This post authored by FMC communications intern Olivia Brown

Metadata. Sounds like a android with irony issues. But it’s actually important to musicians and composers.

So what is it? Metadata is information that lives with every file on your computer. Through a mix of words and numbers, metadata describes files so that they can be managed by both the user and the system. In the case of a music file, metadata refers to the tags associated with a particular piece of music — such as the artist, album name, year of release, etc. These tags are definitely useful for the listener in keeping track of a digital collection. For artists, it’s about tracking for downloads and plays, which can ensure timely and accurate compensation.

Unfortunately, not all systems to organize metadata are created equal. Non-rock artists, especially jazz and classical musicians, have borne the brunt of some of the most poorly organized metadata out there. This is largely because the new business models are often developed with only popular music in mind.

If you use Spotify or other streaming services that are reliant on label or aggregator-provided metadata, chances are you’ve come across categorization mistakes or music that is hard to find due to missing information. Whether it’s a case of two artists having the same name, listing karaoke tracks under the original artists’ albums, or omitting certain crucial data altogether, the body of metadata on which these services rely can be a bit of a mess.

As we mentioned, classical music is particularly affected. This is due to inconsistencies in distinguishing between composer, performing orchestra/ensemble, or conductor in the “artist” field. Specific recordings of classical compositions — both older works and contemporary pieces — can be difficult to locate in modern music services, and when you do find them, they often don’t have all of the information that would be relevant to classical music listeners. For instance, the data will include the conductor and the orchestra but not the composer, or the composer and not the orchestra, or any combination thereof… but rarely all three.

This presents a problem for listeners looking for specific classical recordings. The frustration is even more acute for classical composers, conductors and musicians themselves. Classical music is generally recognized by composer, whereas in most other genres, songs are typically identified by their performers. Ask your average top 40 radio listener for the name of the composer of the song they’re listening to, and they most likely won’t know. Or, they’ll assume — correctly or not — that it’s performer, even if the performer doesn’t write their own songs. So you can probably see why digital music services might not see classical music as a front-burner concern.

But it should be. The current situation seems to defeat the purpose of Spotify’s much-hyped discovery tools. If, while browsing Spotify’s library, you stumble across a classical piece you particularly enjoy, there’s no easy means to find more about the composer or other aspects of the work. This limits the promotional value, to say nothing of compensating the folks who need to be compensated.

Streaming services might counter that they rely on the metadata provided by the labels and aggregators that submit recordings. This is true, but they they could also encourage labels to provide more accurate information. A standardized system — with organized categories for the composer, performer, conductor, etc. — would obviously be a great outcome, though we recognize that such systems can be tricky to implement with data coming in from various sources.

We’d also love to see songwriter information as a searchable criterion within streaming services and online music stores. Currently, when you type the name of a songwriter into iTunes, you only get results for their self-recorded work, if it exists. The same goes for Spotify. What if you’re a fan of Jimmy Webb and want to easily find, stream, or purchase songs that Webb has written for other artists? Adding this one extra bit of information to the metadata sources would help fans as well as the writers themselves. The added exposure and name recognition for what is too often an invisible role, wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Like other large collections of music-related data (global rights databases, for another example), metadata is going to be a crucial issue moving forward. It’s no small task to intake large amounts of data from an endless list of record labels, aggregators and artists, both foreign and domestic. But accurate information will be helpful for everyone in both the short and the long run. The question is, is anyone — labels and distributors, retailers, streaming services — willing to put in the effort?  

The answer may hinge on whether fans and composers step up and demand the necessary changes. Classical listeners might be a niche, but they’re an extraordinarily dedicated one. And some enterprising composers are mounting a valiant effort to gain Spotify’s attention to the issue. Let’s hope this movement builds to a crescendo.