diff --git a/web/src/app/api/artists/route.test.ts b/web/src/app/api/artists/route.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4b964be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/app/api/artists/route.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, afterEach } from "vitest";
+
+vi.mock("@/lib/musicbrainz", () => ({ browseReleaseGroups: vi.fn() }));
+import { browseReleaseGroups } from "@/lib/musicbrainz";
+import { prisma } from "@/lib/db";
+import { GET, POST } from "./route";
+
+const mockBrowse = vi.mocked(browseReleaseGroups);
+afterEach(() => mockBrowse.mockReset());
+
+function postReq(body: unknown) {
+  return new Request("http://localhost/api/artists", {
+    method: "POST",
+    headers: { "content-type": "application/json" },
+    body: JSON.stringify(body),
+  });
+}
+
+describe("artists collection API", () => {
+  it("follows an artist and persists the discography unmonitored", async () => {
+    mockBrowse.mockResolvedValue([
+      { rgMbid: "rg1", title: "Continuum", primaryType: "Album", secondaryTypes: [], firstReleaseDate: "2006-09-12" },
+      { rgMbid: "rg2", title: "Battle Studies", primaryType: "Album", secondaryTypes: [], firstReleaseDate: "2009" },
+    ]);
+    const res = await POST(postReq({ mbid: "a1", name: "John Mayer" }));
+    expect(res.status).toBe(201);
+    expect((await res.json()).releaseCount).toBe(2);
+
+    const rels = await prisma.monitoredRelease.findMany({ where: { artistMbid: "a1" } });
+    expect(rels).toHaveLength(2);
+    expect(rels.every((r) => r.monitored === false && r.state === "wanted")).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a bad body and a duplicate follow", async () => {
+    expect((await POST(postReq({ mbid: "a1" }))).status).toBe(400);
+    mockBrowse.mockResolvedValue([]);
+    expect((await POST(postReq({ mbid: "a1", name: "John Mayer" }))).status).toBe(201);
+    expect((await POST(postReq({ mbid: "a1", name: "John Mayer" }))).status).toBe(409);
+  });
+
+  it("502s when the discography fetch fails and creates nothing", async () => {
+    mockBrowse.mockRejectedValue(new Error("boom"));
+    expect((await POST(postReq({ mbid: "a9", name: "X" }))).status).toBe(502);
+    expect(await prisma.watchedArtist.findUnique({ where: { mbid: "a9" } })).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("lists followed artists with counts", async () => {
+    mockBrowse.mockResolvedValue([
+      { rgMbid: "rg1", title: "A", primaryType: "Album", secondaryTypes: [], firstReleaseDate: "2001" },
+    ]);
+    await POST(postReq({ mbid: "a1", name: "John Mayer" }));
+    // mark the one release as monitored + have, to exercise the counts
+    await prisma.monitoredRelease.updateMany({ where: { artistMbid: "a1" }, data: { monitored: true, currentQualityClass: 2 } });
+
+    const res = await GET();
+    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+    const a = (await res.json()).artists[0];
+    expect(a).toMatchObject({ mbid: "a1", name: "John Mayer", releaseCount: 1, monitoredCount: 1, haveCount: 1 });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/web/src/app/api/artists/route.ts b/web/src/app/api/artists/route.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d04fd45
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/app/api/artists/route.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+import { prisma } from "@/lib/db";
+import { browseReleaseGroups } from "@/lib/musicbrainz";
+
+export async function GET() {
+  const artists = await prisma.watchedArtist.findMany({
+    orderBy: { createdAt: "desc" },
+    include: { releases: { select: { monitored: true, currentQualityClass: true } } },
+  });
+  return Response.json({
+    artists: artists.map((a) => ({
+      id: a.id,
+      mbid: a.mbid,
+      name: a.name,
+      autoMonitorFuture: a.autoMonitorFuture,
+      releaseCount: a.releases.length,
+      monitoredCount: a.releases.filter((r) => r.monitored).length,
+      haveCount: a.releases.filter((r) => r.currentQualityClass !== null).length,
+    })),
+  });
+}
+
+export async function POST(request: Request) {
+  let body: unknown;
+  try {
+    body = await request.json();
+  } catch {
+    return Response.json({ error: "invalid JSON" }, { status: 400 });
+  }
+  const { mbid, name } = (body ?? {}) as { mbid?: unknown; name?: unknown };
+  if (typeof mbid !== "string" || !mbid.trim() || typeof name !== "string" || !name.trim()) {
+    return Response.json({ error: "mbid and name are required" }, { status: 400 });
+  }
+  if (await prisma.watchedArtist.findUnique({ where: { mbid } })) {
+    return Response.json({ error: "already following this artist" }, { status: 409 });
+  }
+
+  let releases;
+  try {
+    releases = await browseReleaseGroups(mbid);
+  } catch {
+    return Response.json({ error: "MusicBrainz unavailable" }, { status: 502 });
+  }
+
+  const artist = await prisma.watchedArtist.create({ data: { mbid, name: name.trim() } });
+  if (releases.length > 0) {
+    await prisma.monitoredRelease.createMany({
+      data: releases.map((r) => ({
+        watchedArtistId: artist.id,
+        artistMbid: mbid,
+        artistName: name.trim(),
+        rgMbid: r.rgMbid,
+        album: r.title,
+        primaryType: r.primaryType,
+        secondaryTypes: r.secondaryTypes,
+        firstReleaseDate: r.firstReleaseDate,
+        monitored: false,
+      })),
+      skipDuplicates: true,
+    });
+  }
+  return Response.json(
+    { id: artist.id, mbid: artist.mbid, name: artist.name, releaseCount: releases.length },
+    { status: 201 },
+  );
+}