Glossary / Release

Industry terms

Metadata

Metadata is the information attached to a release: title, artist names, credits, language, genre, release date and codes like the ISRC and UPC.

Also called: music metadata, release metadata, track metadata

By Aulto · Last reviewed

Why does metadata matter so much?

Streaming services use it to show, search, recommend and pay. A misspelt artist name can send a song to the wrong profile, and a missing credit can mean a songwriter isn't paid.

What gets missed most often?

Featured artists written into the title instead of the artist field, the wrong language, and inconsistent spellings across releases. For Indian regional releases, the language and script fields decide which listeners and playlists the song reaches.

Can you fix it after release?

Often yes, through your distributor, but some changes create a new listing. It's much easier to get it right before you upload.

Example

A Kannada single tagged as Hindi by mistake can miss Kannada playlists and searches until the language field is corrected.

  • Music distributor

    A music distributor delivers your releases to streaming services and stores, and collects the money they earn from plays and sales.

  • ISRC

    An ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) is a 12-character code that identifies one specific recording, so its plays and sales can be tracked and paid.

  • UPC

    A UPC is the barcode number that identifies a whole release (a single, EP or album), while each track on it has its own ISRC.

  • DSP

    DSP (digital service provider) is the industry's name for streaming services and digital stores, like Spotify, JioSaavn, Apple Music and YouTube Music.

  • Cover art

    Cover art is the square image that represents a release on every streaming service, store and smart link page.

  • Drop

    A drop is a release that goes out at a set moment, like a new song, a merch line or a product, announced ahead so people show up at once.

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