Name It Once
A file gets one canonical title at intake, and every copy, export, and reference uses it.
No final_final_v3. If a version changes, the accession record notes the revision — the filename stays stable.
Metadata Hygiene
Metadata Hygiene — The Practice Behind the Seal
A file is only as citable as its metadata. Metadata hygiene is the discipline of keeping names, credits, identifiers, rights, and hashes correct at the moment of creation — not patched after a dispute. This page is the practice; The Seal is the tool that stamps it into the file.
Checked at
Intake, seal, release, and quarterly re-verify
Embedded in
XMP/IPTC (images) · ID3v2.3 (audio) · manifest (all)
Proof
SHA-256 of source and sealed file, on the ledger
Rule
No accession, no hash, no publish
The Practice
Six Rules of Clean Metadata
Credit Completely
Every contributor is named with a role before release — writers, performers, producers, engineers, photographers.
Splits and identifiers (IPI/CAE, ISNI) are captured at session close, not reconstructed later from memory.
Attach Identifiers
Works carry their ISWC, recordings their ISRC, releases their UPC — embedded or filed alongside the file.
An unidentified recording is unpayable. Identifiers go in before distribution, never after.
State the Rights
Every file carries a rights line — owner, year, and terms of use — in writing, inside the file.
A missing rights line reads as a free license to anyone who finds the file out of context.
Hash the Payload
The file's contents are hashed (SHA-256) at seal time and the hash is filed with the accession record.
Change one byte and the hash no longer matches — that is what makes the record evidence rather than assertion.
Re-Read Before Release
A sealed file is parsed again after writing to prove the metadata survived intact.
If the sealed file does not re-parse cleanly, nothing ships. The seal validates itself or it does not happen.
The Stack
Six Layers Where Metadata Lives
| Layer | What it holds | When it's written |
|---|---|---|
| Filename & folder | Canonical title, stable structure, no mystery abbreviations. | Set at intake, before any edit begins. |
| Embedded tags | XMP/IPTC in images, ID3 in audio — title, creator, rights inside the file. | Written by The Seal into reserved header space. |
| Manifest | A signed JSON manifest — accession, hashes, terms — for every format. | Filed with the accession record, downloadable anytime. |
| Accession record | The ledger entry tying the file to its number, owner, and history. | Written on seal; visible in the Vault ledger. |
| Identifiers | ISRC, ISWC, UPC, IPI/CAE, ISNI — the numbers registries pay against. | Captured at session close, filed with the work. |
| Hash proof | SHA-256 of source and sealed file, so tampering is detectable. | Computed at seal; re-checkable by anyone holding the file. |
The Audit
A Five-Step Hygiene Pass
- 1
Scan the intake folder
List files with missing titles, generic camera names, or no credited creator. These are the hygiene failures.
- 2
Match each file to an accession
Every kept file gets an accession number — MET-YYYY-CLS-NNNN. Files without one are unfiled work, not catalog.
- 3
Complete the credit block
Creator, contributors, roles, splits, identifiers — filled from session records, confirmed by the people named.
- 4
Seal the file
Run it through The Seal: metadata embedded, hashes computed, manifest filed, file re-parsed to prove it took.
- 5
Verify on a schedule
Quarterly, re-hash a sample of sealed files against the ledger. A mismatch means the file changed — find out why.
The Cost of Skipping It
What Dirty Metadata Costs
No embedded rights line
The file circulates with no visible owner; enforcement starts from zero.
Missing ISRC on a recording
Royalties pool unmatched or land with the wrong party.
Credits fixed after release
Corrections propagate slowly; some services never update.
No content hash
A copied or altered file cannot be distinguished from the original.
Version chaos in filenames
The wrong master ships; the right one cannot be proven later.
Enforcement
The Rules Are a Tool
Hygiene is a habit, not a project. Every file that enters the catalog leaves with the same block of record — accession, creator, rights, hash — because the rules below run before anything is published.
Metadata hygiene is a documentation practice, not legal protection by itself. Embedded metadata and hashes support ownership claims and chain of custody; they do not register a copyright, guarantee payment, or replace agreements between contributors. Registration with the appropriate rights organizations remains a separate step.