Whether you’re an amateur or professional musician, consistent creation is key to a successful career. But, the more you make, the more you have to organize, manage and store. Without proper organizing, you may find your library becoming a musical mess. Thankfully, there is an easy fix to this problem: song cataloging.
What is a Song Catalog?
If you have a file folder on your desktop containing information about several songs you’ve created, then you, my friend, have a catalog. Although advanced versions may expand to spreadsheets or even software, a song catalog originates from organizing all aspects related to a collection of musical compositions, productions, or musical projects.
Cataloging saves time and improves efficiency in the event of publishing or licensing your music. With the ability to create optimal search parameters, it allows faster access to your files. There’s nothing worse than a needed file that you can’t seem to locate. Moreover, catalogs allow you to use keywords or numbers to find exactly what you need, when you need it. Lastly, an organized catalog makes it easier for publishers to assess when considering you for a publishing deal or buying your catalog because everything is already in one place.
MetaData This, MetaData That
What goes into a song catalog you may wonder? Catalogs are composed of metadata or “data that provides information about other data.” For instance, if the data was an album, then metadata might be all of the songs on the album, the writers and producers of each song, and the mixing engineer over the project. It is important to use metadata tagging so that people can discover your music and so you can earn all your royalties. Here are some examples of metadata that you should include in your song catalog:
- Song Title
- Artist Name
- All Writers Legal Names
- All Producers Legal Names
- PRO Affiliations & IPI’s
- Split % for all Writers & Producers
- Publisher Names & PRO
- ISRC
Industry-standard catalog and metadata management, as well as metadata enrichment, are just a few of the many administrative services provided by The Mezzo Agency. If you are serious about your music career, then aim to be organized! Your creative process may be frantic, but your catalog doesn’t have to be.