Catalog Cohort 2026 Week 1: Ingest and Metadata

About this replay

This is the opening session of the six-week Catalog Cohort. Yudu walks through the two tools you will work from, the cohort app and the catalog tool, and covers the base metadata every released song needs: title, artists, ISRC, UPC, release date, writers, splits, artwork, and IPI. You will see how to export your catalog from your distributor and import it, why your catalog should live in three places at all times, and why your PRO, MLC, SoundExchange, and Musixmatch accounts need to be set up this week. The session includes a Muso.AI preview, a look at Too Lost for distribution and migration, and a case for why lyrics are the most overlooked asset in an AI era. The Q&A covers when to add songs to your catalog, how to think about master versus composition splits, the hip-hop producer model, and why you want one-stop sync control in your agreements. Watch before starting your Week 1 tasks. Grades will be low this week, and that is expected.

What you'll learn

• Your catalog lives in three places: an external hard drive, a cloud backup, and the catalog tool.
• Base metadata for every song includes title, artists, ISRC, UPC, release date, writers, splits, artwork, and IPI.
• Export a catalog report from your distributor and import it into the catalog tool instead of entering songs manually.
• Set up your PRO first, then MLC and SoundExchange, because verification takes time and all three must be active by Week 3.
• Get your lyrics on Musixmatch now, because lyrics and name, image, and likeness are where artists will be paid in the AI era.
• Decide master versus composition splits before a song makes money, and keep one-stop sync control in your agreements.

About the instructor