diff --git a/backend/src/services/db.service.ts b/backend/src/services/db.service.ts
index b2f705c..f560f65 100644
--- a/backend/src/services/db.service.ts
+++ b/backend/src/services/db.service.ts
@@ -1147,9 +1147,14 @@ export class DbService {
 
   async createArtist(data: Artist): Promise<Artist> {
     const res = await this.pgClient.query(
-      `INSERT INTO artists (name, mbid, discogs_id, image_path)
-       VALUES (normalize_artist($1), $2, $3, $4) RETURNING *`,
-      [data.name, data.mbid, data.discogs_id, data.image_path]
+      // `canonical_name` is NOT NULL with no default, so omitting it fails on a
+      // fresh volume (the live DB's column predates the constraint). It holds the
+      // DISPLAY name: the raw input, not normalize_artist()'s output, which
+      // truncates on `/` and a standalone `x` ("AC/DC" -> "AC"). Matches the
+      // convention in workers' scanner.service.resolveOrCreateArtist.
+      `INSERT INTO artists (name, canonical_name, mbid, discogs_id, image_path)
+       VALUES (normalize_artist($1), $2, $3, $4, $5) RETURNING *`,
+      [data.name, data.name?.trim() || data.name, data.mbid, data.discogs_id, data.image_path]
     );
     return res.rows[0];
   }
diff --git a/workers/src/enrichment.service.ts b/workers/src/enrichment.service.ts
index e943b58..8a76d1b 100644
--- a/workers/src/enrichment.service.ts
+++ b/workers/src/enrichment.service.ts
@@ -330,14 +330,17 @@ export class EnrichmentService {
           const sortName = mbArtist.sortName || this.generateSortName(canonicalName);
 
           const newArtist = await this.pgClient.query(
-            `INSERT INTO artists (name, canonical_name, sort_name, mbid, normalized_name)
-             VALUES ($1, $2, $3, $4, $5)
+            // normalized_name is a GENERATED ALWAYS column in schema.sql
+            // (normalize_artist(name)); writing to it explicitly errors with
+            // 428C9 on any database built from schema.sql. Let Postgres derive it.
+            `INSERT INTO artists (name, canonical_name, sort_name, mbid)
+             VALUES ($1, $2, $3, $4)
              ON CONFLICT (mbid) DO UPDATE SET
                canonical_name = EXCLUDED.canonical_name,
                sort_name = EXCLUDED.sort_name,
                name = EXCLUDED.name
              RETURNING id`,
-            [rawArtistName, canonicalName, sortName, mbArtist.artistMbid, normalized]
+            [rawArtistName, canonicalName, sortName, mbArtist.artistMbid]
           );
 
           const artistId = newArtist.rows[0].id;
@@ -371,10 +374,12 @@ export class EnrichmentService {
     const sortName = this.generateSortName(rawName);
     
     const result = await this.pgClient.query(
-      `INSERT INTO artists (name, canonical_name, sort_name, normalized_name)
-       VALUES ($1, $2, $3, $4)
+      // normalized_name is GENERATED ALWAYS (normalize_artist(name)) in
+      // schema.sql — inserting it explicitly fails with 428C9. Derived by PG.
+      `INSERT INTO artists (name, canonical_name, sort_name)
+       VALUES ($1, $2, $3)
        RETURNING id`,
-      [rawName, rawName, sortName, normalized]
+      [rawName, rawName, sortName]
     );
     
     const artistId = result.rows[0].id;
diff --git a/workers/src/scanner.service.ts b/workers/src/scanner.service.ts
index 62e0bc8..2e565db 100644
--- a/workers/src/scanner.service.ts
+++ b/workers/src/scanner.service.ts
@@ -237,9 +237,17 @@ export class ScannerService {
       return { id: String(found.rows[0].id), name: String(found.rows[0].name) };
     }
 
+    // `canonical_name` is NOT NULL in schema.sql with no default, so it MUST be
+    // supplied here — omitting it makes every artist insert fail on a fresh
+    // volume (and processFile swallows the error, so the scan silently yields an
+    // empty library). It holds the DISPLAY name: we store the raw tag name, not
+    // the normalize_artist() output, because that function truncates on `/` and
+    // a standalone `x` ("AC/DC" -> "AC", "Felix Mendelssohn" -> "Feli"). The
+    // enrichment path later overwrites canonical_name with the MusicBrainz name;
+    // until then the raw tag is the most faithful display value we have.
     const inserted = await this.pgClient.query(
-      'INSERT INTO artists (name) VALUES ($1) RETURNING id, name',
-      [name]
+      'INSERT INTO artists (name, canonical_name) VALUES ($1, $2) RETURNING id, name',
+      [name, rawName.trim() || name]
     );
     return { id: String(inserted.rows[0].id), name: String(inserted.rows[0].name) };
   }