Metadata for Musicians workshop at the Future of Music Policy Summit, October 27-28, 2014 in Washington, DC. These are the slides from the first workshop on Monday, October 27, when we talked about the data-related steps for preparing music for release.

1. Metadata for musicians
Monday: setting up a release
Click here for
Table of contents
Presented at
Future of Music Policy Summit
October 27-28, 2014 | Washington, DC

2. In the studio
Studio and recording session details
Composer/songwriter details
Recording artist details
Session player details
Song data tracking sheet
Preparation for mastering
What mastering engineer will need
IRSC codes
UPC barcodes
Mastering dashboard
US IRSC
Agreements, licenses
ISWC codes
Prepare for release
Bio/one sheet
Submit works to PRO
Type out lyrics
Artwork and album credits
SoundScan, Mediabase, BDS
Gracenote instructions
BMI dashboard
SoundScan title reg Mediabase BDS
SX dashboardSoundExchange
GS1
CD Baby
ISRC + barcodes
ASCAP ACE
SX data
Submit bio/info to Rovi Rovi instructions
Register your copyrights US Copyright Office
Data, artwork, music to aggregator
*
Data aggregators need
Music Biz Metadata Standards Guide
Naxos release pages
Data list CubeTriangle Schema
Click on any title below to go to that slide

3. In the studio
STUDIO AND RECORDING SESSION DETAILS
Studio name(s)
Date(s) of recording session
Location (city, country) of recording studio(s)
Personnel working on the session
Executive producer
Producer
Engineer(s)
Arranger
Conductor
Remixer
Mixing
Mastering
Do any producers have deal points?
Table of contents

4. In the studio
COMPOSER/SONGWRITER DETAILS FOR EACH TRACK
Names of songwriters/composers
What they wrote (music, beats, lyrics)
What % of credit they get for their contribution (aka splits)
Name of each songwriter’s publishing company
Which PRO they belong to (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, other)
Table of contents

5. In the studio
RECORDING ARTIST DETAILS FOR EACH TRACK
Names of featured artists/performers
What they performed or instrument they played
What % of credit they get for their contribution (aka splits)
Table of contents

6. In the studio
SESSION PLAYER/FREELANCERS FOR EACH TRACK
Names of any session players/session vocalists/freelancers
What they performed or instrument they played
Whether they belong to a union (AFM or SAG-AFTRA),
and their membership #
Whether this recording session is a union session
Table of contents

7. In the studio
LICENSES, PERMISSIONS and AGREEMENTS
Did you record any covers?
Did you use any samples?
Various agreements
• Intra-band agreement that spells out creator splits
• Producer agreement
• Side artists’ agreements
Table of contents

8. Song data tracking workbook
from Music Business Toolbox
This template and related
pre-release checklists will be
available in early 2015.
Table of contents

9. Preparation for mastering
ISRC codes for each track
UPC barcode for the assembled product
Mastering engineer will need text-based data:
Album title
Song titles
Performers
Mastering engineer would also like to have:
Table of contents

10. Sample mastering dashboard Table of contents

11. ISRC codes
Set of numbers that identify a unique sound recording
Become a registrant at US ISRC http://usisrc.org
Get ISRCs assigned for free/nominal cost from
your aggregator.
US Z10 14 12345
Country Company
prefix
Year Unique digits
or
If you are on an indie label, your label will generate
the ISRC codes using their prefix number.
Table of contents

12. http://usisrc.org Table of contents

13. How to get ISRCs from CD Baby (video tutorial) Table of contents

14. UPC barcodes
Set of numbers that identify a packaged collection of music
84501 97432
Become a registrant at GS1 http://www.gs1us.org/
Get UPC barcode assigned for free/nominal cost from your
aggregator (CD Baby, TuneCore, Ditto, DistroKid, etc).
or
If you are on an indie label, your label will generate
the barcode.
Table of contents

15. http://www.gs1us.org/ Table of contents

16. ISRC and UPC
Mastering engineer can embed the ISRC on each track
Add your tracks’ ISRCs to your song tracking
workbook. You’ll need to enter them in other places
Mastering engineer can also embed UPC barcode
Both ISRC and UPC are now required for iTunes store,
and many other digital platforms
Add your project’s UPC barcode to your song
tracking workbook. You’ll reference it again
Table of contents

17. ISWC codes
Set of numbers that identify a composition
T-070.076.790-3
Assigned by your PRO (ASCAP, BMI or SESAC) when
you upload your repertoire
Keep track of your ISWCs with your other data
“Hotel California” by Don Felder, Glenn Frey, Don Henley
Table of contents

18. ASCAP ACE search Table of contents

19. Prepare for release
If applicable, type out your lyrics
• For artwork
• For your website
Album artwork
• Album name
• Song titles
• Writer credits
(including PRO and publisher)
• Performer credits, including any
session players or freelancers
• Recording studio name, location,
date, personnel
P
• For lyric videos
• Can be submitted via your
publisher to lyric sites
• Record label (even if it’s yourself)
• Copyright notice © and
• UPC barcode image
• Other credits: photographer,
illustrator, etc.
• If relevant, timed length of songs
Table of contents

20. Prepare for release
Write your bio/one sheet
• Album name
• Song titles
• UPC barcode on one sheet
Submit your song track data to Gracenote
• Free to do
• Submission process via iTunes software on your computer
• Delivers album and track data to services
Table of contents

21. http://www.gracenote.com/company/faq/owner/ Table of contents

22. Prepare for release
Submit your sound recording information to SoundExchange
• Free to do
• SoundExchange has an online interface and a repertoire template
• Tracks digital performances on Sirius XM, Pandora, any webcast
stations
Composers/songwriters: submit your musical
compositions to your PRO
• Register your new titles with ASCAP, BMI or SESAC
• Free to do if you are already a PRO writer/publisher member
• Your PRO will automatically assign ISWC codes to your new titles
Table of contents

23. BMI works registration Table of contents

24. http://register.soundexchange.com/welcome Table of contents

25. Prepare for release
What SoundExchange needs
• Artist
• Track title
• Album title
• Record label
• % of the Featured Artist
Performance Royalty that you
claim (aka, your split)
• Do you own the master sound
recording of this track? Y/N
Improve music identification
by also including:
• ISRC for each track
• Album UPC
• Release date
• Recording location
• Distributor
(if different from label name)
• Publisher
Table of contents
Alternate spellings? Different languages? Talk to SoundExchange

26. Prepare for release
Submit your release information to Nielsen SoundScan
• Free to do
• Online form
• SoundScan tracks retail sales, including downloads from iTunes,
Amazon, CD Baby, Bandcamp, and streams
Submit your release information to Mediabase
(owned by Clear Channel) and Nielsen BDS
• Free to do
• Online forms available for both Mediabase and BDS
• Both services track commercial radio airplay
Table of contents

27. http://titlereg.soundscan.com/soundscantitlereg/ Table of contents

28. http://www.musicinfosystems.com/faq/ Table of contents

29. Search for “Nielsen BDS how to submit music” Table of contents

30. Prepare for release
Submit your bio and data to Rovi for All Music Guide
• Free to do
• Need to mail a CD + bio
• Powers the bios you see on iTunes, Pandora. AMG is very selective.
Acceptance by Rovi/AMG is not guaranteed
Register your works with the US Copyright Office
• Under US law, copyright is automatically granted when you create
the original work or “fix” it to a medium, like tape or hard drive
• Use Form SR or Form PA to establish a public record of creation
• Official registration provides creators with more legal protections
in event of infringement
Table of contents

31. http://www.allmusic.com/product-submissions Table of contents

32. http://copyright.gov/eco/ Table of contents

33. Prepare for release
Data, artwork and music delivered to your aggregator
• Give yourself enough time to do this right
• Fill in as many descriptive fields as possible to increase searchability
and proper attribution
• Spellcheck everything!
• Use consistent spelling, capitalizations (Music Biz has a cool guide)
Your aggregator will deliver to dozens of digital retail
stores, streaming services, and discovery platforms.
Bandcamp + your own website + social media
• Populate your other platforms with the same data, artwork and music
Table of contents

34. Prepare for release
What data aggregators need
• Artist name
• Album title
• Song titles
• Are any of the songs covers?
• Names of songwriters
• Label name (even if it’s your name)
• Catalog number (if applicable)
• ISRC for each track, or have them assigned by aggregator
• UPC barcode for album, or purchase one from aggregator
• Release date
• Genre, secondary genre
• Artist location
Table of contents

35. Metadata Level Data Field
Track Parental Advisory
Track Composition Ownership Type
Track Artist Name
Track Songwriter
Track Publisher
Track ISRC
Track Extended Tracks
Track Album-Only Tracks
Track Track Pricing
N = 31
Album = 22
Track = 9
http://www.cdbaby.com
Table of contents

36. SONG
http://www.cdbaby.com
Table of contents

37. Consider a Data Cube
- 6 sides
- 12 dimensions
Genre
Track Title
Mood
Publisher
ISRC
Songwriter
Artist Sounds Like
Sub-Genre
Artist Location
Release Date
Label
http://www.cdbaby.com
Table of contents

38. Star Data Schema
http://www.cdbaby.com
Table of contents

39. http://musicbiz.org/knowledge/whitepapers/ Table of contents

40. http://www.naxos.com Table of contents

41. #FMC14http://www.naxos.com

42. #FMC14http://www.naxos.com

43. #FMC14http://www.naxos.com

44. #FMC14
DVO ÁK, A.: Requiem 8.572874-75
www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572874-75
Requiem, Op. 89
CD 1: Part I
[1] Introitus: Requiem aeternam – Kyrie
Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Te decet hymnus Deus in Sion,
et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem:
exaudi orationem meam,
ad te omnis caro veniet.
Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
[2] Graduale
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
In memoria aeterna erit justus:
ab auditione mala non timebit.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine.
Sequentia
[3] Dies irae
Dies irae, dies illa,
solvet saeclum in favilla,
teste David cum Sybilla.
Quantus tremor est futurus,
quando judex est venturus
cuncta stricte discussurus!
[4] Tuba mirum
Tuba mirum spargens sonum,
CD 1: Part I
[1] Introit: Requiem aeternam – Kyrie
Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
A hymn, O God, is fitting for you in Sion
and a vow shall be paid to you in Jerusalem:
hear my prayer,
to you all flesh shall come.
Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
[2] Gradual
Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
The just will be remembered for ever:
he will not fear from evil report.
Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord.
Sequence
[3] Dies irae
Day of wrath, that dreadful day,
the world will melt in ashes
as David and the Sybil foretold.
What trembling there will be
when the judge shall come
dealing strictly with everything.
[4] Tuba mirum
The trumpet scattering wonderful sound
http://www.naxos.com

45. Takeaways from Monday
Ultimately, it is the artists’ responsibility to document
creators and contributions
Be consistent with spelling, diligent with data entry
Metadata is the text and numbers that uniquely describe
and identify your music
Presented at
Future of Music Policy Summit
October 27-28, 2014 | Washington, DC Table of contents
Metadata is increasingly important. It underlies
discoverability, proper attribution and payment across an
increasing number of platforms