Understanding Music Metadata: The Invisible Data That Gets You Paid

TL;DR

Music metadata includes ISRC codes, ISWC codes, songwriter credits, genre tags, and dozens of other data points. Incorrect or missing metadata means unmatched royalties — billions sit unclaimed globally because the data that connects songs to songwriters is wrong.

What Music Metadata Actually Is

Metadata is the information about your music that exists alongside the audio itself. It includes obvious things — song title, artist name, album name, genre — and less obvious but equally important things: ISRC codes (unique identifiers for each recording), ISWC codes (unique identifiers for each composition), songwriter and producer credits, publisher information, and dozens of technical specifications.

This data is the plumbing of the music industry. When Spotify plays your track, metadata determines who gets paid. When a radio station broadcasts your song, metadata connects it to your PRS membership. When a sync supervisor searches for tracks, metadata determines whether your music appears in their results.

Bad metadata doesn't just affect discoverability — it directly impacts your income. An estimated $2.5 billion in royalties globally sits in 'black boxes' — pools of money that can't be distributed because the metadata connecting recordings to rights holders is incomplete or incorrect.

The Essential Metadata Checklist

Before you release any track, ensure the following metadata is complete and accurate.

ISRC Code: a 12-character code that uniquely identifies your recording. Your distributor typically assigns this, but you can register your own through PPL or an ISRC manager. Every distinct recording — including remixes and live versions — needs its own ISRC.

Songwriter Credits: every person who contributed to the composition (melody, lyrics, harmony) should be credited by their full legal name and IPI/CAE number (their identifier with their collection society). Missing credits mean missing royalties.

Producer Credits: increasingly important for both royalty collection and discoverability. Spotify and Apple Music both surface producer information, and proper credits can lead to algorithmic connections between an artist and a producer's other work.

Genre and Subgenre Tags: these affect algorithmic categorisation. Choose tags that accurately reflect your music. Tagging a drill track as 'jazz' for novelty will confuse the algorithm and reduce your discoverability.

Release Date: affects algorithmic processing. Release on Fridays (the global new music day) for maximum editorial and algorithmic consideration.

Common Metadata Mistakes That Cost You Money

Inconsistent artist names are the most common and most damaging metadata error. If you release one track as 'DJ Smith,' another as 'dj smith,' and another as 'DJ Smith (UK),' streaming platforms may treat these as three different artists — splitting your listeners, streams, and algorithmic profile.

Missing songwriter splits lead to uncollectable royalties. If a song is co-written and the splits aren't registered with PRS (or your country's equivalent), the composition royalties may be partially or entirely uncollectable. Register splits before release, not after.

Incorrect ISRC codes cause streams to be misattributed. If two different recordings share an ISRC (which should never happen but occasionally does through distributor errors), royalties get tangled. Always verify your ISRC assignments.

Missing featured artist credits affect both discoverability and royalty splits. If your track features another artist, their name needs to be in the metadata in the correct format (typically 'Artist A feat. Artist B') for streams to be correctly attributed to both artist profiles.

Tools for Managing Your Metadata

Your distributor's dashboard is your primary metadata management tool. DistroKid, TuneCore, AWAL, and others all provide fields for comprehensive metadata entry. Take the time to fill in every field accurately — it's the least creative but most financially important part of releasing music.

Songtrust and Sentric Music are publishing administration services that help manage composition metadata globally. They register your works with collection societies worldwide and chase unmatched royalties. For independent artists without a publisher, these services fill a critical gap.

Credit management tools like Auddly and Sessions allow collaborative credit tracking — everyone involved in a session can log their contributions in real time, reducing the risk of credits being forgotten or disputed later.

Spotify for Artists, Apple Music for Artists, and Amazon Music for Artists all provide dashboards where you can verify and update some metadata directly. Check these regularly to ensure your profile and track information is accurate.

The unsexy truth is that metadata management is admin work. It's not creative, it's not exciting, and it's easy to skip. But the artists who treat their metadata seriously are the ones who get paid fully for their work. Every minute spent on metadata accuracy is money in your future pocket.