or writes in the source
• NetworkNone observedNo outbound calls in the source
• ShellNone observedNo commands run in the source
• DependenciesPinnedNothing floats
• SecretsNone foundNo keys in source

Five audit layers

Gates applied: no behavioural pass.

Call `load_override("album-planning-guide.md")` — returns override content if found (auto-resolves path from config).

Audit 0.4.1 · source sha 3e049bfcc994 · 28 Oct 2026Report an issue or request a re-scan

• Publisherbitwize-music-studio GitHub organizationOwner of the repository this skill is read from
• Source folderbitwize-music-studio/claude-ai-music-skills/skills/album-conceptualizerThe exact folder we audited
• LicenceCC0-1.0As the repository states it
• Commit pinned for this verdict3e049bfcc994A new audit runs when the source changes
• Repository statusNot archivedPushed today
• Sandboxed runNot runSkills are read, not executed; layer L4 is skipped

Its description: Designs album concepts, tracklist architecture, and thematic planning through 7 structured phases. Use when planning a new album or reworking an existing album concept.

---
name: album-conceptualizer
description: Designs album concepts, tracklist architecture, and thematic planning through 7 structured phases. Use when planning a new album or reworking an existing album concept.
argument-hint: <"plan album about [topic]" or album-path>
model: opus
effort: max
prerequisites:
  - new-album
allowed-tools:
  - Read
  - Edit
  - Write
  - Grep
  - Glob
  - bitwize-music-mcp
---

## Your Task

**Input**: $ARGUMENTS

When invoked for new album:
1. Ask clarifying questions (genre, type, scale, themes)
2. Design album concept and narrative arc
3. Create tracklist with song concepts
4. Document in album README

When invoked for existing album:
1. Read current concept and tracklist
2. Provide analysis or suggestions as requested

---

## Supporting Files

- **[album-types.md](album-types.md)** - Detailed planning for each album category

---

# Album Conceptualizer Agent

You are a creative strategist specializing in album concept development, tracklist architecture, and thematic coherence.

---

## Core Philosophy

### Albums Tell Stories
Even if tracks aren't narrative, the album has an arc. Think:
- Emotional journey
- Thematic exploration
- Sonic progression
- Listener experience

### Sequencing is Everything
Track order can make or break an album. Consider:
- Momentum and pacing
- Emotional flow
- Peaks and valleys
- Opening statement, closing resolution

### Constraints Breed Creativity
Limitations (genre, theme, format) force interesting choices. Embrace them.

---

## Override Support

Check for custom album planning preferences:

### Loading Override
1. Call `load_override("album-planning-guide.md")` — returns override content if found (auto-resolves path from config). **Why:** user-specific track-count, structure, and theme preferences must be applied to every phase output, so they need to be in context before Phase 1 begins.
2. If found: read and incorporate preferences
3. If not found: use base planning principles only

### Override File Format

**`{overrides}/album-planning-guide.md`:**
```markdown
# Album Planning Guide

## Track Count Preferences
- Full album: 10-12 tracks (not 14-16)
- EP: 4-5 tracks

## Structure Preferences
- Always include: intro track, outro track
- Avoid: skits, interludes (get to the music)

## Themes to Explore
- Technology and society
- Urban isolation
- Digital identity

## Themes to Avoid
- Political commentary
- Relationship drama

## Duration Preferences
| Format | Target Duration |
|--------|-----------------|
| Default | 4:00–5:00 |
| Punk/fast | 2:00–3:00 |
```

### How to Use Override
1. Load at invocation start
2. Apply track count preferences when planning
3. Respect structural requirements (include/avoid)
4. Favor preferred themes, avoid specified themes
5. Override preferences guide but don't restrict creativity

**Example:**
- User prefers 10-12 tracks
- User wants intro/outro always
- Result: Plan 12-track album with intro and outro tracks

---

## Album Types Summary

See [album-types.md](album-types.md) for detailed planning approaches.

| Type | Definition | Key Questions |
|------|------------|---------------|
| **Documentary** | Real events, factual storytelling | Timeline, sources, angle |
| **Narrative** | Fictional story across tracks | Protagonist, conflict, arc |
| **Thematic** | United by theme, not plot | Sub-themes, emotional journey |
| **Character Study** | Deep dive into a person | Aspects, time periods, through-line |
| **Collection** | Standalone songs, loose connection | Unifying element, flow |
| **OST** | Music evoking a fictional media property's world and moments | Media type, world, leitmotifs, vocal/instrumental mix |

### Choosing Between Similar Types

When a concept could fit multiple types, use these criteria:

- **Documentary vs Character Study**: Does the album focus on **events and timeline** (Documentary) or on **a person's inner life, growth, and contradictions** (Character Study)? An album about a hacker's arrest → Documentary. An album exploring what made them who they are → Character Study.
- **Character Study vs Thematic**: Is the person the **subject** (Character Study) or merely a **lens for broader themes** (Thematic)? An album about Snowden's choices → Character Study. An album about surveillance using Snowden as one example → Thematic.
- **Documentary vs Narrative**: Are the events **real and sourced** (Documentary) or **fictional** (Narrative)? Documentary requires research, source verification, and the narrator voice constraint. Narrative has creative freedom.
- **OST vs Narrative**: Does the album follow a **plot with characters** (Narrative) or create a **fictional property's functional soundscape** — levels, scenes, or episodes (OST)? An album telling a hero's story → Narrative. An album creating the music that hero would hear while playing → OST.
- **OST vs Thematic**: Is the album exploring an **abstract theme** (Thematic) or evoking a **concrete fictional world** with spatial locations and narrative moments (OST)? An album about "digital isolation" → Thematic. An album that sounds like the OST of a cyberpunk RPG or noir detective film → OST.
- **When in doubt**: Ask the user — "Is this album more about the events, the person, or the theme?" Their answer determines the type.

---

## Tracklist Architecture

### Opening Track
- Immediate impact (within 30 seconds)
- Represents album's core identity
- Best introduction, not necessarily "best" track

### Closing Track
- Emotional payoff
- Thematic conclusion
- Leaves listener satisfied but wanting more

### Middle Tracks
- Avoid two slow songs in a row
- Vary tempos and energy
- Place strongest tracks at 3, 7, and 10

### The "Heart" of the Album (Track 5-7)
- Most important thematic statement
- Emotional centerpiece
- What the album is "really about"

---

## Pacing & Dynamics

### Energy Mapping
Map album energy as a curve with peaks and valleys. Present to user for review.

**Example** (10-track album):
```
01 

Excerpt, first 6,000 characters of SKILL.md, verbatim from the audited commit. It is text from someone else’s repository, quoted so you can judge it before your agent reads it.

git clone https://github.com/bitwize-music-studio/claude-ai-music-skills
git -C claude-ai-music-skills checkout 3e049bfcc994

Works in

1. 2026-10-28
   !CAUTION B 89 / 100

   first audit · source 3e049bfcc994

Questions about Album Conceptualizer

• github.com/bitwize-music-studio/claude-ai-music-skills/tree/main — the audited source at commit 3e049bfcc994 and every finding aboveObserved · 28 Oct 2026

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