What Metadata Goes in a Master File
Published · by Loopin
A delivered master file should carry a specific, minimal set of metadata fields correctly filled in — not everything a tag editor offers, but enough that the file identifies itself accurately wherever it ends up.
The essentials: title, artist, and album
These three fields are the baseline every master should have filled in correctly and consistently with what you're submitting to your distributor — a mismatch between the file's embedded metadata and your distribution submission is a common, avoidable source of display errors.
Double-check spelling, capitalization, and formatting match exactly what you want to appear publicly — small inconsistencies here (extra spaces, inconsistent capitalization) can look unprofessional or cause matching issues across platforms.
Track number and total tracks, for multi-track releases
If you're delivering an EP or album, include the correct track number and total track count in the metadata — this ensures the tracks display and sort in the intended order across platforms and playback software, rather than defaulting to file name order or appearing scrambled.
This is easy to overlook on a single-track release since it's not relevant, but essential to get right the moment you're delivering more than one track together.
ISRC, if you're managing your own
If you've registered your own ISRC rather than letting your distributor auto-assign one, embed it in the file's metadata — this ensures the code travels with the file itself rather than depending entirely on manual entry during the distributor's upload process.
For most independent releases where the distributor auto-assigns the ISRC, you don't need to manage this field yourself — it's handled on their end during upload.
Release year and genre, kept accurate but not overthought
Fill in the release year accurately and pick a genre tag that reasonably represents the track — these fields matter for cataloging and some platform categorization, but they're not worth agonizing over if your material genuinely spans multiple genres.
Pick the closest reasonable single genre rather than leaving it blank or inconsistent across a body of work — consistency here matters more than finding a theoretically perfect genre label.
What you generally don't need to fill in manually
Fields like copyright text, publisher information, and detailed credits are often handled by your distributor's submission form separately from the file's embedded metadata, and don't necessarily need to be duplicated inside the audio file itself unless your specific workflow requires it.
Focus your effort on the fields that directly affect how the track displays and sorts across platforms — title, artist, album, track number, and ISRC if self-managed — rather than exhaustively filling in every available tag field.
Frequently asked questions
What are the essential metadata fields for a master file?
Title, artist, and album at minimum, matching exactly what you submit to your distributor. For multi-track releases, also include track number and total track count so tracks display and sort correctly.
Do I need to fill in an ISRC in my master's metadata?
Only if you're managing your own self-registered ISRC. If your distributor auto-assigns one during upload, which is the case for most independent releases, you don't need to embed it yourself.
Do I need to fill in copyright and publisher fields in the audio file itself?
Usually not. These are often handled through your distributor's submission form separately from the file's embedded metadata, so they don't necessarily need duplicating inside the file unless your workflow specifically requires it.