Implements lazy loading of artist images in search results, artist pages, and similar artist bubbles to improve performance and user experience. Updates the iTunes client to prefer explicit album versions and deduplicate albums accordingly. Adds a new API endpoint to fetch artist images, and updates frontend logic to asynchronously fetch and display images where missing.
Adds iTunes fallback to SpotifyClient for search and metadata when Spotify is not authenticated. Updates album type logic to distinguish EPs, singles, and albums more accurately. Refactors watchlist database methods to support both Spotify and iTunes artist IDs. Improves deduplication and normalization of album names from iTunes. Updates web server and frontend to use new album type logic and support both ID types. Adds artist bubble snapshot example data.
Updated get_album, get_album_tracks, and get_artist methods to return data structures compatible with Spotify's API format. This includes normalizing image arrays, artist and album fields, and adding synthetic URIs and external URLs for better interoperability.
Introduces core/itunes_client.py implementing an iTunes Search API client for music metadata, providing search and lookup for tracks, albums, and artists with rate limiting. Adds METADATA-FALLBACK-IMPLEMENTATION.md, a comprehensive guide comparing fallback strategies for music metadata, including anonymous Spotify access and iTunes, and outlines integration approaches for seamless user experience without requiring Spotify credentials.
