What is Metadata and How Can It Help You?
No one got into making music because of the love of, or even the desire to find out the meaning of, Metadata. But what is it?
Our friends at Absolute Label Services describe it brilliantly:
“In short, metadata is the DNA for your release. It’s the information connected to your release used to identify artists, writers, tracks, genres, labels and so much more. It also identifies every piece of content on the internet. 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.”
If you’ve ever done a playlist pitch through Spotify for Artists, you’ll have answered lots of questions about song mood, style, genre and instruments used on the track. Why are they asking you all of this? Again, over to Absolute:
“Digital service platforms use metadata to track trends, build playlists, and return accurate search results. Metadata is just as crucial for you as a user as it is for an artist. Metadata connects potential fans with your songs.”
So, being as descriptive and accurate as possible when uploading and pitching your releases removes another barrier to the music finding audience. It also ensures that revenue flows back to the right people at the right time so you, the artist, are fairly paid and can put that money back into making more music!
So remember, Metadata is your friend!
For more insight and advice on meta data and other digital release tips, why not check out our Digital Release Playbook here?