Metadata for instrumental, classical and traditional music

For a pop single, "artist and title" is almost enough. For instrumental, classical and traditional music, the same two fields hide the hardest questions. Who composed this? Who plays it? Which work is it, and which movement? Stores and listeners rely on the answers, and some stores group classical recordings by composer and work. A careless entry can make a recording impossible to find or credit the wrong person.

Composer, performer and ensemble

These are different roles, and each one has a place in the credits.

• Composer: the person who wrote the music. In classical music this is often the name listeners search for first.
• Performers: the soloist or soloists, the ensemble or orchestra and the conductor, if there is one.
• Primary artist: usually the performer or the ensemble that made the recording, not the composer of a work written long ago.

Take a made-up example: a recording of a piano sonata by the composer Elvin Rza, played by Lalə Nova. Lalə Nova is the primary artist. Elvin Rza goes in the composer credit. If a string quartet plays, the quartet's name is the artist and each player can be added with their instrument.

Don't leave the composer blank because the piece is old, and don't put the composer's name in the artist field to make the release easier to find. That mixes up whose recording it is.

Traditional and folk pieces

Many pieces have no known author. In that case credit the music as traditional or folk, in the field your form offers, rather than leaving it empty or inventing an author. If someone arranged the piece, the arranger should be credited too, because an arrangement is a creative work with its own rights. The same applies to a new setting of an old melody.

If a vocal sings classical poetry, credit the poet as the lyricist where the form allows. The words may be centuries old, but the credit is still owed.

Work titles, movements and versions

Pop titles are one line. Classical titles often have layers: the work, its number, its key, its catalogue number and the movement.

• Work title: write it the standard way, such as "Piano Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 14".
• Movement: add it after a colon, for example "Piano Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 14: I. Allegro".
• Consistent pattern: use the same work title on every movement and the same pattern throughout the release, so the tracks group together and sort in the right order.
• Version: if it's live, edited or in a different setting, add it in brackets: "(Live at the Philharmonic Hall, Baku)" or "(Version for string quartet)". Use the live tag if the form has one.
• Original language: keep official spellings and use the Latin alphabet in a consistent transliteration if the title is in another script.

Mugham and other traditional forms

Mugham pieces are performed again and again by different artists, so the title must say what the piece is and the credits must say who plays it. Name the mode, for example "Mugham Segah", and, if you want, the section in the title or notes. Credit the vocalist and every instrument by name: tar, kamancha, gaval and so on. Two recordings of the same mugham by different performers are different recordings. If the credits are blank, nobody can tell them apart.

The instrumental flag and language

If the form has an option for instrumental tracks, use it. It tells the stores not to expect lyrics and not to show an empty lyrics screen. Choose "no language" or the equivalent for the lyrics language. If there are wordless vocals only, the track is still effectively instrumental. If the singer uses words, give their language.

Pick the genre carefully, for example classical, world or folk, because it decides which playlists and categories your recording can show up in.

Rights and codes

The composition and the recording are separate things. An old composition can be out of copyright, but a new recording of it belongs to the performers and producers. You can only release recordings you own or have permission to use, and you must not take someone else's recording of a public-domain piece and release it as your own. When you submit in the CULT portal, you enter the artist details and the credits for each track, so this is where the roles above go.

Each recording gets its own ISRC and the whole release its own UPC. A different performance of the same piece is a new recording with a new code.

Quick checklist

1. The composer is credited, and the primary artist is the performer or ensemble.
2. Traditional pieces say "traditional", with arrangers credited.
3. Work titles follow one pattern, with movements numbered.
4. Versions and live recordings are marked.
5. Instrumental tracks are flagged, and the genre is correct.
6. You own or have permission to use every recording.