Audio Metadata Made Easy!
By Dana White of Specialized Mastering
You've probably seen song titles show up on your car stereo when you play a CD... and you've seen them in iTunes, and even on the radio.
How did they get there? What is this “meta-data”? What else goes in there?
The term meta-data essentially refers to all of the title, informational and non-musical content on your music recordings.
With the CD Audio format it is possible to include:
Album
Artist
Song
ISRC codes
UPC/EAN barcode
This information is added by your engineer during the mastering of a CD. It is helpful to be prepared in advance to ensure you have correct spellings and codes in time for the session.
With MP-3 and similar types of audio files, it is also possible for them to contain:
Album
Artist
Song
ISRC code
Composer
Genre
Lyrics
Artwork
Comments
ISRC codes are a great way to log spins on radio, and help prove ownership of a song, as well as keep track of songs that have multiple versions that go out for licensing, or on compilations, etc.
Having complete meta-data, helps your fans keep track of your music, helps potential fans and search engines find your songs, and enriches the digital music experience. While no replacement for an LP gatefold, use of meta-data is par for the modern game of digital music distribution.
Happy recording!
Dana
“Today’s Solution for High-Quality Audio Mastering”, in Portland, OR and Boston, MA.
