Metadata is the information attached to your music: who made it, who owns it, what it is called and how to identify it. It is how streaming services display your release, how collecting societies pay royalties, and how credits reach the right people. Bad metadata means lost money.
Codes
- ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) - a unique code for each recording. Each version of a track - main, clean, remix, instrumental - needs its own. Distributors often issue ISRCs for you; you can also get them through your national ISRC agency.
- UPC/EAN - a barcode number for the release as a whole (the single, EP or album). Usually supplied by the distributor.
- ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code) - identifies the composition, assigned through your PRO when the song is registered.
Keep a record of every code. Use the same ISRC wherever that recording appears - on streaming, in radio submissions, in sync licences.
Release metadata
- Release title and type (single, EP, album).
- Primary artist and featured artists - spelled exactly the same everywhere.
- Release date and original release date.
- Label name.
- Genre and subgenre.
- Copyright lines - ℗ (the recording) and © (the artwork and packaging).
- Explicit content flags.
Track metadata
- Track title and version (e.g. "Radio Edit", "Extended Mix").
- ISRC.
- Writers and composers, with their PRO and publisher.
- Producers, mixers and mastering engineers.
- Performers, including session musicians.
- Lyrics, if the platform supports them.
- Language and explicit flag.
Credits matter
Streaming platforms increasingly display songwriter and producer credits. Accurate credits help collaborators get recognised and hired - and help royalties reach writers, performers and producers through PROs and neighbouring-rights societies.
Splits
Before release, confirm the songwriting splits with every writer, in writing. Register the song with your PRO with the same splits. Mismatched splits between co-writers delay or block payments.
Embedded metadata
Mastered files can carry embedded metadata - title, artist, ISRC - in their tags. For CD manufacture, mastering engineers create a DDP image, which includes track order, gaps, ISRCs and CD-Text.
Style and consistency
Distributors and stores have style rules - capitalisation, how featured artists are written, no extra information in the title. Follow them or your release can be delayed or rejected.
Do this now
- Build a metadata spreadsheet for your next release with every field above.
- Get or check the ISRCs for each recording and version.
- Confirm and sign a split sheet with every co-writer.