Day 46: Using Metadata to Enhance Your Pitch
Welcome to Day 46! Today, we’ll dive into the world of metadata and its crucial role in making your music more discoverable and appealing for sync licensing. Metadata not only helps music libraries and supervisors find your tracks, but it also provides essential context for how your music might fit specific projects.
Lesson
Metadata refers to the data embedded within your music files, which includes information like genre, mood, tempo, and keywords. It helps music supervisors, editors, and licensing platforms search and filter tracks more efficiently. Well-tagged metadata increases the chances that your music appears in searches for relevant projects, making it a powerful, often-overlooked tool in your sync strategy.
When adding metadata, aim to cover the following areas:
Genre and Sub-Genre
Be specific with genres. Instead of just labeling your track as “rock” or “pop,” consider adding sub-genre tags that reflect your music’s unique qualities, such as “indie rock,” “synth-pop,” or “orchestral folk.” Specific genres help licensing professionals quickly identify your track’s core sound and assess its suitability for a project.
Mood and Emotion
The mood of your track is one of the first things supervisors look for to match a particular scene’s tone. Describe the emotional impact of your music in a few keywords. For example, moods can range from “uplifting” and “hopeful” to “melancholic” and “intense.” Adding multiple mood descriptors can help your music appear in a wider range of searches.
Tempo and Energy Level
Indicate your track’s tempo (e.g., “slow,” “mid-tempo,” “fast”) and consider including an energy level descriptor (e.g., “high-energy,” “ambient,” “driving”). This helps supervisors gauge if your music suits a fast-paced action scene or a mellow background moment. You can also include BPM (beats per minute) for added precision, especially in genres where tempo is key.
Instrumentation and Key Sounds
Instrumentation tags help supervisors find tracks that match specific soundscapes. List the primary instruments featured in your track, like “acoustic guitar,” “synth bass,” “strings,” or “vocals.” Unique instruments or effects, like “analog synth” or “vocal harmonies,” can add an extra layer of appeal if they align with current trends or specific project needs.
Keywords for Themes and Settings
Consider using keywords that relate to the themes, settings, or situations your music evokes. These can include terms like “adventure,” “romantic,” “urban,” or “nature-inspired.” Think about the types of projects your track would fit, and choose words that connect to visual or thematic elements.
Track Description
Add a brief, one- or two-sentence description summarizing your track’s sound and purpose. This should align with your Unique Selling Point (USP) and give supervisors a sense of how your music could enhance a scene. A description helps if supervisors are scanning through many tracks quickly.
Example of a Metadata Profile
Imagine you have an indie rock track called "Echoes in the City" with a dreamy, nostalgic feel. Here’s how you might set up your metadata:
Resources to Explore
For more tips on metadata and tagging, check out the following:
Songtradr Metadata Guide: Provides insights on how metadata impacts searchability and gives practical tips for optimizing your music tags.
Soundcharts Metadata Insights: Covers the broader role of metadata in music distribution, including licensing.
Assignment
Choose one of your tracks and add a full metadata profile using the sections above. Be thorough with each detail, focusing on accurate and descriptive tags that capture your track’s sound, mood, and potential usage.
After tagging your track, test it by searching for similar keywords on a platform like Songtradr or SoundCloud. Note which tags or descriptions make similar tracks appear in your search results, and refine your metadata if needed.
That’s it for today’s lesson! Tomorrow, we’ll focus on creating a standout Electronic Press Kit (EPK) to accompany your pitches and make your music even more accessible for supervisors and licensing platforms.
Welcome to Day 46! Today, we’ll dive into the world of metadata and its crucial role in making your music more discoverable and appealing for sync licensing. Metadata not only helps music libraries and supervisors find your tracks, but it also provides essential context for how your music might fit specific projects.
Lesson
Metadata refers to the data embedded within your music files, which includes information like genre, mood, tempo, and keywords. It helps music supervisors, editors, and licensing platforms search and filter tracks more efficiently. Well-tagged metadata increases the chances that your music appears in searches for relevant projects, making it a powerful, often-overlooked tool in your sync strategy.
When adding metadata, aim to cover the following areas:
Genre and Sub-Genre
Be specific with genres. Instead of just labeling your track as “rock” or “pop,” consider adding sub-genre tags that reflect your music’s unique qualities, such as “indie rock,” “synth-pop,” or “orchestral folk.” Specific genres help licensing professionals quickly identify your track’s core sound and assess its suitability for a project.
Mood and Emotion
The mood of your track is one of the first things supervisors look for to match a particular scene’s tone. Describe the emotional impact of your music in a few keywords. For example, moods can range from “uplifting” and “hopeful” to “melancholic” and “intense.” Adding multiple mood descriptors can help your music appear in a wider range of searches.
Tempo and Energy Level
Indicate your track’s tempo (e.g., “slow,” “mid-tempo,” “fast”) and consider including an energy level descriptor (e.g., “high-energy,” “ambient,” “driving”). This helps supervisors gauge if your music suits a fast-paced action scene or a mellow background moment. You can also include BPM (beats per minute) for added precision, especially in genres where tempo is key.
Instrumentation and Key Sounds
Instrumentation tags help supervisors find tracks that match specific soundscapes. List the primary instruments featured in your track, like “acoustic guitar,” “synth bass,” “strings,” or “vocals.” Unique instruments or effects, like “analog synth” or “vocal harmonies,” can add an extra layer of appeal if they align with current trends or specific project needs.
Keywords for Themes and Settings
Consider using keywords that relate to the themes, settings, or situations your music evokes. These can include terms like “adventure,” “romantic,” “urban,” or “nature-inspired.” Think about the types of projects your track would fit, and choose words that connect to visual or thematic elements.
Track Description
Add a brief, one- or two-sentence description summarizing your track’s sound and purpose. This should align with your Unique Selling Point (USP) and give supervisors a sense of how your music could enhance a scene. A description helps if supervisors are scanning through many tracks quickly.
Example of a Metadata Profile
Imagine you have an indie rock track called "Echoes in the City" with a dreamy, nostalgic feel. Here’s how you might set up your metadata:
- Genre: Indie Rock, Dream Pop
- Mood: Nostalgic, Warm, Reflective
- Tempo: Mid-tempo (80 BPM)
- Instrumentation: Electric guitar, Synth pads, Light percussion
- Keywords: Urban, Introspective, Romantic, Late-night city scenes
- Description: A nostalgic, reflective track with soft synths and ambient guitar tones, ideal for introspective moments or urban landscapes.
Resources to Explore
For more tips on metadata and tagging, check out the following:
Songtradr Metadata Guide: Provides insights on how metadata impacts searchability and gives practical tips for optimizing your music tags.
Soundcharts Metadata Insights: Covers the broader role of metadata in music distribution, including licensing.
Assignment
Choose one of your tracks and add a full metadata profile using the sections above. Be thorough with each detail, focusing on accurate and descriptive tags that capture your track’s sound, mood, and potential usage.
After tagging your track, test it by searching for similar keywords on a platform like Songtradr or SoundCloud. Note which tags or descriptions make similar tracks appear in your search results, and refine your metadata if needed.
That’s it for today’s lesson! Tomorrow, we’ll focus on creating a standout Electronic Press Kit (EPK) to accompany your pitches and make your music even more accessible for supervisors and licensing platforms.