We added the 'Withdrawn' type in https://tickets.metabrainz.org/browse/STYLE-1885, with the intent to represent the following situation:

"A "Withdrawn" release is a release that was made available officially, but then made unavailable (for example, stopping sales) at the request of an artist or rights-holder."

The type description is explicit enough, particularly this part: "The artist (or label) also needs to consider it expunged from their discography."

However in the modern (digital) world releases are updated and replaced constantly, with new tracklists, cover art, and so on. The 'withdrawn' status seems to have fallen into the trap of perfectly fitting, at a glance, the requirement to represent these releases, and editors - including experienced editors and MeB staff - have been overwhelmingly using the 'withdrawn' status to identify updated or dead (no longer available on online services, for 'organic' reasons, like distribution rights expiring or changing) releases.

Rather than going on a campaign to try 'educate' every user in MB I propose that we update the Withdrawn release status to reflect what people use it for. Releases that are no longer available, but not "expunged" from a artist or label discography. And we add a new type for expunged releases.

I am not sure about calling the type 'expunged', I took it from the Withdrawn type description, better suggestions welcome. Expunged may be a good strong word, implying the high standard that has to be met to use this suggested release type.