Digital music distribution is a great opportunity to show your creation to the world instantly. However, it also involves technical details that can cost an artist their career if mistakes are made. This is especially true regarding track labeling, not just music distribution.
Tagging links an artist’s income, the artists themselves, and their listeners. As explained by The Verge, the misuse of metadata by distributors has led to fraudulent uploads on platforms like Spotify, diverting royalties away from legitimate artists and highlighting the critical importance of accurate metadata in music distribution. Therefore, to thrive in the music industry, you must understand all the key points related to track labeling.
What Is Track Tagging, And Why Is It Necessary?
The music industry is teeming with numbers, and metadata plays more than a formal role. It is the foundation upon which the entire digital music distribution process is built. Tagging determines how a track is downloaded and searched for and even how royalties are calculated. It includes information about authors, performers, release dates, genres, ISRC codes, titles, etc. This helps different systems identify music correctly.
For example, Spotify and YouTube Music use similar data to recommend to users. They rely on metadata to display releases correctly, pay royalties, and increase streams. The entire promotion chain will fail if there is a single error in the information. That’s why companies offering music distribution services rely on metadata.
Metadata Errors: Consequences For Artists And Labels
Incorrect track labeling can have disastrous consequences for an artist’s career. This can, for example, affect the revenue distribution system. For example, distributors’ misuse of metadata can lead to fraudulent downloads by other users. In such cases, the fraudster receives the revenue, not the real, legitimate artist. Independent artists who have not legally protected their rights are particularly vulnerable in such cases.
Lost Streams And Revenue: How Chain Disruptions Affect Monetization
Every track with errors in its metadata or labeling can result in lost revenue. System failures decrease plays and, consequently, payments. Funds will either not be credited to the artist or mistakenly credited to other artists.
Various platforms that offer music distribution services do not recalculate data manually. Instead, they use automatic algorithms that cannot distinguish between human error and fraud. As a result, artists receive lower royalties, disputes arise between artists, and the partnership between the platform and the artist is disrupted.
Therefore, correctly label your releases when working with distributors such as MusicAlligator, Tune Core, etc. Mistakes can be critical for artists, so the platform must take responsibility for errors. After all, the number of plays and the artist’s monetization depend on it.
How To Label Your Releases Correctly: Tips For Independent Musicians
To avoid empty streams, deleted tracks, and unpaid royalties, independent artists most often do the following:
- write down all the names of co-authors and performers without errors so that they match the official data;
- indicate the exact name of the track and album without unnecessary symbols;
- select a unique ISRC code for each track;
- design covers that meet the requirements of the music distributor and do not violate copyright;
- select the correct genre and subgenre;
- As in previous releases, check and fill in all the necessary fields in the special form on the music distribution platform.
This helps artists save time and nerves and retain their audience. That is why artists most often use ready-made platforms that offer convenient tools to support correct labelings, such as MusicAlligator or CD Baby.