Why is accurate metadata in classical music such a challenge for digital service providers (DSPs)?
Navigating the Challenges of Classical Music Metadata in the Streaming Era
What is metadata and why is it so important?
In the world of online music streaming, metadata is king. For those of you who may not be familiar with what this means, music metadata lets us know who wrote a song, who the performer is, when it was released, which publishers own the rights, and so on. It is pivotal in ensuring that the right people get paid for their music and in helping us find the songs we are looking for.
However, with the ubiquitousness of streaming and the shift in the way people consume music, accurate copyright data has become more important, as it is essential in the way we use modern music services. An example of this is when you search for the songs you want to listen to on a streaming platform. It’s the metadata attached to those songs that helps bring up accurate results to the queries we all make when using these services.
Despite its importance, many of the legacy processes that exist within the music industry, created for a time when people used to buy physical discs to play their songs, can sometimes make it difficult for new technology to operate smoothly. What makes things frustrating, especially in the case of classical music, is that there isn’t the same type of urgency to make meaningful changes because classical music doesn’t generate as much money as other genres do.
The challenge of Metadata
Getting accurate music metadata is already difficult. This is because it’s not easy to know where to look for it or to know whether it is correct and up to date. For example, there are several places where music copyright information exists. This information is often stored in databases unavailable to the public, owned and managed by different rights owners, leading to data silos where information can remain misrepresented or missing entirely.
Why is classical music metadata so much more problematic than pop music?
Okay, so now we know metadata is challenging in and of itself, but what makes classical music more difficult?
Well, in contrast to pop music, which typically involves a singer, producer, and a single title, classical compositions encompass various impactful details that have to be accounted for, such as the names of soloists, conductors, orchestras, and specific versions. Additionally, you often have to consider certain variations in the song names, often based on details like mood and key. This demands a more intricate approach.
Another issue is the multitude of renditions of classical music pieces. Many classical music pieces are out of copyright, some have been for hundreds of years. This means the intellectual property, i.e., the musical compositions are now in the public domain, so no entity owns the rights to the publishing. Consequently, anyone, as many do, is free to create their own legitimate recordings of these historic musical pieces. While this is great for music enthusiasts, it makes sorting out the metadata for these new recordings more complicated.
A system for pop?
As touched on above, the standards governing the presentation of songs on music media players are rooted in legacy designs that primarily focus on how best to credit pop songs for discoverability. This typically entails listing the track title along with the performing artist.
However, in classical compositions, the composer holds equal or even greater importance than the performer(s). This distinction becomes evident when, for instance, a renowned violin soloist like Vanessa Mae records her rendition of Vivaldi’s ‘Winter’ on Spotify. Surprisingly, this rendition will show up with two people listed as the artist, even though Vivaldi did not miraculously come back to life to perform the song. This contrasts sharply with pop songs like Rihanna’s ‘Diamonds,’ where only Rihanna appears as the artist, despite not composing or writing the song.
As the gif shows, searching for Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto №2 (also spelled Rachmaninov) is just as likely to bring up his own performances as it is to bring up renditions by other artists.
The search results include numerous versions of the concerto played by different orchestras, conducted by different individuals, and even performed by piano soloists. This abundance of renditions can be frustrating for listeners with a specific version in mind, highlighting the inadequacy of mainstream platforms in meeting the nuanced information needs of classical music enthusiasts. Overall, this limited capacity to differentiate between various performers, conductors, and orchestras etc reveals the necessity for a more sophisticated approach to metadata in the realm of classical music within current streaming platforms.
What could be the solution?
Many fans have called for something that, instead of putting all data within the confines of the Album, Artist and Title, songs should be separated into the relevant ID tags for Composer, Performer, Lyricist, Band or Orchestra, Conductor, Soloist, etc. However, to add features like these to the current platforms may present issues.
With that said, platforms like Apple Music have stepped up to take on this challenge. In an attempt to address the issue with classical music metadata, the platform has launched a standalone music app, Apple Music Classical, to improve the classical music user experience. Something long-awaited by classical music fans who for years complained about their dissatisfaction with mainstream streaming platforms not getting it right. Although it hasn’t solved all the problems, the platform acknowledges the intricate nature of classical music metadata and has started to address these.
It’s unlikely that they’ll be alone in their attempt to provide a solution that satisfies fans. As technology continues to advance, bridging the gap between mainstream and specialised applications becomes crucial for a seamless music discovery experience across genres.
At Blokur, we’re working with the likes of The MLC to improve the accuracy of music metadata for the music industry. If you’d like to find out how we can help your business with reliable global music copyright data, contact us today!
