How To Tag MP3s So Your Fans Will Always Find You
Result
Make MP3s out of your own music that have the right name and ID3 tags so that your fans will always find you.
Overview
Your music is the best way to make fans. But fans won't know who or what the music is if the MP3 only contains audio. Whenever you post MP3s of your music, you'll want to "ID3 tag" all of your music with basic information (your band name, website, etc.) so that your fans can find you -- no matter where they got the file in the first place. Whenever you post MP3s of your music, you should ID3 tag all of your music with basic information (your band name, website, etc.) so that your fans can find you -- no matter where they got the file in the first place.
Related Categories: MP3 Tools
Estimated Preparation time: 10 minutes per song
Estimated Result Time: Immediate
Estimated Cost: FREE
What 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)
Directions
Following are the instructions using iTunes. You can use any MP3 tagging tool, however.
1. 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
2. Start iTunes.
3. 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
4. Choose "File>Add File to Library" to import the file.
5. Highlight the song in iTunes, and choose "File>Get Info".
6. 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
What should I do next?
References
- The Indie Band Survival Guide
- The DIY Music Manual
- MP3 Encoding
- Labeling Songs with ID3 Tags
- MP3 Tools