Argh, I just noticed that Songbird also force-writes ID3v1 and will re-write all v2 tags as v2.4 instead of preserving the current version.

Yeah, this program is never going to be at the level of iTunes. The developers just don't have the design skills nor the forethought. With the plugins it will be better, but it's still like 1000 monkeys at 1000 typewriters.

The program is much more of a web browser than it is a music manager. Using XUL is one thing, simply making a UI within what is essentially a web browser, is something else. Totally unimpressed for the number of years this has been in development and the money and people put into it.