UK music industry to start improving streaming services’ metadata

The UK music industry is to start improving information shared about a track’s creation on streaming services.

As established in the UK Industry Agreement on Music Streaming Metadata, the industry has set out to improve the information shared on new recordings published to streaming services, to ensure musicians are accurately credited.

Music streaming metadata is information which describes who contributed to a track’s creation, and how the song was created, for example who wrote it, who performed it, and who owns it.

Therefore, the agreement is expected to set out a “positive commitment from players across the UK music streaming industry to progressively improve metadata in new recordings, and deliver consistent crediting on streaming services over a two-year period.”

The UK government is also hoping to establish a working group of industry experts, and will consider the research and progress already made in this area.

“The UK is a hotbed for world-beating musical talent,” says John Whittingdale, Minister for the Creative Industries, “but as technology advances we need our thriving music industry to continue to offer viable career opportunities.”

He adds: “This landmark agreement on streaming metadata is a step towards ensuring UK musicians in the digital age are fairly credited and compensated for their contributions and creativity. Alongside the IPO I’m pleased to be bringing the industry together so we can explore wider issues around music creator remuneration more generally.”

“Good quality metadata benefits everyone who creates and enjoys music,” says Viscount Camrose, Minister for AI and Intellectual Property. “The agreement on metadata is a positive commitment by the music industry to improve the quality of metadata in the UK.

“I am very pleased to see the wide range of organisations which are signatories to the agreement, and I look forward to seeing the further progress that industry makes on metadata over the next two years.”

While it’s not been explicitly stated, it is believed that this agreement comes after the rise of AI music on streaming services, resulting in musicians not being credited for music that uses their work.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has expressed concern over AI use in music, and has said that finding a way to protect artists is something that the company takes “very seriously”.

To find out more about the UK Industry Agreement on Music Streaming Metadata, you can head to the UK government website.