Index: SQL/SQLite/schema_1_up.sql
===================================================================
--- SQL/SQLite/schema_1_up.sql	(revision 26430)
+++ SQL/SQLite/schema_1_up.sql	(working copy)
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
   titlesearch text,
   customsearch text,
   album int(10),
+  primary_artist int(10), -- lazy cache
   tracknum int(10),
   content_type varchar(255),
   timestamp int(10),
Index: Slim/Schema/Track.pm
===================================================================
--- Slim/Schema/Track.pm	(revision 26430)
+++ Slim/Schema/Track.pm	(working copy)
@@ -15,9 +15,10 @@
 use Slim::Utils::Prefs;
 
 my $prefs = preferences('server');
+my $log = logger('database.info');
 
 our @allColumns = (qw(
-	id url content_type title titlesort titlesearch album tracknum
+	id url content_type title titlesort titlesearch album primary_artist tracknum
 	timestamp filesize disc remote audio audio_size audio_offset year secs
 	cover vbr_scale bitrate samplerate samplesize channels block_alignment endian
 	bpm tagversion drm musicmagic_mixable
@@ -53,6 +54,7 @@
 	if ( !main::SLIM_SERVICE ) {
 		# setup our relationships
 		$class->belongs_to('album' => 'Slim::Schema::Album');
+		$class->might_have('primary_artist'  => 'Slim::Schema::Contributor');
 		$class->might_have('persistent'      => 'Slim::Schema::TrackPersistent' => 'track');
 		
 		$class->has_many('genreTracks'       => 'Slim::Schema::GenreTrack' => 'track');
@@ -128,14 +130,39 @@
 	return undef;
 }
 
-sub artist {
+sub artistid {
 	my $self = shift;
 	
 	return if main::SLIM_SERVICE;
+	
+	my $id = undef;
+
+	if (defined ($id = $self->get_column('primary_artist'))) {
+		main::INFOLOG && $log->info("Using cached primary artist");
+		return wantarray ? ($id, $self->primary_artist) : $id;
+	}
 
 	# Bug 3824 - check for both types, in the case that an ALBUMARTIST was set.
-	return $self->contributorsOfType('ARTIST')->single ||
-	       $self->contributorsOfType('TRACKARTIST')->single;
+	my $artist = $self->contributorsOfType('ARTIST')->single ||
+				 $self->contributorsOfType('TRACKARTIST')->single;
+
+	if ($artist) {
+		main::INFOLOG && $log->info("Caching primary artist");
+		$self->set_column('primary_artist', $id = $artist->id);
+		$self->update;
+	}
+	
+	return wantarray ? ($id, $artist) : $id;
+}
+
+sub artist {
+	my $self = shift;
+	
+	return if main::SLIM_SERVICE;
+	
+	my ($id, $artist) = $self->artistid;
+	
+	return $artist;
 }
 
 sub artists {