Why Metadata Matters For Indie Creatives Feat Keith Kirk

In this episode Durell is joined by singer, songwriter, arranger, and metadata specialist Keith Kirk. Keith and Durell begin the episode talking about him being originally from London as well as spending some of his early years in Trinidad & Tobago but then coming back to London after the age of 9. Keith talks about his earliest introduction to music being mostly heritage music and singing in choirs. He knew that music was all he ever wanted to do early on because of the impact he had from being around such exceptionally talented people and his classmates in school. Keith speaks about his experiences in college singing with the London Chorale and the BBC. Keith also has penned several compositions that are published by GIA Publications which is America’s largest sacred music publisher.

Keith is also passionate about the business side of music. Durell and Keith talk about why most creatives don’t like the business side of music. Keith shares that he’s the type of guy that likes to have his T’s cross and his I’s dotted. He likes to make sure when he fills out information no matter what it is he makes sure everything is filled and locked in. He shares that because of his affinity and love for attention to detail is probably what got him really interested in metadata. Keith shares that in London no one really cares about your degree they really only care that you are able to deliver on what you say you know how to do.

Keith has worked for some of the world’s largest music and media companies in the world such as Sony Music Entertainment UK, Universal Music Group, BMG, 21st Century Fox, and the International Copyright Enterprise In Berlin Germany as a metadata specialist. Durell asks Keith what was it specifically that drew him to working specifically with metadata. He shares that he always wanted to work for a company called PPL which is like the equivalent of SoundExchange in the US. While working at PPL he got a message on Linkedin from Universal Music Group requesting to meet with him. He went to meet with them and got hired to work with them in their metadata dept. Durell asks Keith what the official definition of metadata is and he shares simply that metadata is defined as information about information. Keith shares that when you're working in music there are two strands of information to be concerned about. One set of information tells dry information such as song title, duration etc. The other strain of information contextualizes everything together.

Durell and Keith talk about why indie creatives should care about metadata. Keith shares that they should care because metadata is the mechanism that compensates them for their work. Keith shares that the only way to receive the revenue that a song earns is through having the correct metadata. Durell asks Keith what are some of the biggest mistakes in which he sees many indie creatives make, and his answer is that they don’t care enough about it. He shares there’s no way for the music industry to pay properly. Durell says that he encounters many creatives that don’t even know what the basics are when it comes to metadata. Keith shares another reason that creatives need to care about metadata is the music business is now a digital algorithmic data driven landscape and everything works automatically . Keith shares that another reason metadata is important is because Kobalt did a study and found that there are over 900,000 possible revenue streams for music that enters the marketplace.

Durell and Keith end the episode talking about the digital distributor assigning and owning ISRC codes for indie artists. Keith shares that the digital distributor can assign the ISRC but they actually do own the code and so does the creative. The main difference in ownership is that the digital distributor can prove their ownership via what is called a GS1 license. GS1 is the global organization that issues barcodes, UPC’s etc. The GS1 organization also issues licenses against barcodes and ISRC codes. The GS1 license allows distributors like Distrokid to be able to issue ISRC codes because they purchase a block of codes held attached to their license. Keith and Durell talk about how the GS1 license holder is able to recoup the expenses from giving the ISRC codes to indie creatives free via their digital distributor. Durell and Keith discuss why indie creatives purchasing their own 100,000 ISRC codes at one time can put them in the best position possible for ownership of their own royalties as they pass through the music ecosystem. Keith also shares how the ISRC code is made up and assigned. Keith shares that when you make a certain number of songs in a calendar year and even though the registrant code stays the same after the new calendar starts, the 5 digit designation at the end of the code starts at 0. Keith shares that indie creatives just starting out without any catalogue should simply get their ISRC codes from their digital distributor. Once they have amassed a bit of a catalogue that’s generating revenue then they can begin to think about buying their own codes. Keith shares the same goes for the GS1 license which can also be passed down to a next of kin.

Keith and Durell speak finally about the importance of indie creatives being able to have an excel spreadsheet that manages and mirrors their metadata as well as why an ISNI code (International Standard Name Identifier) is key for making sure that all revenue is accounted for.

For more info on Keith Kirk please visit his website:

https://motifmusicservices.com/