Marketing, Music

How To Edit Your MP3 Music Metadata

32 Comments

You’ve probably heard a lot about metadata. Metadata is “hidden” data in computer files that “tags” a file with certain identifying information. For example, you may have heard the word used in discussions in the media about metadata associated with digital recordings of phone conversations. Metadata formats are different for different types of files. This article is about music file metadata. As I have written about before, having the correct metadata associated with your music files is extremely important.

Metadata, also referred to as ID3 tag for mp3 files, is the identifying information associated with your song, such as the

  • composers
  • performers
  • song title
  • title of the album on which it was released
  • year released
  • track number
  • genre
  • album art
  • lyrics
  • producer
  • and so much more

Metadata appears in iTunes when you load up your music track – hopefully instead of the dreaded “Unknown Artist: and “Track 1”. Metadata has nothing to do with the file name of the mp3, it’s information that you need a music player or special editor to view and/or change. Metadata is important for the following reasons:

  1. You want your name to show up in the key music databases, Rovi/Allmusic and CDDB/Gracenote as associated with that track. This is important because any music professional will use those databases to check you out and verify your claim to authorship or performance credit.
  2. If you plan to license your music for use in film or TV, it’s important that the use of your song(s) can be tracked for royalties, and metadata is how that is done. Your metadata must be entered properly in the publisher’s database in order for your royalties to be paid to them and to you. You probably will be giving the publisher a wav file at some point, but mp3s are often used for pitching your song, such as for sites like MusicXRay or TAXI.
  3.  If you want to join NARAS, the Recording Academy (I wrote about the Grammy submission process as well as some of the less obvious benefits of belonging to the Academy earlier this year), you need credits on 12 released songs listed in the Allmusic database (either as a songwriter or performer).
  4. If you submit your music to a reviewer or to a terrestrial or internet radio station. Whether you are working with a PR agency or going direct, your electronic press kit should contain mp3s of your songs that have the correct metadata, including album artwork.

Once your mp3 song file is properly tagged, the song can be uploaded to either the Allmusic or CDDB music databases and will link you by name directly to those music files. I wrote a post about uploading your music metadata to the CDDB database, which is pretty easy. Uploading to Rovi/Allmusic is a bit more complicated and involves sending in a physical CD.

Music Metadata And MP3s

Music metadata can be associated with music files in two different ways:

  • it can be included in the file itself (mp3 or WMA files) or
  • it can be found in a separate file associated with the track on a CD (wav files).

An mp3 file is smaller in size and not as high quality audio file as a wav file. Production CDs are created using master wav files. The metadata on a physical CD is placed there by whomever produces, engineers, or masters your CD. Unless you are the engineer, you will probably not create or edit the metadata associated with the wav files on a CD. (When you rip a CD to your computer using iTunes or some other tool, it knows how to copy the metadata with the wav file and put it in the right place in an mp3file when you convert it).

Mp3 files, however, because they are smaller, are often used to submit songs to reviewers, radio stations, or contests. This article will deal with adding or correcting the metadata in your mp3 file, not your wav file.

Album Art

A quick note about album art. Your album art will need to be formatted as a square image, .jpeg file format, and in at least a 300 x 300 dpi resolution. Some other common formats are 340 x 340, 375 by 375, or even 600 x 600 format. Make sure your artwork is properly sized before editing your metadata. If you are submitting the file to a reviewer or radio station, check what size image they require.

Using Windows Explorere, iTunes Or GooglePlay To Edit Your Metadata

Using A Free Metadata Editor Such As MP3TagEditor

There are also several free mp3 tag editors you can download to edit your extended metadata. Mp3tag is one Windows based metadata editor that supports a large number of audio formats; these include MP3, WMA, AAC, OGG, FLAC, MP4 (M4a/M4b), and more.

Mp3tag can not only edit all of the fields mentioned above, but also allows you to edit extended metadata such as producer, engineer, lyrics and more.

I found several videos on YouTube on how to use Mp3tag, and the one I embedded below is one is one of the better ones because it shows the drop and drag capability of Mp3tag for bringing in the mp3 file and also the album art. (Drop and drag is much faster and easier than trying to use the application icons.) You simply drag the mp3 file into the main windows, edit the song title and other data, and then drag the album art in to the box below. This video also goes on to show how to edit lyrics as well. Note that to save the metadata, you simply click the File Save icon or choose File -> Save from the drop down menu. It saves the metadata inside the original mp3 file without renaming the file.

WARNING: you may want to turn down (or off) the music track that accompanies the video tutorial, as there is no narration:

More Free Metadata Tag Editors

There are 10 additional free mp3 tag editors in this list compiled by JoJo Yee of Gizmos Freeware. There is also a list of five free mp3 tag editors compiled by Mark Harris on About.com. Most of these tools are for the Windows PC, except Music Brainz Picard, which can run on a variety of operating systems such as Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows, and is written by a non-profit, the Music Brainz organization.

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32 comments

  1. Thanks Solveig! Waaaaay to many musicians completely overlook this. And it’s so easy to do! I can’t tell you how many website freebies I’ve downloaded who’s ID3 tags are a mess or not included at all. But I can tell you how many I’ve seen do it right; A big fat doughnut (except for the one’s I’ve put online for my clients)!

    1. My pleasure, Carlos! I agree, it’s pretty easy, and very often overlooked in the DIY world! Thanks for commenting.

  2. Hi.. I have one query is there any software which will automatically fix the ID3 tags and album art based on the name of the song or artist and also help us to chose which info is correct and then, they will be embedded in metadata of MP3…

    I know its bit tricky but this is what I want.

    To be specific:
    1) Select multiple songs – Preferably a folder
    2) On click of button, system will go and search for all the info of that song from web
    3) Show all the options to user.
    4) User will select relevant information and those will be embedded in the mp3 metadata.

    Also, there can be a feature to delete all the other metadata of MP3 which is junk.

    Please let me know if this is possible

    1. Solveig and Harry!

      That is exactly why I searched Google and landed on your site. I hope you could consider the question from the point of us music consumers as well.

      Janne

    3. Yes on Android mobile you use Autotag Editor App.
      If only your file name had title rest will be done in auto mode.

  4. Very interesting, it help me to put the lyrics into my music, thank you so much. I use MP3Tag 2.50 but until watching your video I could know how to put the lyrics. Thank you.

  5. Hi Solveig! So glad your post came up on my search!

    I just realized that I uploaded a song with no tags to soundcloud. In your opinion, should I take it down a put the file with tags up? Or in this case would it even matter? I know there are probably ways for people to work around Soundcloud and download. What do you think? BTW, the song has virtually no plays, likes or comments yet

    -Gary

    1. The great thing about Soundcloud is that you can re-upload a file to the same link without resetting your plays number. I would just go ahead and re-upload a new song file that contains the proper metadata. If you have not made the song downloadable (it’s just streaming), I wouldn’t worry too much about rushing to do it, since no one can (legally) download it. Sure, someone can pirate the stream if they are truly eager to get your music, but if I had a fan willing to go to that trouble I’d be sending them a free CD anyway for liking my music enough to make the effort. But that’s just me – you need to do what feels right to you.

  6. Thanks Solveig. Great info. Would you know if using your method to change the metadata would solve the problem in something like HP Connected Music which changes titles and album art where I don’t want it changed. I’m guessing HPCM looks at the metadata, searches the web and decides that it’s a certain album, then updates the song titles which are not actually correct. It’s driving me bonkers and I want to be able to specify the titles myself so that they are the correct titles. Although I’m using HPCM to organise and listen to my music, I am having to rip my CD’s using Windows Media Player (no CD drive on my new HP Envy laptop). Even in Windows Media Player it is picking up the wrong CD info from the web. In WMP I can edit the titles and they will display correctly. However, once I’ve moved the music across to my laptop I just can’t fix it. Even where I edit the titles to the correct titles, it changes them back to the incorrect titles. I know it’s not quite the subject of this thread, but thought you might know if fixing the metadata would fix my problem.

    1. Really good question, Lesley! I don’t know much about HPCM, but I think you have correctly diagnosed the problem, in which case it may be either an HPCM bug or bad data in whatever music database HPCM is using to try and located the metadata for that song. HPCM SHOULD be reading whatever metadata is in the original MP3, but then if it goes to the web and ends up writing over that with bad data, I’m afraid it’s an HPCM bug 🙁 But I can’t say for sure. Did you try searching for an HPCM support thread on this?

  7. Actually…. metadata is data about data.
    In other words, not as you describe:
    “Metadata is “hidden” data in computer files that “tags” a file with certain identifying information.”

    It _can_ be stored that way.

    1. Good point, Mike. It’s all data – it’s just data that a lot of musicians don’t realize is there, and how it can affect their ability to track tier songs Nd be compensated (or not).

  9. I too wanted to thank u for your sharing these valuable tools. I am approaching 65 y.o. and sometimes, though daunted I am determined to travel down this internet road and place my catalog of music too with all the younger creators. Thanks again, Solveig. Silvermane Wesleyjohn

    1. My pleasure! No one is ever too old to learn, in my book. So keep learning! Go, Silvermane!

  10. Hi Solveig. Just want to say thank you for a great article. My library has been in the works in tag-repair for years. I religiously use MP3Tag, great FREEBEE. I have a ten year old who has asked me for certain lyrics for songs. I have manually tagged some songs for him, but as his request grows, this can become very cumbersome. I tried Songbird with MLyrics for automatic lyric tag, but it’s hit or miss on actual import and save on multiple files. Do you have any recommendations for auto-lyric-search-import tools, apps, taggers? Again, great article and thanks!

    1. Hello Javo – Sorry to be so late with my reply. Thanks for the comment! I do not know of any auto-lyric-search-import tools, but will definitely keep my eye out and maybe ask a few knowledgeable friends…

  12. Its really useful information. Its very interesting to add ID3 tags in your music to claim it as yours. Today I know how to use metadata, thank you so much.

  13. Hi,

    Please check out my windows utility named taghycardia. It finds and downloads cover art for mp3 albums online in an automated fashion optionally embedding the images into the tracks and/or saving locally. It speeds up the process by first trying to find local album art in the music folders itself. The user can review the found covers, optionally downloading more when unsatisfied with an automated choice. In addition, the program fixes tag discrepancies helping to upload mp3 albums/compilations to mobile devices in one piece, and also can quickly remove embedded cover art from multiple albums.

    There are both free and paid versions with the latter adding automated lyrics finding and support for file formats other than mp3.

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