Musical Metadata: Part 1
You see, people who know me well can confirm I am an avid music fan. I’ve got close to 6000 CDs and albums (yes, I still own LPs, but mostly CDs these days). And, database guy that I am, I have my entire collection in a Filemaker database that I sync up with my Treo smartphone so that I always have information on my collection handy. Without that, unfortunately, I’ve been known to buy a CD or two that I already own.
Now you might be thinking, “You’re just getting around to using an MP3 player?” Good question – and the answer is no. I bought one of the first generation MPs players on the market many moons ago, as well as several others over the years, but never an iPod. Then my brother got a video iPod for Christmas and when he let me play with it, envy set in, and I just had to get one for myself.
OK, so why did I start thinking about metadata? Well, MP3s are all about the metadata, son! If you don’t get the metadata right, then the MP3 player is not as easy to use as it could be. The metadata (title, artist, etc.) helps you to pick and choose what songs (the data) you want to hear. I’ll be talking more about this in this series of blog entries (didja notice that Part 1? Yes, that means there will be additional parts upcoming.)
I’ll try to make this series fun, yet educational. If you want to read something less “fun” about metadata, check out my multi-part series over on my Data Management Today blog titled The Importance of Metadata Parts 1, 2, and 3.
Well, that’s it for today... just a quick introduction. But check in regularly as I explore musical metadata with my new iPod.