Abstract: A multi-stack optical data storage medium (20) for rewritable recording using a focused radiation beam (30), entering through an entrance face (25) is described. The medium (20) has a substrate (1a, 1b) and an L0 recording stack (2) and an L1 recording stack (3) both comprising a phase-change type L0 and L1 recording layer and the recording stacks are separated by a transparent spacer layer (4). The L0 recording stack (2) is present at a position closest to the entrance face (25) and has an optical transmission of TL0a and TL0c when the phase-change layer respectively is in the amorphous phase and in the crystalline phase. The medium (20) contains pre-recorded information modulated in at least one of: an embossed pregroove (21) in the substrate (1a, 1b), embossed pits in the substrate and recorded phase-change marks in at least one of the recording layers L0 and L1 (6, 11).