Apple Music Has New Upload Requirements For A Better Experience
I think by now everyone is used to adding metadata, descriptions, tags and keywords to almost any creative piece of content that gets uploaded. Yes, this can sometimes take a long time to complete, but if it helps get more views and streams (not to mention getting you paid), what’s not to like? Now Apple Music announced a new set of upload requirements that may take longer to get together, but make for a much better listener experience in the end.
First of all, Apple Music now requires that lyrics be provided with every song that has a vocal, even if it’s only a word or two. The lyrics will be static on the screen unless you’re a MusixMatch member and upload them there as well.
Bring On The Credits
Next, the service is requiring that you include a credit in all three categories: Writers, Performers, and Production and Engineering. The good thing here is that you’re able to provide as many credits as you need so no one will be overlooked. Apple is actually very picky about how these details are included, but here’s a helpful guide to make sure that you stay on the right path.
Now the good part is that this is only for new music going forward, so you don’t have to worry about going back and updating past uploads on the service. And remember that you can’t upload to Apple Music directly – you must use an approved 3rd party vendor like Tunecore, CDBaby or Symphonic. You can expect them to ask you for all the required data the next time you have a release intended for Apple Music, but be aware that not distributors will actually pass the data through to all streaming services.
The good part here is that since Apple is now making this data a pre-requisite for release, they’re going to have to include it. The bad part is that it’s still not searchable, which would be a nice addition that most music fans would embrace. The extra work to fulfill these upload requirements might be a pain, but it will be worth it in the end.
