I recently listened to an excellent webinar presentation on the role of metadata in collecting royalties. It was hosted by World Fusion Music Productions (https://wfmpllc.com), and featured Keith Kirk, founder of Motif Music (motifmusic.io).  I thought this would be a good topic to create a blog post about because I often get clients seeking to get expected royalties on music they have created but never received. If you are an independent musical artist, songwriter or label, the metadata for your music is fundamental to your financial success.

For anyone new to the term metadata, it is the basic information about a song. It provides the information that will ensure that the right people get royalties for the right song. Typically the basic information in a metadata file is the title of the song, the artist’s name, the label, the duration of the song, and the release date. Some metadata provide even more information.

As was discussed during the webinar, the most important aspect about the use of metadata by any musician, songwriter or label is its accuracy and completeness. This determines how smoothly royalties are disbursed.  If the information is inaccurate (including typos), or incomplete, it can lead to delays or even forfeiture if not timely claimed. Metadata that is unable to be disbursed goes into a collective “black box” with other undisbursed royalties, and after approximately a few years is likely unretrievable. If you have royalties that are due to you that you have not received, I strongly urge you to contact a music administration publishing company that can assist you in tracking down where your royalties may be, and if you can still make a claim. Do not delay.

#metadata #musicindustry #royalties #music #musicpublishing