It seems that the term METADATA refers to very difficult things, technologically speaking, but it is much simpler than you imagine. Knowing what it contains and filling it out correctly is important for your promotion or launch.
When I started working in the industry, specifically in distribution, I began to know, or rather hear, a lot of new terms that I obviously did not understand, suddenly my talks or conversations revolved around codes, formats, files, etc. and it was a little frustrating not to know, because it depended on it that my work would go well, that it would be completed in a timely manner.
One of these terms is the famous METADATA, which is basically everything to start a distribution process. Once I knew what metadata is and started talking to artists, it was very curious to find out that they are not very clear about the term and its characteristics.
Within my experience in the field of distribution and in the handling of this data I want to mention that it is very important for three reasons:
It involves royalty payments.
It avoids delays in the releases.
A lot depends on this to get the music to the right audience.
So today I will tell you what metadata is and what it contains and make your distribution process easier, whether you manage it yourself or give it to the distributor.
WHAT IS METADATA?
It is all the information that accompanies a piece of music or video for the purpose of marketing or promotion. This information will allow the material to be identified, classified and processed correctly on digital platforms. It is like the birth certificate of a song.
WHAT INFORMATION IS CONTAINED IN THE METADATA?
It should be noted that not all distributors request the same information and that the order in which it is uploaded to the platforms is not the same, but it is not superfluous to have this information at hand, as it will be useful later on.
We could divide the metadata in three sections:
GENERAL COMPOSER INFORMATION
● Name of the artist/band.
● Name of the composers and their contribution (music/lyrics).
● Composer editor.
GENERAL MUSIC INFORMATION
● Name of the single/album.
● ISRC code.
● UPC code.
● Single language(s).
● Release date.
● Record label.
● Artist of the single, guest artists.
● Explicit content or Parental advisory.
● Studio or live version.
● Type of composition.
● Genre.
● Subgenre.
● Similar.
● Territory.
AUDIOVISUAL INFORMATION
Cover.
Song.
If you are going to start distributing your music and you are collecting this data, I advise you to take the necessary time and do it as calmly as possible, because as I said before this will influence that there are no delays in the release date, that it is being shown to the right ears and above all, it will avoid leaks in the income, as well as the correct payment of royalties.
SOME OBSERVATIONS:
Take care that your cover contains only your artist name and the name of your single or otherwise none. If the store in its inspection detects any phrase, word or names different from those entered in the system, it is very likely to be returned and you will be asked to correct that issue.
Check the spelling when uploading it to the system, if there is any error and we need to correct it, we risk that it will be fixed quickly or it will take longer than expected and that could delay the launch date. Remember that if we are doing a migration the metadata should not be changed during the process, the necessary changes can be made or requested once finished, we leave you the article of change of distributor so that you can consult more information about it.
Start your distribution process at least 5 weeks before the release date you chose, because if the stores find any problem with the data, the cover or the song, you will have time to solve it and avoid delays.
If you have any doubts or questions regarding what I told you in this blog or want to know more about our free music distribution services, contact us through indiefy.net or in our FAQ section, we will be glad to help you.
See you in the future!
