Prepare your metadata

What is a metadata file?

A metadata file is a text file containing your catalog’s metadata.

Typically this will contain:

• All tracks on one release
• A collection of releases
• Every release on one label
• Your entire library spanning multiple labels

Metadata files are required to run our batch ingestion process.

CSV files

We support “comma separated values” files called CSVs.

These text files can be viewed and edited in:

• Easy CSV Editor …can open the very largest CSVs, our 💛 on macOS
• Google Sheets …free and cross platform
• Apple Numbers
• Microsoft Excel 🦕

Our metadata template

You can download the Cadenzabox CSV template from the admin ingestion page.

Metadata columns

The first row of the metadata file must contain column headers. Each track (or track version) will then be represented by a subsequent row. Any completely blank rows are ignored.

Below are all of our supported column headers in order. For translatable column headers please see underneath this table.

Column	Example	Description	Required
LIBRARY: Groups	Europe, Premium	Groups set here are inherited: label→release→track. Sometimes used for specifying label access per territory	OPTIONAL
LIBRARY: Code	CBL	The catalogue code prefix	ADVISABLE
LIBRARY: Name	Cadenzabox Library	Library name for the track. A tag is also added to the automatically created Library Name tag category	MANDATORY
ALBUM: Groups	Main Catalogue, Pre-release	A group you would like to add to a release and all its tracks If the column is not present or blank, we apply the Main Catalogue group, allowing it to be viewed by unauthenticated users If you require the release to be published for some users, but hidden for unauthenticated users, please apply a custom group (e.g. Pre-release) and apply this to the users who should have access	OPTIONAL
ALBUM: Code	CBL001	The release catalogue code. Must be the same for all tracks across a single album	MANDATORY
ALBUM: Title	Pop Electro Dance		MANDATORY
ALBUM: Description	Upbeat Dance, Pop & Electro cues with attitude. Funky, edgy and upbeat, perfect for entertainment and reality TV, sports and positive news.		ADVISABLE
ALBUM: Release Date	2014-06-28	Date in ISO format: YYYY-MM-DD n.b. ingestion will fail if the date is not in this format	MANDATORY
ALBUM: Artwork Filename	CBL001.jpg	Album packshot	ADVISABLE
ALBUM: Artist	Radiohead	An optional text representation of the recording artist	OPTIONAL
ALBUM:CATEGORY: Keywords	Sports; Daytime TV; Entertainment TV; Promos; Advertising; Fashion; News	Example custom album tag category. Add as many as you wish. Each category must be in its own column following the naming convention ALBUM:CATEGORY: {{category_name}}	OPTIONAL
ALBUM:CATEGORY: Tags	Edgy; Energetic; Funky; Quirky; Upbeat; Uplifting; Warm; Swagger; Fun; Fashion; Retro; Attitude; Pop; Dance; Contemporary	Example custom album tag category. Add as many as you wish. Each category must be in its own column following the naming convention ALBUM:CATEGORY: {{category_name}}	OPTIONAL
ALBUM:CATEGORY: Styles	Pop; Electro; Dance	Example custom album tag category. Add as many as you wish. Each category must be in its own column following the naming convention ALBUM:CATEGORY: {{category_name}}	OPTIONAL
TRACK: Album Chapter	Energetic and playful	Album chapter heading. This must appear next to the single track that you want this chapter title to appear above. Please do not add this to every track in that chapter	OPTIONAL
TRACK: Is Published	Y	Whether the track is visible to anyone: Y or N. Defaults to Y if not set	OPTIONAL
TRACK: Code	CBL001_01_01	An internal catalogue code in your own format for the specific track. Any format is accepted, but this format is commonly used. Should be unique per track version, but we don’t enforce this	ADVISABLE
TRACK: Title	Dancing Machine		MANDATORY
TRACK: Description	Upbeat, energetic, playful. Bouncy beats, syncopated synths, handclaps and a funky guitar line make for a fun electro pop track with plenty of edit points.		MANDATORY
TRACK: Teaser	Upbeat, energetic, playful.	A short description	OPTIONAL
TRACK: Type	Stem	This column is required if you wish to denote stems Main, Alt or Stem	OPTIONAL
TRACK: Number	1.03	Order of the track within the release. Must be unique and for mains must be a whole number. Track versions support either whole numbers or can have a decimal point (1.01, 1.02 … 1.15, 1.16, etc.)	MANDATORY
TRACK: Is Main	N	Whether this row is a main track (Y) or a version of another track (N)	MANDATORY
TRACK: Main Track Number	1	Track number of this version’s parent. Must be blank when the track is a main but MANDATORY when… TRACK: Is Main is N	MANDATORY
TRACK: Version	Main	Name of the particular version of track, e.g. Underscore, No Choir, 30 Seconds	MANDATORY
TRACK: Duration	147	Length of the audio in seconds. This field is ignored and measured directly from the audio file	OPTIONAL
TRACK: BPM	120	Beats per minute	ADVISABLE
TRACK: Key	F♯ minor	Musical key, e.g. B♭ major, F♯ minor	OPTIONAL
TRACK: Lyrics	Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do I’m half crazy all for the love of you	Lyrics sheet of track where available. Useful when “search by lyric” is selected	OPTIONAL
TRACK: Search Metadata	Hans Zimmer, The Prodigy	Additional invisible text search terms	OPTIONAL
TRACK: Audio Filename	CBL001_01.wav	Reference to track audio filename, if this is incorrect or blank, no audio will be added for this track. File extensions are required (e.g. .wav .aif)	MANDATORY
CATEGORY: Genre	Pop; Electro; Dance	Example custom tag category. Add as many as you wish. Each category must be in its own column following the naming convention CATEGORY: {{category_name}}	OPTIONAL
CATEGORY: Instrumentation	Beats; Synths	Example custom tag category. Add as many as you wish. Each category must be in its own column following the naming convention CATEGORY: {{category_name}}	OPTIONAL
CATEGORY: Keywords	80s; Beats; Dance; Pop; Driving; Energetic; Fun; Funky; Positive; Quirky; Playful; Attitude; Contemporary; Fashion; Instrumental; Midtempo; Uptempo	Example custom tag category. Add as many as you wish. Each category must be in its own column following the naming convention CATEGORY: {{category_name}}	OPTIONAL
ARTIST:1: First Name		Artists are interested parties of the sound recording, also called the master, or phonogram copyright ℗ Please use WRITER columns for composers of the musical work ©	OPTIONAL
ARTIST:1: Middle Name			OPTIONAL
ARTIST:1: Last Name			OPTIONAL
ARTIST:1: Society		The artist’s collection society. Use NS if no society, PD if public domain	OPTIONAL
ARTIST:1: IPI		The IPI/CAE code for the artist	OPTIONAL
ARTIST:{{n}}: {{type}}		Sets of ARTIST, WRITER, PUBLISHER, and LABEL columns can be added indefinitely using the following format, e.g. ARTIST:2: First Name. Please use a single space after the final colon, and include all columns in each set: ARTIST:{{n}}: First Name ARTIST:{{n}}: Middle Name ARTIST:{{n}}: Last Name ARTIST:{{n}}: Society ARTIST:{{n}}: IPI	OPTIONAL (add as required)
WRITER:1: First Name	Sam		MANDATORY
WRITER:1: Middle Name	John		MANDATORY
WRITER:1: Last Name	Slatter		MANDATORY
WRITER:1: Capacity	Composer	The capacity of the interested party: Composer, Author, Composer/Author, etc. Author creator of original lyrics Composer creator of the music Composer/Author creator of music & lyrics Sub Author creator of substitute/modified lyrics Adaptor modifier of lyrics Arranger modifier of the music Sub Arranger modifier of music, authorised by the subpublisher Translator modifier of lyrics’ language Income Participant receives royalties but not a copyright owner	MANDATORY
WRITER:1: Society	PRS	The writer’s collection society. Use NS if no society, PD if public domain	MANDATORY
WRITER:1: IPI	942678636	The IPI/CAE code for the writer	MANDATORY
WRITER:1: Territory	WORLD	The territory which the writer belongs to. Default is WORLD	MANDATORY
WRITER:1: Owner Performance Share %	100.00	The percentage share of recognition for the writer in comparison to any other writers or publishers registered on the track. The value must not include the % symbol	MANDATORY
WRITER:1: Owner Mechanical Share %	100.00	The percentage share of recognition for the writer in comparison to any other writers or publishers registered on the track. The value must not include the % symbol	MANDATORY
WRITER:1: Collection Performance Share %	100.00	The collection percentage share of recognition for the writer in comparison to any other writers or publishers registered on the track. The value must not include the % symbol	ADVISABLE
WRITER:1: Collection Mechanical Share %	100.00	The collection percentage share of recognition for the writer in comparison to any other writers or publishers registered on the track. The value must not include the % symbol	ADVISABLE
WRITER:1: Original Publisher	Cadenzabox Library	The name of the Original Publisher that is registered on the track. Must match TRACK: Publisher(s)	MANDATORY
WRITER:{{n}}: {{type}}		Sets of ARTIST, WRITER, PUBLISHER, and LABEL columns can be added indefinitely using the following format, e.g. WRITER:2: First Name. Please use a single space after the final colon, and include all columns in each set: WRITER:{{n}}: First Name WRITER:{{n}}: Middle Name WRITER:{{n}}: Last Name WRITER:{{n}}: Capacity WRITER:{{n}}: Society WRITER:{{n}}: IPI WRITER:{{n}}: Territory WRITER:{{n}}: Owner Performance Share % WRITER:{{n}}: Owner Mechanical Share % WRITER:{{n}}: Collection Performance Share % WRITER:{{n}}: Collection Mechanical Share % WRITER:{{n}}: Original Publisher	OPTIONAL (add as required)
PUBLISHER:1: Name	Cadenzabox Library		MANDATORY
PUBLISHER:1: Capacity	Original Publisher	The capacity of the publisher as either Original Publisher or Sub Publisher	MANDATORY
PUBLISHER:1: Society	PRS	The collecting society that the publisher is registered with	MANDATORY
PUBLISHER:1: IPI	911685448	The IPI/CAE code for the publisher. A placeholder of 0 is to be used if the number is not known	MANDATORY
PUBLISHER:1: Territory	WORLD	The territory which the publisher belongs to	MANDATORY
PUBLISHER:1: Owner Performance Share %	100.00	The publisher percentage share in this territory. The value must not include the % symbol	MANDATORY
PUBLISHER:1: Owner Mechanical Share %	100.00	The publisher percentage share in this territory. The value must not include the % symbol	MANDATORY
PUBLISHER:1: Collection Performance Share %	100.00	The publisher percentage share in this territory. The value must not include the % symbol	ADVISABLE
PUBLISHER:1: Collection Mechanical Share %	100.00	The publisher percentage share in this territory. The value must not include the % symbol	ADVISABLE
PUBLISHER:{{n}}: {{type}}		Sets of ARTIST, WRITER, PUBLISHER, and LABEL columns can be added indefinitely using the following format, e.g. PUBLISHER:2: Name. Please use a single space after the final colon, and include all columns in each set: PUBLISHER:{{n}}: Name PUBLISHER:{{n}}: Capacity PUBLISHER:{{n}}: Society PUBLISHER:{{n}}: IPI PUBLISHER:{{n}}: Territory PUBLISHER:{{n}}: Owner Performance Share % PUBLISHER:{{n}}: Owner Mechanical Share % PUBLISHER:{{n}}: Collection Performance Share % PUBLISHER:{{n}}: Collection Mechanical Share %	OPTIONAL (add as required)
LABEL:1: Name	Cadenzabox Records		OPTIONAL
LABEL:1: Owner Master Share %	100.00	The master share. The value must not include the % symbol	OPTIONAL
LABEL:{{n}}: {{type}}		Sets of ARTIST, WRITER, PUBLISHER, and LABEL columns can be added indefinitely using the following format, e.g. LABEL:2: Name. Please use a single space after the final colon, and include all columns in each set: LABEL:{{n}}: Name LABEL:{{n}}: Owner Master Share %	OPTIONAL (add as required)
CODE: ISWC	T-907.354.706-1	International Standard Musical Work Code	ADVISABLE
CODE: ISRC	UK-A12-16-00001	International Standard Recording Code	ADVISABLE
CODE: EAN	5012345678901	International Article Number (originally European Article Number)	OPTIONAL
CODE: UPC	825646123456	Universal Product Code	OPTIONAL
CODE: ASCAP WORK ID	917032958	ASCAP Work ID — United States 🇺🇸 (n.b. header uses ID not NUMBER)	OPTIONAL
CODE: BMI WORK NUMBER	24248560	BMI Work ID — United States 🇺🇸 (n.b. header uses NUMBER not ID 👀)	OPTIONAL
CODE: PRS TUNECODE	982663BT	PRS Tunecode — United Kingdom 🇬🇧 (n.b. the column header is in capitals and includes the PRS prefix)	OPTIONAL
CODE: SACEM WORK NUMBER	7300202211	SACEM Work Number — France 🇫🇷	OPTIONAL
CODE: SESAC WORK NUMBER	10293847	SESAC Work Number — United States 🇺🇸	OPTIONAL
CODE: SOCAN WORK NUMBER	193762845	SOCAN Work Number — Canada 🇨🇦	OPTIONAL

Translatable columns

Here are all the column headers that support translation.

These take the format: {{column_name}}: {{language_suffix}}

For example:

• TRACK: Description …equivalent to TRACK: Description: EN
• TRACK: Description: DE
• TRACK: Description: FR
• TRACK: Description: ES

All translations are optional and will fallback to the primary column if not provided. If the column is present but blank we will also fallback to the primary column.

Column	Example	Description
ALBUM: Description: FR	Musiques de danse, pop et électro optimistes avec du caractère. Funky, avant-gardiste et dynamique, parfait pour le divertissement et la télé-réalité, le sport et les actualités positives.	Album description
TRACK: Album Chapter: FR	Énergique et ludique.	Album chapter heading. This must appear next to the single track that you want this chapter title to appear above. Please do not add this to every track in that chapter
TRACK: Description: FR	Dynamique, énergique, ludique. Des beats rebondissants, des synthés syncopés, des claquements de mains et une ligne de guitare funky font une piste pop électro amusante avec de nombreux points d’édition.	Track description
TRACK: Teaser: FR	Dynamique, énergique, ludique.	A short description
TRACK: Version: FR	Principal	Name of the particular version
TRACK: Search Metadata: FR	Hans Zimmer, The Prodigy	Additional invisible text search terms