Re-mastering for metadata?

[Chicago Sandy]

We have a Red Book master for our next full length CD, but.......

Indications are that in the very near future, when it comes to community and other small radio stations with limited space for physical record libraries, the norm for music libraries will be lossless digital formats with full embedding of metadata--not just title, artist, label and copyright but also lyrics and all recording credits from engineering to studio musicians. Currently, Soundexchange, which pays streaming and satellite royalties to performers and sound-recording-copyright holders (labels or self-releasing artists), cannot pay studio or side musicians on recordings without that metadata. And, as on our two recordings in current release, we have some truly kick-@$$ studio musicians on our newest soon-to-be-released one.

However, our engineer will not include metadata in the Red Book masters, claiming that the only thing necessary is Gracenote DB registration. No amount of pleading will convince him otherwise. It's as if I'm talking Martian. Sonically, he is a terrific mastering engineer--the only one I've used who gets the difference between tracking, mixing and mastering and does them all wonderfully.

He has pleaded with me not to let anyone touch the masters save to press from them. But once it's released, there's no going back to enter the foregoing data; and I want to make sure that everyone the law says is entitled to streaming royalties gets them. Not just that, but as has been pointed out: how would you feel if you went to the Louvre and instead of seeing the Mona Lisa, you saw a copy of it--with no info as to when and how the copy was made or who made it? (The reason for a lossless format is that a compressed format is akin to Xeroxing the Mona Lisa).

I am inclined to ask around t mastering houses to see whether they would be willing to simply insert the metadata without messing with any of the audio, and if so, to get price quotes. I don't want to hurt our engineer's feelings (and I hope he's not on the AGF!), but I don't want to release an otherwise no-apologies record with something missing.

What would you do?

[scripsit]

Is this the same guy who was reluctant to investigate various ways of reducing finger squeak, because he didn't have access to appropriate technology?

Seriously, I think you need to find someone else to work with: the metadata is easy to insert if you know what you are doing, or have recent DAW software.

It's the artists that are supposed to have prima donna moments, not the engineers.

Kym

[Chicago Sandy]

Yeah--I really like the guy, and he's "gotten" what my duo and I do more than any other engineer or producer I've worked with. Even though he's really skilled with ProTools and does a marvelous job of knowing exactly how hard to push me to give my best take, he does seem to have a blind spot when it comes to some technologies (though I'm pretty sure the finger-squeak mini-brouhaha may be due to inability to purchase every plug-in in the book; a studio that'd have all the latest bells & whistles would probably be way beyond my budget). Next session, we'll see if flat-wound strings and as much cleanliness as I can bring to the technique without having to learn new fingerings would kill enough of the squeak.

As I said, he and his wife have become our dear, dear friends--we even share the same political values. I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that relationship, personal or professional. So I'm not willing to "cut the cord" so to speak. What I'm asking is whether it is possible to take a Red Book master to a mastering engineer solely for the purpose of embedding metadata, without messing up the audio. And also, if anyone here has done so. I hate to ask for the mixes instead, send them to an embedder, and once the metadata's embedded go through another full-day session of mastering (which we do together). Even at his low hourly rates, that'd involve two seven-hour drives downstate and back (and in winter to boot). And I dread the awkwardness.

[scripsit]

I don't know if this helps, but there is information which may be applicable to your situation here:
http://theproaudiofiles.com/metadata/

My understanding is that, as long as you have access to the final 'mastered' audio files in uncompressed format, you can alter them to any format required and insert metadata at that time. Your mastering engineer doesn't have to have anything to do with it.

The problem seems to be that whereas there is a generally recognised standard for CD data concerned with track times and the like (I think this is the 'blue book' stuff), different broadcasters demand different types of additional metadata applied which identify musicians and so on.

Have you tried talking to the broadcaster you want to place your music with? I'd be surprised if they didn't have a facility for applying the metadata they require, or could at least suggest the format and appropriate software. Most metadata application software works through interfaces that are about as complicated as a spreadsheet to use.

Kym

[Chicago Sandy]

We're placing the album with many broadcasters--or at least our radio promoter is (she's done a great job with the holiday EP).

I am not going to mess with entering any metadata myself--that's way beyond my computer skill level. A friend in L.A. today says he has a good mastering guy who should be able to embed the metadata in the current Red Book master and then reissue it. Shouldn't cost much.

[Bob Womack]

There you go. As long as it is okay for you tinker with the master to that degree without hurting your friend, it is very simple for a pro to alter the metadata without messing with anything else and is an acceptable request for a professional.

Bob

[MikeBmusic]

Studio and side-musicians getting royalties? First time I've ever heard of that!