Music metadata is the structured information that identifies a recording and release, credits the people behind it, records rights details, and tells distributors and streaming services how the music should appear. Before release, you need accurate titles, artist names, contributor roles, identifiers, rights information, classifications, artwork, and release settings.
This guide covers the music metadata checklist to prepare and the technical details to verify before distribution.
What Is Music Metadata?
Music metadata is information about a song, recording, release, artist, contributors, rights, and related identifiers. It acts as a structured digital record that helps platforms distinguish one recording, musical work, or release from another.
The main types include:
- Descriptive Data: Track and release titles, primary and featured artists, release date, track number, genre, and language.
- Ownership and Rights Data: Songwriters, publishers, rights owners, publishing splits, and copyright information.
- Technical Data: Duration, audio file format, sample rate, and bit depth.
- Identifiers: Codes such as ISRC (International Standard Recording Code), UPC (Universal Product Code), ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code), ISNI (International Standard Name Identifier) and IPI (Interested Party Information) that let different systems match the same recording, song, release, or person.
Why Does Music Metadata Matter for Artists?
Music metadata for independent artists is especially important because they may need to provide their own credits, rights information, identifiers, and release details.
Accurate metadata helps with:
- Getting Paid Correctly: Rights and contributor data help royalty systems match musical works, recordings, and rightsholders. Metadata supports this process but does not replace registrations, licenses, or ownership agreements.
- Discoverability: Artist names, genre, mood, and other descriptive metadata help services organize music and help listeners find it.
- Avoiding Delays or Rejections: Incorrect names, credits, explicit flags, artwork, or other delivery data may require corrections through the distributor.
- Sync Licensing: Clear songwriter, publisher, and recording-owner information makes it easier for music supervisors to work out who to contact. Metadata itself doesn't grant permission to use the music.
Music Metadata Checklist: What Information Do You Need?
If you are determining what metadata is needed for a music release, start by separating the information into track details, identifiers, contributor credits, and rights data.
The main information to prepare includes:
* Core Track Information: Prepare the exact track and release information before distribution:
- Track title and release title (single, EP, or album)
- Version type, such as remix, live, acoustic, radio edit, or instrumental
- Primary and featured artist names
- Release date and track order
- Genre and language
- Lyrics information
- Explicit or clean status
* Unique Industry Codes: Keep the identifiers that apply to your recording, musical work, and release together:
- ISRC: For each sound recording
- UPC/GTIN: For the release or product where applicable
- ISWC: For the musical work if one has already been assigned
- IPI: For relevant songwriters, publishers, or other interested parties
- ISNI: a 16-digit code defined by ISO 27729 that identifies the public identity of a creator or organization involved in creative work.
* Credits and Rights Ownership: Keep contributor and ownership information together so you can check it before distribution:
- Legal and stage names
- Contributor roles
- Publisher details
- PRO or collecting-society affiliations
- Publishing splits
- Master-recording ownership
- Copyright notices
- Licenses for any covers or samples
Music Metadata Checklist for a Music Release
Use this music release metadata checklist as a master reference. Individual distributors may use different field names or request additional data.
| Metadata Category | What to Include | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Artist & Release Information | Primary artist, featured artists, track and release titles, version details, label if applicable | Controls how names and titles appear and which artist profile the music lands on |
| Contributor Credits | Songwriters, composers, lyricists, producers, remixers, mixers, mastering engineers, performers | Supports correct public crediting and more complete contributor records. |
| Rights & Ownership | Sound-recording owner, P-Line, C-Line where required, publishers, PRO/society data, agreed splits, licensing information | Keeps recording rights, copyright notices, and composition-related rights information separate. |
| Track & Release Identifiers | ISRC, UPC/GTIN or another release identifier, ISWC if assigned, and relevant IPI information | Distinguishes recordings, musical works, rightsholders, and products. |
| Release Details | Release date, original release date for re-releases, track order, release type, territories | Tells the distributor how and when the release should be delivered. |
| Classification | Primary genre, supported subgenre or mood, language, explicit flag, plus BPM or key where used | Helps categorize the release without adding unrelated classifications simply for visibility. |
| Artwork & Assets | Final cover art, mastered audio, lyrics where supported, plus clean, instrumental, or alternate versions when delivered | Ensures the metadata describes the same assets being distributed. |
- An ISRC identifies a specific sound recording. It contains 12 alphanumeric characters, divided into a prefix code, year of reference, and designation code. A materially changed recording, including a different mix or edit, normally requires a new ISRC.
- A UPC is commonly represented as a GTIN-12, a 12-digit product identifier widely used in North America. An ISWC identifies the musical work and begins with “T,” followed by a nine-digit number and check digit.
- CISAC's Interested Party Information (IPI) system identifies people or legal entities with an interest in a work, such as composers, arrangers, or publishers.
How Does Music Metadata Appear on Streaming Platforms?
Music metadata appears on streaming platforms as the names, titles, credits, and rights details attached to a release, so each field is worth entering carefully.
Artist and Release Information
Artist names, track titles, release titles, artwork, release dates, and featured-artist relationships form the visible identity of a release.
To keep this information consistent:
- Enter each artist in their own field rather than combining names
- Keep spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and abbreviations identical across releases
- Assign the correct artist role at both the track and release level
- Link the release to your existing Spotify and Apple Music artist profiles when you deliver it
If a distributor can’t match your existing profile, the release can land on another artist’s page with the same name or create a duplicate profile. In LANDR, you can select your existing profile in the Primary Artist field or paste your Spotify and Apple Music profile URLs. A first release creates a new profile automatically.
Track Titles and Credits
Track titles should describe the track, while contributor information belongs in dedicated credit and artist-role fields. Artist roles affect both credits and how music appears on an artist profile.
Check three areas:
- Accurate Titles: Use the actual title plus valid version information, like "Acoustic" or "Radio Edit," without adding artist names, producer tags, or extra text such as "Official Audio."
- Featured Artists: Add collaborators through the featured-artist field instead of typing them into the title.
- Explicit Content: Use the explicit flag when the content calls for it, rather than adding an "E" or "Explicit" to the title.
Songwriter and Contributor Information
Contributor metadata identifies the people and roles behind the recording and composition.
For publishing and contributor records, keep the following information separate and accurate:
- Legal names and public artist names
- Relevant identifiers, such as IPI
- Songwriter and composer roles
- Performer and producer roles
- Remixer and featured-artist roles
Copyright and Rights Information
Rights information should distinguish the musical work from the sound recording. Music and lyrics form the underlying musical work, while the recorded performance is a separate sound recording.
DDEX (Digital Data Exchange) defines standards for exchanging music metadata between companies such as labels, distributors, publishers, and streaming services. Its copyright notices include:
- ℗ Line (P-Line): Names the owner of the sound-recording copyright, usually alongside the year the recording was first released.
- © Line (C-Line): Names the copyright owner of the release itself, usually covering the artwork, packaging, and other non-recording material, alongside a year. Composition ownership goes in the songwriter and publisher fields. Distributors label this field differently, so check how yours describes it before you fill it in.
How to Prepare Music Metadata Before Release
Preparing music metadata before release involves creating one master metadata sheet, confirming contributor details, verifying identifiers, checking the final audio and artwork, and reviewing the complete release before distribution.
Create One Master Metadata Sheet
You can use one spreadsheet or database as the source of truth for your metadata.
Useful fields include:
- Basic Track Info: Song title, version or mix name, release title, track number, release date, language, explicit status
- Identifiers: ISRC, UPC/GTIN, ISWC if assigned, plus relevant IPI or ISNI information
- Contributor Credits: Public artist names, legal names, and exact roles
- Rights & PRO Data: Publishers, PRO or society affiliation, publishing splits, P-Line/C-Line information, licensing notes
- Descriptive Tags: Primary genre, supported subgenre or mood, BPM, and musical key where useful
Confirm Names and Credits With Contributors
Confirm your contributor information before uploading the release. Public names, legal names, exact roles, identifiers, and agreed splits should be checked with the people involved.
The final confirmation should cover spelling and punctuation, primary versus featured artist roles, non-performing credits, and written agreement on ownership or publishing splits where applicable.
Verify Your Identifiers
Match every identifier to the object it actually identifies.
- ISRC: Identifies the specific sound recording.
- UPC/GTIN: Identifies the release or product where the distributor uses it.
- ISWC: Identifies the underlying musical work.
- IPI: Identifies an interested party within the CISAC rights-information system.
- ISNI: May be used as an identity reference for a creator, but it does not replace the music-specific identifiers above.
Check Metadata Against Final Audio and Artwork
Compare your master metadata sheet directly with the files you plan to distribute. Confirm the track title, version label, artist spelling, explicit status, track order, ISRC, lyrics, and artwork.
Artwork:- Spotify artwork: Square, between 640 and 10,000 pixels on each side
- Apple Music artwork: Square, at least 4,000 × 4,000 pixels
- LANDR artwork: Square JPG or PNG, from 1,500 × 1,500 to 6,000 × 6,000 pixels
Store specs can change, so check current guidelines before final delivery. Any text on the cover should match your metadata.
Audio:- LANDR audio: WAV, FLAC, AIFF, or LANDR Mastered Files, from 16-bit/44.1 kHz up to 24-bit/192 kHz
If your release is headed to Apple Music through LANDR, a square image between 4,000 and 6,000 pixels meets all three of these artwork requirements. Text on the cover should also match your metadata.
Review Everything Before Distribution
Review your release as one complete package, and lock your metadata before submitting it. Changes after release go back through your distributor and can take days to appear on every store. Your final review should cover:
- Territory rights and release timing
- Original release date for re-releases
- Contributor information and identifiers
- Genre and language
- Artwork and final audio
- Lyrics
- Required cover-song or sample licensing
Common Music Metadata Mistakes to Avoid
Some of the common metadata mistakes come down to small inconsistencies, missing details, or information placed in the wrong field.
Watch for:- Typos and Naming Inconsistency: Different spelling, punctuation, or capitalization can create catalog and profile problems.
- Incorrect Featured Artist Formatting: Use artist-role fields rather than inserting collaborators into the main title.
- Wrong or Missing ISRC Codes: Keep the code for the same unchanged recording, but assign a new one when the recording changes materially.
- Incomplete Credits: Missing writers, producers, engineers, or performers can result in incomplete public credits and rights records.
- Artwork and Text Mismatches: Artwork and metadata should identify the same release and follow current delivery specifications.
- Choosing the Wrong Genre: Pick the primary genre that best describes the music, and add only the subgenres or moods the track actually fits. A genre chosen for visibility rather than accuracy misdescribes the release to stores and listeners.
- Mixing Rights Layers: Master ownership, composition ownership, P-Lines, C-Lines, publishing splits, and contributor credits describe different things.
Move From Final Metadata to Distribution With Yamaha Creator Pass
Once your music metadata checklist is complete, the next step is getting the release out. Yamaha Creator Growth and Pro Pass include LANDR distribution to 150+ stores, including Spotify and Apple Music, and you keep 100% of your royalties. LANDR also generates ISRC and UPC codes for your release at no additional cost, and you can enter an existing ISRC if you already have one.
Start a 7-day free trial of Yamaha Creator Pass and get your next release ready. LANDR distribution becomes available once your paid subscription starts.Frequently Asked Questions
What metadata is needed to release a song?
A song release commonly needs a track title, artist names, contributor credits, release date, genre, language, explicit status, rights information, artwork, an ISRC for the recording, and a UPC for the release. Distributors may also ask for territories, lyrics, ownership details, and other release-level information.
What is an ISRC and why is it important?
An ISRC gives a recording its own permanent identifier, so platforms and royalty systems can match activity to the right recording. It matters because it helps avoid ambiguity between recordings and simplifies rights management across different formats and distribution channels.
What is the difference between ISRC and UPC?
An ISRC identifies a specific sound recording, while a UPC commonly identifies the overall release or product. A release with several tracks can therefore have one release-level UPC while each distinct recording has its own ISRC.
Do independent artists need to provide music metadata?
Independent artists usually provide their own music metadata, since there's no label handling it for them. That typically includes titles, artist information, credits, identifiers, rights details, release settings, and artwork, plus anything else the distributor requires. Many distributors can generate identifiers like ISRCs and UPCs on your behalf.
Does every music distributor require the same metadata?
Not exactly. Core information such as titles, artist names, and identifiers overlaps across distributors, but supported credit types, audio formats, artwork specs, territories, lyrics, and optional fields can vary. Check your distributor's current requirements before you upload.
