092 – The Importance of Metadata & Getting Credit for Your Work in the Studio – with Deborah Fairchild of VEVA Sound

These days, recording project related data doesn’t get captured the way it used to. This leads to incomplete metadata and a loss of opportunity for those involved in the recording process. In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, Deborah Fairchild of VEVA Sound shares about how easy it can be to collect the right data with their Studio Collect plugin. Download the PDF Cheat Sheet Podcast Highlights: 00:14 – Introductions 00:24 – What is VEVA Sound? 01:52 – Why is metadata so important? 03:51 – Why aren’t studios collecting recording data anymore? 09:33 – What are some common mistakes engineers make in recording data 11:14 – What have you seen people do with collecting data that surprised you? 13:20 – How does the Studio Collect Suite plugin work? 15:43 – Do you need a plugin like SCP to begin collecting recording data? 16:37 – How can metadata help with monetization? 18:18 – Where do you see things going next with metadata? 19:44 – What advice do you have for audio engineers? 20:50 – Conclusion Transcription: David Andrew Wiebe: Today I'm chatting with VEVA's executive vice president Deborah Fairchild. How are you today, Deborah? Deborah Fairchild: I'm doing well. Thank you. How are you? David: I'm great, thanks. Thank you for asking. So tell us a little bit about VEVA Sound and what you do. Deborah: So, VEVA Sound is an asset management company that we started 16 years ago in Nashville. And we're the bridge between recording studios and the creatives and content owners. So we work with a lot of the major labels in the US and Europe, and Universal, Sony... Companies like that, as well as people like Bruce Springsteen, Garth Brooks, that own their masters, we can handle the catalog transfer, legacy equipment. So we have a collaboration with Blackbird Studios in Nashville where we pretty much have every piece of machinery available from every format that music was created in. But through the years, the past 10 years, especially we've focused in on everything is already digital. So there's a lot that goes on in the back end. You know, all the files, being on servers and recorded in studios and different houses and things like that. We facilitate the collection of the metadata and the audio files, and then provide it in platforms where companies and entities can utilize it and re-monetize it and repurpose it. Sorry, that was a little long winded? David: No, that's very helpful. Why is metadata so important? And why should credits be collected during recording sessions? Deborah: So, it's interesting... I've always been fascinated, I've been doing this now for 15 years, and everyone at VEVA has an engineering background. And we've all went to audio school and have worked in studios and part of the creative process. And what we found in our work that we do for the record labels and things like that, but for whatever reason, the concept of collecting your credits, while you create your your music is something that's been lost in the digital age. So previously, like when we've done transfer work, we were literally scanning track sheets that have all of the instruments and who played on it, and what studio they were in and the date and all kinds of information descriptive, and technical metadata about the recording. And when things have gone digital, it's really something that has been left behind. So what ends up happening is because of the way the fragmented recording process occurs, which is also really cool, you know, I can be in London and send files over to LA. And depending on the file size, they can have it in 20 minutes and download it and start working in LA on the same project. So everything is so fast paced, and people are forgetting that they need to, you know, write down who is there. So then eventually upon release, it can be discoverable and available to consumers. And so we're really hoping with the plugin we've created, it'll the ease of access to actually gather this data can start happening within the Pro Tools session, Logic session, things like that, and then travel with the session, and then ultimately reside in a better user consumer experience. David: Why is it that many studios aren't collecting recording data anymore? Deborah: Well, it's not the role of the actual studio, which I think a lot of people kind of get confused on that part too. So the role of the studio is to provide, the gear and the acoustics and different things like that in terms of a lot of people will go to a certain studio because they have a specific microphone that's really rare. And it sounds amazing and stuff like that. But from a business perspective, it's up to the actual engineers and producers to collect the data because then as soon as you leave the studio, you take your files with you. And the knowledge of who was there goes with you as well. So it's more up to the individuals creating the music to actually document it because they're the ones there. So the studios aren't very reliable, sometimes for files, but even then, you know, once the session is paid for and done. It's up to the person who paid for the session to keep track of the files and things like that. David: I'm sort of imagining engineers or producers being too shy to ask for everyone's name, or maybe just so caught up in the recording session that they even forget to ask. Deborah: Yeah, I think it's, it's really fascinating to me why all of the reasons why it's not happening. I think it is a time thing. I think people think it impedes on the creative process at times to kind of stop a session or even start a session to ask. So there could definitely be some of that embarrassment or not wanting to rock the boat or things like that. But we feel that as things continue to progress with, you know, Spotify has announced that they're going to start doing enhanced credits, there's a company called Jaksta, that is launching this year out of Sydney, to be a global database at this sort of thing. And open doors doing some work in... different companies are starting to display more metadata, and I think that shift is going to cause a stir within the creative community because they'll want their names, at the point of stream or sale, or I think it lacking on that area is kind of causing an adverse effect in the studio, because, you know, the engineer's name isn't readily available anyway. So they're thinking why waste time doing it, David: So, they don't feel like they're being credited to begin with. So then they're kind of going like, well, I shouldn't have to do this. Deborah: Yeah, it's kind of like the chicken and the egg issue. But it's also a bigger issue within the Grammys and getting nominated and things like that, you have to have actual credited information in order to get nominated. And a lot of people sometimes get left out of hit records, because their names didn't get collected along the way, which is really sad, you know, it's a big issue within the music industry as a whole. But I think there are lots of companies that are working to make it better. And so we our company is just part of the process to try to raise awareness of the issues, of course, but also show that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And there will be companies that come along. So like the Jaksta company, it's in beta right now. But you can click on a guitar player, for example, and then see every recording that that guitar player played on, which is really cool. Or mix engineer, click on a mix engineer's name and see every album they ever mixed. So that's something that's really exciting and cool. That's on the horizon. David: That's huge, because it's not the same as like a ghostwriter who isn't credited on the recording, but still collects royalties, versus somebody who doesn't have their name on it and can't collect anything that's owed them. Deborah: Yeah, so it's really cool as far as, and also just getting work. So, you know, back when people were buying CDs, you could open up the liner notes and see the guitar player and different producers and people like that and they would maybe hear hear a sound and then contact the player because they want that that person involved or right now that's also lost. David: Yeah. And that kind of goes to a deeper issue as well, where so many things sound alike, and a lot of producers are copying each other or trying to emulate one another. And there's not as many unique sounds, but in an instance where there are I think you're right on that there's people that would love to contact and work with you if you have a trademark sound. Deborah: Yeah, it's definitely... I think as more of the companies start displaying this metadata, which is definitely in the works with a lot of entities, I think our our help in it, of providing, you know, this plugin, really we're trying to be non-intrusive, and something that engineers will want to use. So, in the grand scheme of collecting metadata around a whole project, that may seem like a lot of information, but if it's gathered along the way and collected as they're creating, it really isn't that much time or effort to add the little bits of metadata as you go along. That's what we're hoping happens, you know, like that, it isn't some cumbersome, big deal, a big drag, you know, like, "oh, I don't want to do this." It's something that it happens in the session, it gets saved, you know, the next engineer opens the session, they can add their bit of data, and then it travels that way. David: So, let's say an engineer is diligent about collecting data. What are some common mistakes engineers make and recording data when this responsibility falls to them? Deborah: Well, something we haven't touched on yet, but this is a good segue into that is, there's an entity called DDEX that is all of the company's digital data exchange standardizing how data is sent around and our plugin exports a RIN file which is the recording information notifier th