1<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head><meta charset="utf-8"/><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"/><title>Tonal - Technical Brief - Music Metadata</title><link rel="modulepreload" href="/_frsh/js/a59e2fa2ee81a0a2e71100b3a88ad47a90655c24/main.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="/_frsh/js/a59e2fa2ee81a0a2e71100b3a88ad47a90655c24/chunk-MACHEIOV.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="/_frsh/js/a59e2fa2ee81a0a2e71100b3a88ad47a90655c24/chunk-GANPQKLY.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="/_frsh/js/a59e2fa2ee81a0a2e71100b3a88ad47a90655c24/chunk-Z47A3HLT.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="/_frsh/js/a59e2fa2ee81a0a2e71100b3a88ad47a90655c24/island-header.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="/_frsh/js/a59e2fa2ee81a0a2e71100b3a88ad47a90655c24/chunk-FYVOHXNC.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="/_frsh/js/a59e2fa2ee81a0a2e71100b3a88ad47a90655c24/chunk-TLGECCYY.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="/_frsh/js/a59e2fa2ee81a0a2e71100b3a88ad47a90655c24/chunk-SZAUXL4Z.js"/><link rel="modulepreload" href="/_frsh/js/a59e2fa2ee81a0a2e71100b3a88ad47a90655c24/island-scroll_to_top.js"/><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, viewport-fit=cover"/><meta name="theme-color" content="hsl(215deg, 95%, 34%)"/><link rel="icon" href="/favicon/icon.svg" type="image/svg+xml"/><link rel="manifest" href="/favicon/manifest.webmanifest"/><link rel="stylesheet" href="/dist/site.css"/></head><body><!--frsh-header_default:0:--><canvas class="grain" style="position: fixed; left: 0; top: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; z-index: -1;"></canvas><header><div class="header"><div class="logotype-cta"><a href="/" class="logotype" data-ancestor="true" aria-current="true"><svg viewBox="0 0 100 30" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M22.807 19.278c0-6.922 4.196-10.506 10.507-10.506 6.314 0 10.546 3.542 10.546 10.546 0 6.923-4.232 10.507-10.546 10.507-6.31 0-10.507-3.544-10.507-10.547m7.27 0c0 7.95 1.24 9.804 3.237 9.804s3.236-1.772 3.236-9.764c0-7.95-1.239-9.763-3.236-9.763s-3.236 1.73-3.236 9.723m57.564 6.796c-.239.495-.594.742-1.11.742-.794 0-1.149-.783-1.071-2.389l.238-5.85c0-.124.039-1.072.039-1.483 0-3.173-.713-5.19-1.982-6.427-1.426-1.4-3.486-1.895-6.141-1.895-2.537 0-5.35.576-8.006 1.565l2.783 5.01h.078l2.901-5.224c.279-.501.373-.569 1.094-.569 2.061 0 2.894 1.896 2.894 4.739v-.001.206l-.08 4.408c-1.069-.782-2.495-1.113-4.199-1.113-3.248 0-6.659 2.142-6.659 6.221 0 3.791 2.497 5.81 5.391 5.81 2.576 0 4.595-1.606 5.39-3.996.118 2.595 2.057 3.997 4.316 3.997 1.904 0 3.252-.908 3.885-2.267.239-.494.316-1.113.316-1.484h-.077Zm-8.44-.741v.042c-.517.824-1.388 1.44-2.26 1.44-1.348 0-2.339-1.234-2.339-3.5 0-2.39 1.149-4.243 3.21-4.243.517 0 .99.082 1.466.246l-.078 6.015Z"></path><path d="M0 1.754v7.189h.08l6.241-6.38h3.281v23.829l-3.279 3.35v.083h13.67v-.082l-3.279-3.352V2.563h3.281l6.241 6.38h.08V1.754zm66.045 25.601c.042-3.306.124-7.156.124-9.752 0-5.776-2.335-8.831-6.506-8.831-3.377 0-5.587 1.841-6.63 4.772V9.107H43.86v.084l2.335 2.343v15.863L43.86 29.74v.085h11.508v-.085l-2.335-2.343v-13.31c.751-1.088 1.752-1.841 3.086-1.841 2.586 0 3.17 2.511 3.17 6.32 0 2.009-.125 8.244-.125 8.872L56.87 29.74v.084h11.55v-.085l-2.376-2.385Zm31.812.092V0l-8.383 1.056v.092l2.143 2.298v24.001l-2.143 2.296v.082H100v-.082z"></path></svg></a><div class="cta"><a href="/help-tonal" class="highlight">Help Tonal.<br/>Read the founderâs letter.</a></div></div><nav><ul><li><div><a>Technology</a></div><ul><li><a href="/tech/collect">Collection Building</a></li><li><a href="/tech/playback">Audiophile Playback</a></li><li><a href="/tech/metadata" data-current="true" aria-current="page">Music Metadata</a></li></ul></li><li><div><a href="/download">Download</a></div><ul><li><a href="/download">App Store</a></li></ul></li><li><div><a href="/catalog/discs"><span class="optional">Languages &</span> Catalogs</a></div><ul><li><a href="/catalog/discs">Discs & Releases</a></li></ul></li><li class="optional"><div><a href="/catalog/planned">More Catalogs</a></div><ul><li><a href="/catalog/planned">Composers</a></li><li><a href="/catalog/planned">Works</a></li><li><a href="/catalog/planned">Artists</a></li><li><a href="/catalog/planned">Music Groups</a></li></ul></li><li><div><a href="https://b.ton.al/tonal_user_guide.pdf"><span class="optional">User </span>Guide</a></div></li><li class="optional"><div><a href="/api">API</a></div></li><li><div><a href="/faqs">FAQs</a></div></li><li class="optional"><div><a href="/help-tonal">Help Tonal</a></div></li></ul></nav><button class="show_hide_nav"><span class="show">show</span><span class="hide">hide</span> nav</button></div></header><!--/frsh-header_default:0:--><section class="article"><div class="sidebar-background-color"></div><div class="sidebar-background-border"></div><div class="title"><div class="hanging">Tech 2Brief</div><div>#03</div><h1>Music Metadata</h1></div><div class="main"><dl class="abstract"><dt>Abstract</dt><dd>Tonal pioneered a set of declarative languages to enable community-based collaborations on music metadata. Curators author music metadata using the web-based editor; collectors get instant updates from the Tonal app. Tonal Metadata Language can also power emerging and existing applications and services beyond the Tonal app: artists, music groups, composers, labels, and distributors can manage their repertoires or inventories in Tonal Metadata Language.</dd></dl><div class="content"><p class="reading-time hanging">2 min</p><p>In the context of audio technology, music metadata is usually related to tags or tagging but is not the same. The confusion has historical reasons that no longer apply: Tonal brings a different, innovative solution to handle music metadata.</p><h2 id="no-tags">No <span class="strike-through">More</span> 3Tags</h2><p>Tonalâs audio archive targets permanent archiving: it embeds zero music tag ââ audio files never change once written. Instead of being a limitation, removing music metadata from audio files opens a new world.</p><h2 id="tonal-metadata-language">Tonal 4Metadata<span class="soft-line-break"> </span>Language</h2><p>To replace dozens of tags and UI forms, a set of concise, elegant, descriptive language is invented to encourage community-based collaboration on music metadata authoring. With the help of Tonal Metadata Language, expressiveness and succinctness come at the same time. See a screenshot to get your initial feeling. Read the language guide for details.</p><h2 id="workflow">Editing 5Workflow</h2><p>With Tonal, editors author, share, and curate music metadata using the web-based editor; collectors get instant updates from the Tonal app. Tonal services orchestrate data flow carefully behind the curtain.</p><p>In the past, collectors spent weeks, months, or even years polishing the metadata of their collections. Unfortunately, such precious, distributed efforts seldom contribute to our collective musicological knowledgeââeven in the post-digital era.</p><p>It is no longer an issue with Tonal. When individual collections share the same metadata, when more collectors become curators, we enter the era of <b>collective collection building</b>.</p><h2 id="beyond-tonal">Beyond 6Tonal App</h2><p>Tonal Metadata Language is by no means bound to the Tonal app. It is a set of general-purpose descriptive languages for music metadata authoring.</p><p>To power more scenarios beyond the Tonal app, multiple mediums of the same data set are engineered, synchronized, and made available:</p><ul><li>A Git repo for archiving purpose</li><li>A set of APIs for programmatic access</li><li>A relational database for offline analysis</li><li>A CloudKit database, always accessible even if Tonal services are down</li></ul><h2 id="adopt-early">Adopt 7Early</h2><p>Tonal Metadata Language is a modern solution to a decades-old challenge: authoring music metadata effectively for websites, apps, services, business partners, or internal workflows.</p><p>The solution is gorgeous when embraced by the whole community but is also great when used alone. For artists, music groups, composers, labels, and distributors: manage and rediscover your entire repertoire or inventory in Tonal Metadata Language. Both you and your audiences will be impressed.</p><p>Leave us a message if you want to manage your entire repertoire or inventory in Tonal Metadata Language or would like to evaluate this technology in-house.</p><p class="end">â30â</p><ul class="arrow"><li><a href="/tech/collect">Read the 1st technical brief on source file quality.</a></li><li><a href="/tech/playback">Read the 2nd technical brief on audiophile playback.</a></li></ul></div></div><div class="pager"><a href="/tech/playback"></a><a></a></div><div class="sidebar"><div class="sticky top"><div class="spacer"></div><div class="quick-facts"><div class="header icon-text-book-closed"><div><span>Recap 8</span>Tonal Metadata Lang</div></div><div class="body"><dl><dt>Category</dt><dd>Domain-Specific Language</dd></dl><dl><dt>Purpose</dt><dd>Music Metadata Authoring</dd></dl><dl><dt>Specialized Genres</dt><dd><ul><li>Classical</li><li>Jazz</li></ul></dd></dl></div></div><div class="spacer alt"></div><div class="toc"><a class="header hide-next-sibling"><span>Contents</span></a><ol class="body"></ol></div></div><div class="sticky bottom scroll-to-top"><div></div><!--frsh-scroll_to_top_default:1:--><a></a><!--/frsh-scroll_to_top_default:1:--></div></div><div class="footer-wrapper"><div class="footer"><span>Made for you with <span class="love">â¤</span></span><span>db: 1.0.0</span><span>© International Classical Music Database 2026</span><span><a href="javascript:location.href=`mailto:${atob('c3VwcG9ydEB0b24uYWw=')}`;">support<i class='hidden'>-no-</i>@ton<i class='hidden'>-spam-</i>.al</a></span></div></div></section>
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