How can music embedding help my music get licensed?

What is music embedding?

Music embedding is the process by which the metadata and artwork for a music cue are embedded into the audio file itself. This information then appears automatically when it's imported into iTunes, Source Audio, Spotify, Soundminer, Music Bee or even just a hard drive.

Why is music embedding important?

Music embedding ensures that critical information like your licensing contact information, metadata, and artwork stay intact even as the music moves to a different platform. For example, if you sent a music supervisor a link to a playlist without music embedding and he opened it in Soundminer, the names of the cues would show up but not the description, making it all-but-impossible to run a meaningful search. Another example: if an editor emailed a cue separately to a colleague for use in their spot, an embedded cue would contain the necessary licensing information to transfer to a cue sheet.

As a music supervisor, I can't tell you how many times I was given a cue that I wanted to use that had no licensing info. I would try my best to track it down but ultimately couldn't use a piece of music that I couldn't license. Embedding solves this problem by ensuring that your information stays with the cue, no matter where it ends up.

Can I embed music on my own?

You can! There are a number of software options for embedding your own music. MusicBrainz Picard is a free solution (https://picard.musicbrainz.org/). There are also professional tools like SoundMiner available for purchase. https://store.soundminer.com/

To schedule a free consult with advice on music embedding, metadata tagging and more, click the button below:

Schedule A Free Consult