How Proper Metadata Improves Your Music's Chances of Success
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 6:20 am
By now, you should be aware of the importance of metadata in the music industry. Not only does it help sort and identify your music among a sea of millions of songs, but inadequate metadata can be the reason your music doesn’t reach as many fans as possible. Why? Let us explain…
How Proper Metadata Improves Your Music's Chances of Success
Discoverability
Think of metadata as a sort of SEO (search engine optimization) for your music. The information you provide helps DSPs like Spotify, Apple Music, etc. better understand your music on a deeper, more specific level, which in turn helps them better recommend your music to fans who enjoy similar genres. Not only that, but imagine someone trying to phone numbers in the philippines remember the name of your song, but all they can remember is a couple of letters and maybe your artist name… if you’ve provided in-depth metadata to describe your song, their search will be easy.
Otherwise, they may never find your song… or they may never take advantage of that momentum to listen to the rest of your music. All because they didn’t find that song. That’s why accurately providing data like genre, lyrics, mood/theme tags, and more, plays a huge role in how easy or difficult it is for anyone, not just current fans, to find you on the internet. These details, among many others, ensure that your music is as discoverable as possible for both the indie masses and the big-league DSPs.
PRO TIP : When writing titles, lyrics, etc., avoid unnecessary fonts or embellishments unless absolutely necessary (for example, writing “Cash” as “C4$h”).
Best Recommendations
Speaking of big-league DSPs, have you ever wondered how platforms like Spotify recommend similar music to their listeners? It all comes down to metadata. If someone likes progressive, chill house music with a hint of groovy jazz, they might start listening to a radio-friendly song based on that track in hopes of finding a similar vibe. If your song’s metadata describes your music with similar keywords, Spotify is more likely to recommend it to that listener.
That said, if your music falls into more than one genre, list multiple! The more detailed information you can provide, the better. (As long as it's accurate, of course.
How Proper Metadata Improves Your Music's Chances of Success
Discoverability
Think of metadata as a sort of SEO (search engine optimization) for your music. The information you provide helps DSPs like Spotify, Apple Music, etc. better understand your music on a deeper, more specific level, which in turn helps them better recommend your music to fans who enjoy similar genres. Not only that, but imagine someone trying to phone numbers in the philippines remember the name of your song, but all they can remember is a couple of letters and maybe your artist name… if you’ve provided in-depth metadata to describe your song, their search will be easy.
Otherwise, they may never find your song… or they may never take advantage of that momentum to listen to the rest of your music. All because they didn’t find that song. That’s why accurately providing data like genre, lyrics, mood/theme tags, and more, plays a huge role in how easy or difficult it is for anyone, not just current fans, to find you on the internet. These details, among many others, ensure that your music is as discoverable as possible for both the indie masses and the big-league DSPs.
PRO TIP : When writing titles, lyrics, etc., avoid unnecessary fonts or embellishments unless absolutely necessary (for example, writing “Cash” as “C4$h”).
Best Recommendations
Speaking of big-league DSPs, have you ever wondered how platforms like Spotify recommend similar music to their listeners? It all comes down to metadata. If someone likes progressive, chill house music with a hint of groovy jazz, they might start listening to a radio-friendly song based on that track in hopes of finding a similar vibe. If your song’s metadata describes your music with similar keywords, Spotify is more likely to recommend it to that listener.
That said, if your music falls into more than one genre, list multiple! The more detailed information you can provide, the better. (As long as it's accurate, of course.