diff --git a/src/views/CatalogArtist.svelte b/src/views/CatalogArtist.svelte
index 0a2d6ed..ac404c9 100644
--- a/src/views/CatalogArtist.svelte
+++ b/src/views/CatalogArtist.svelte
@@ -3415,6 +3415,22 @@
         {/if}
         <p class="hint">{catalog.error || "Artist not found."}</p>
     {:else}
+        <!-- Loading status, OUT of the document flow on purpose.
+             In flow it cost ~32px above the action row, so the play button
+             visibly jumped up the moment the page finished resolving. Absolute
+             inside .artist-page (already position:relative, so this adds no new
+             containing block) means it can appear and vanish without moving a
+             single pixel of content. It must NOT live in .fade-flow with the
+             rest of the body: that carries a transform and sits inside the
+             clipped .fade-frame, which would both re-anchor and mask it. -->
+        {#if page.art_preview}
+            <div class="stage-pill" role="status" aria-live="polite">
+                <span class="ring" aria-hidden="true"></span>
+                {page.albums.length || popularTracks.length
+                    ? "Refining release details"
+                    : "Loading songs and releases"}
+            </div>
+        {/if}
         <!-- ROUND 12, "three layers" (the user's own model, mocked and
              approved as research/artist-header-scroll/v12-three-layers.html
              build 5). Content on top (z 3) → the page background SHEET with
@@ -3784,12 +3800,6 @@
         <div class="fade-flow">
         {#if page.partial_error}
             <p class="resolving error">{page.partial_error}</p>
-        {:else if page.art_preview}
-            <p class="resolving stage-status"><span class="pulse">●</span>
-                {page.albums.length || popularTracks.length
-                    ? "Refining release details…"
-                    : "Loading songs and releases…"}
-            </p>
         {/if}
 
         {#if page.art_preview && !popularTracks.length && !page.albums.length}
@@ -6249,8 +6259,63 @@
         contain-intrinsic-size: auto 360px;
     }
 
-    .stage-status {
-        min-height: 20px;
+    /* Transient load status, pinned to the pane's top-right and out of flow.
+       It shares the top band with the sticky .results-head (z-index 40), which
+       is why this has to clear 40 rather than merely clearing .scrollbody's 3 —
+       at any lower value the bar paints straight over it and the pill is
+       invisible with no other symptom. */
+    .stage-pill {
+        position: absolute;
+        top: 16px;
+        right: 20px;
+        z-index: 41;
+        display: inline-flex;
+        align-items: center;
+        gap: 9px;
+        height: 30px;
+        padding: 0 14px;
+        border-radius: 15px;
+        background: rgba(14, 14, 16, 0.72);
+        border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1);
+        box-shadow: 0 6px 22px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);
+        backdrop-filter: blur(14px);
+        color: var(--text-secondary);
+        font-size: 12px;
+        font-weight: 500;
+        white-space: nowrap;
+        pointer-events: none;
+        animation: stage-pill-in 180ms ease-out;
+    }
+
+    .stage-pill .ring {
+        width: 11px;
+        height: 11px;
+        border-radius: 50%;
+        border: 2px solid var(--accent);
+        border-right-color: transparent;
+        animation: stage-pill-spin 0.9s linear infinite;
+    }
+
+    @keyframes stage-pill-spin {
+        to {
+            transform: rotate(360deg);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @keyframes stage-pill-in {
+        from {
+            opacity: 0;
+            transform: translateY(-4px);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /* The spinner is decoration; honour a reduced-motion preference by holding
+       it still rather than removing the only signal that work is happening. */
+    @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+        .stage-pill,
+        .stage-pill .ring {
+            animation: none;
+        }
     }
 
     .catalog-skeleton {