⚡ Critical Metadata Rules for Every Release:
- Songwriter Legal Names: PROs and mechanical societies (The MLC, IPRS) will reject claims if stage names or aliases are entered in the composer/author field instead of legal given names.
- Primary vs. Featured Roles: Primary artists share top billing and discography placement; Featured artists appear in parentheses and trigger Spotify release radar notifications for both follower bases.
- Explicit Content Flags: Failing to tag explicit profanity accurately results in store takedowns or permanent removal from Apple Music radio algorithms.
1. Why Bad Metadata Costs Artists Millions Annually
Music streaming algorithms are pure databases. If a track title contains unstandardized symbols, a songwriter's name is misspelled, or an ISRC code is duplicated across different masters, DSP matching systems fail. When metadata cannot be resolved to a registered copyright holder, the royalties flow into a "Black Box Pool" and are eventually forfeited. Learn how to protect your publishing in our Music Publishing Guide.
2. Pre-Release Complete Metadata Checklist
| Metadata Field | Correct Format | Common Mistake to Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Track Title | Midnight Dreams (feat. Artist X) or clean title with role mapped in metadata |
Putting "(Prod. by Producer)" inside the title text |
| Songwriter / Lyricist | Abhilash Ghosh (Full Legal Name) |
Entering stage name (e.g. "DJ ABHI") as composer |
| Producer Credits | Tagged under Contributor: Producer |
Leaving producer credits completely blank |
| Language Code | Selected correctly (e.g., en, hi, bn) |
Selecting wrong audio language, breaking voice search matching |
| ISRC Code | IN-MMZ-26-00142 |
Reusing an old ISRC on a brand new mix or recording |
3. Artwork Standards: Avoid Instant DSP Rejection
Digital stores enforce strict graphic design criteria. Cover art must be 3000 x 3000 pixels (1:1 square ratio, RGB color space, JPG/PNG format). Avoid:
- No website URLs, social media @handles, or email addresses on the artwork.
- No pricing information (e.g., "Only $0.99").
- No trademarked logos (e.g., unauthorized Spotify, Apple, or Parental Advisory stickers if the track is clean).
4. Clean DDEX Delivery with Mermaidz Records
At Mermaidz Records, our release submission engine runs automated DDEX schema validation prior to DSP delivery—verifying that your ISRCs, contributor splits, and metadata formatting are 100% error-free before hitting global stores.