How To Create MP3s So Your Fans Will Always Find You
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Properly encoded and tagged MP3 files that are easily playable and give listeners all the information they need about the song, your band, and where to find more about you.
Estimated Cost: FREE
Estimated Time: 1 minute preparation with immediate results.
Indie Guide Categories: MP3 Tools
What Do You Need to Do This
- MP3s of songs that you want to distribute (Click here for How To Encode MP3s For Maximum Playability)
- iTunes (Or an MP3 tagging tool)
- Album art for each song, or a logo image that is the same size as an album cover (If a logo is used, consider adding your website to the logo)
Edit What's Needed View History
Directions
1. Encode your music into MP3 format.
Click here for How To Encode MP3s For Maximum Playability.
2. Name the MP3 file using your band name and song title.
Always take a consistent approach in naming your audio files. We suggest the following naming standard that puts your band name first: Band Name – Song Title.
Good Examples:
- Beatnik Turtle-Were All These Beer Cans Here Last Night.mp3
- Beatnik_Turtle–Were_All_These_Beer_Cans_Here_Last_Night.mp3
Bad Examples:
- Were All These Beer Cans Here Last Night?.mp3
- Were All These Beer Cans Here Last Night - Beatnik Turtle.mp3
- beatnikturtlewereallthesebeercansherelastnight(thecheapassalbum).mp3
- Beercans_1.mp3
3. Start iTunes.
4. Change iTunes settings so that it does not rename the file.
Do the following:
- Choose "Edit>Preferences"
- Click on the "Advanced Tab"
- Uncheck "Keep iTunes Library Organized"
- Uncheck "Copy Files to iTunes Music Folder when Adding to Library"
- Click OK
5. Choose "File>Add File to Library" to import the file.
6. Highlight the song in iTunes, and choose "File>Get Info".
7. Fill in the appropriate ID3 tags.
Make sure that you include your website in at least one field. We recommend the comments field. Also, including your website on the picture used in the artwork is good too.
Info Tab:
- Name
- Artist
- Year
- Album Artist
- Album (note: if released outside of an album, we recommend using your website instead)
- Composer
- Comments (note: put your website in this field)
- Genre
- Track Number, Disc Number, and BPM, if appropriate
Lyrics Tab:
- Add lyrics
- Alternately, include a link to a page on your website that has the lyrics
Artwork Tab:
- Click "Add" and add the artwork image
Next Steps
There is nothing to do after completing this.
References
Related How Tos
Tags: MP3 Tools