Metadata for Musicians: What It Is and Why It’s Vital

Metadata ensures your songs are ready for distribution and release. If your metadata isn’t in order, your music simply isn’t ready to share…

The information you enter as metadata allows your music to be properly stored, sorted and identified everywhere your music is available. That means platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, MuzikSafari, YouTube and even Shazam.

It makes your music discoverable.

Your music royalties are also dependent on your metadata. Without correct data attached to your music, you run the risk of not receiving the proper credit for you streams.

And that could mean losing your paycheque. Being professional with your music means being professional with your metadata. You can’t have one without the other.

Music metadata is the information included in audio files used to identify, label and present audio content.

Metadata is used by every major device and music streaming application including smartphones, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and all other major online music services.

Metadata includes information like artist, genre, label, song titles, album name and track numbers.

Like a Digital Identification Card…

Metadata began as basic info encoded directly into the files on a CD. Today it refers to any information that needs to accompany a music file on streaming services or digital stores.

Streaming platforms rely on metadata. It’s more important than ever. Without metadata your tracks would have no context—just anonymous files in the sea of data online.

Without metadata your tracks would have no context—just anonymous files in the sea of data online.

Think about it this way: the more detailed your metadata is, the easier it is to deliver your music to the right listeners.

Skimming over your metadata is like sending your music to the airport with no passport, no boarding pass, no money and no neck pillow. It’s not going to reach its destination without a lot of confusion and stress.

That’s why strict conventions for metadata are necessary for major streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.

It’s also why metadata issues can stop your release in its tracks. If the metadata is incomplete or incorrect, it won’t make the cut for digital distribution.

Metadata used to be written into a special part of the file that didn’t contain audio. That’s how metadata on CDs and other media was originally stored.

Metadata can still be included this way. You can add it to your own files using tagging tools such as like MuzikSafari.

It’s not a bad idea to include metadata directly in your WAVs/MP3s, but streaming services almost always rely on the metadata submitted by your digital distribution to identify your music.

That’s why you have to be extra careful to get it right.

When it comes to submitting metadata for streaming services, your digital distributor will take care of sending it—if you enter it for them properly.

Here’s a full list of the data you need to confirm before you can distribute your music successfully:

This list might seem excessive, but it’s worth it to enter as much of it as you possibly can.