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How can I write better keywords on my audio tracks?
How can I write better keywords on my audio tracks?

The right keywords will get your music into the right hands, and the right time, and that will grow your earnings!

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Written by Natasha Weyant
Updated over a week ago

The right keywords will get your music into the right hands at the right time, and that will grow your earnings!

Properly tagging your music goes a long way toward making sure you will be heard by all who seek amazing music.

By following the guidelines below, your music will show up in the most relevant search results for customers - which means a better chance at increased earnings for you.

This article focuses on the three tagging areas you must complete after you upload new music: keywords, moods, and genres.

Keywords

In general, use between 10 and 25 keywords on each track.

Quality is more important than quantity - the more relevant your keywords are to your track, the more likely it is that the track will be returned in search results for a customer. Including irrelevant keywords hurts your track’s chances of being downloaded.

Think of keywords as description tags and align them with the song’s moods, characteristics, or the feelings it engenders. But eliminate generic keywords that don't add relevant information about the track (e.g. "big", "good", "great").

For inspiration, here’s a list of terms to consider using as keywords when describing your music:

Action, Bitter, Boisterous, Bouncy, Bright, Brooding, Carefree, Chaotic, Cheerful, Chill, Confrontational, Crime, Dark, Dreamy, Eccentric, Ecstatic, Eerie, Energetic, Epic, Exotic, Fun, Funky, Gritty, Groovy, Happy, Heartache, Inspiring, Intense, Intimate, Joyful, Laid Back, Lively, Love, Lush, Mysterious, Ominous, Passionate, Peaceful, Positive, Punchy, Quirky, Reckless, Reflective, Relaxed, Romantic, Sad, Sensual, Serious, Smooth, Soulful, Spacey, Sweet, Tender, Tense, Tired, Trippy, Triumphant, Uplifting, Violent, Whimsical

Moods

We offer a dropdown list of moods to choose from. Select the single mood that most closely matches the tone of your track. If there are multiple moods that fit your track, select the one or two that are the most relevant.

Accuracy is the most important factor. If none of the available moods directly match the tone of your track, select the mood which is closest and then use additional keywords to describe the track.

Avoid selecting contradictory moods (e.g. “playful” and “serious”).

Genres

As with moods, we offer a dropdown list of genres to choose from. In general, select one genre that most closely fits your track. If multiple genres apply to your track, select a maximum of two genres. Remember to keep your tags as relevant as possible.

Avoid selecting contradictory genres (e.g. “horror” and “country”).

If your track fits a particular subgenre, add it as a keyword tag! For example, an uptempo World Hip-Hop track with a boom-bap bass and salsa horns could be tagged with the World and Hip-Hop genres, and the additional keywords Latin and Rap.

While not an exhaustive list, here are additional subgenres to consider using as keywords:

World | Latin, Samba, Bossa nova, Tango, Middle Eastern, Merengue, Emo, Afrobeats, Latin Jazz, Hindu, Reggaeton, Caribbean, Reggae, Go Go, K Pop, J Pop, Anime Sound

Electronic | Experimental, House, Techno, Trance, Lounge, EDM, Ambient, Future Bass, Dubstep, Synth, Synth Pop, Euro Pop, Deep House

Hip-Hop | East Coast, West Coast, Southern, Trap, Grime, Drill, Boom Bap, Hyphy, Lo Fi, Alternative

Jazz | Modern, Bebop, Bossa Nova, Acid, Smooth, Big Band, Samba, Electro, Traditional, Jazz Funk, Acoustic, Jazz Fusion

Rock | Metal, Hard Rock, Post Rock, Hair Metal, Indie Rock, Grunge, 1960s Rock, 1970s Rock, 1990s Rock, Alternative Rock, 2000s Rock, Country Rock

R&B | Doo Wop, Soul, Motown, Philly Soul, Memphis Soul, Alternative R&B, PBR&B, Noir&B, Pop R&B, Neo Soul, Hippy Soul

Pop | Pop Folk, Pop House, Alternative Pop, Electro Pop, 1970s Pop, 1980s Pop, 1990s Pop, 2000s Pop, 2010s Pop, Indie Pop, Rock Pop, World Pop

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