The MetaData Song

Metadata is "data that provides information about other data", but not the content of the data, such as the text of a message or the image itself. There are many distinct types of metadata, including:

• Descriptive metadata — the descriptive information about a resource. It is used for discovery and identification. It includes elements such as title, abstract, author, and keywords.

• Structural metadata — metadata about containers of data and indicates how compound objects are put together, for example, how pages are ordered to form chapters. It describes the types, versions, relationships and other characteristics of digital materials.

• Administrative metadata — the information to help manage a resource, like resource type, permissions, and when and how it was created.

• Reference metadata — the information about the contents and quality of statistical data.

• Statistical metadata, also called process data, may describe processes that collect, process, or produce statistical data.

• Legal metadata — provides information about the creator, copyright holder, and public licensing, if provided.

Metadata is not strictly bounded to one of these categories, as it can describe a piece of data in many other ways.

In Popular Culture

One of the first satirical examinations of the concept of Metadata as we understand it today is American Science Fiction author Hal Draper's short story, MS Fnd in a Lbry (1961). Here, the knowledge of all Mankind is condensed into an object the size of a desk drawer, however the magnitude of the metadata (e.g. catalog of catalogs of... , as well as indexes and histories) eventually leads to dire yet humorous consequence for the human race. The story prefigures the modern consequences of allowing metadata to become more important than the real data it is concerned with, and the risks inherent in that eventuality as a cautionary tale.

Administration and Management

Storage

Metadata can be stored either internally, in the same file or structure as the data (this is also called embedded metadata), or externally, in a separate file or field from the described data. A data repository typically stores the metadata detached from the data, but can be designed to support embedded metadata approaches. Each option has advantages and disadvantages:

• Internal storage means metadata always travels as part of the data they describe; thus, metadata is always available with the data, and can be manipulated locally. This method creates redundancy (precluding normalization), and does not allow managing all of a system's metadata in one place. It arguably increases consistency, since the metadata is readily changed whenever the data is changed.

• External storage allows collocating metadata for all the contents, for example in a database, for more efficient searching and management. Redundancy can be avoided by normalizing the metadata's organization. In this approach, metadata can be united with the content when information is transferred, for example in Streaming media; or can be referenced (for example, as a web link) from the transferred content. On the down side, the division of the metadata from the data content, especially in standalone files that refer to their source metadata elsewhere, increases the opportunities for misalignments between the two, as changes to either may not be reflected in the other.

Metadata can be stored in either human-readable or binary form. Storing metadata in a human-readable format such as XML can be useful because users can understand and edit it without specialized tools. However, text-based formats are rarely optimized for storage capacity, communication time, or processing speed. A binary metadata format enables efficiency in all these respects, but requires special software to convert the binary information into human-readable content.

Database management

Each relational database system has its own mechanisms for storing metadata. Examples of relational-database metadata include:

• Tables of all tables in a database, their names, sizes, and number of rows in each table.

• Tables of columns in each database, what tables they are used in, and the type of data stored in each column.

In database terminology, this set of metadata is referred to as the catalog. The SQL standard specifies a uniform means to access the catalog, called the information schema, but not all databases implement it, even if they implement other aspects of the SQL standard. For an example of database-specific metadata access methods, see Oracle metadata. Programmatic access to metadata is possible using APIs such as JDBC, or SchemaCrawler.

Definition

Metadata means "data about data". Although the "meta" prefix means "after" or "beyond", it is used to mean "about" in epistemology. Metadata is defined as the data providing information about one or more aspects of the data; it is used to summarize basic information about data which can make tracking and working with specific data easier. Some examples include:

• Means of creation of the data

• Purpose of the data

• Time and date of creation

• Creator or author of the data

• Location on a computer network where the data was created

• Standards used

• File size

• Data quality

• Source of the data

• Process used to create the data

For example, a digital image may include metadata that describes the size of the image, its color depth, resolution, when it was created, the shutter speed, and other data. A text document's metadata may contain information about how long the document is, who the author is, when the document was written, and a short summary of the document. Metadata within web pages can also contain descriptions of page content, as well as key words linked to the content. These links are often called "Metatags", which were used as the primary factor in determining order for a web search until the late 1990s.[14] The reliance of metatags in web searches was decreased in the late 1990s because of "keyword stuffing".[14] Metatags were being largely misused to trick search engines into thinking some websites had more relevance in the search than they really did.

Metadata can be stored and managed in a database, often called a metadata registry or metadata repository. However, without context and a point of reference, it might be impossible to identify metadata just by looking at it. For example: by itself, a database containing several numbers, all 13 digits long could be the results of calculations or a list of numbers to plug into an equation - without any other context, the numbers themselves can be perceived as the data. But if given the context that this database is a log of a book collection, those 13-digit numbers may now be identified as ISBNs - information that refers to the book, but is not itself the information within the book. The term "metadata" was coined in 1968 by Philip Bagley, in his book "Extension of Programming Language Concepts" where it is clear that he uses the term in the ISO 11179 "traditional" sense, which is "structural metadata" i.e. "data about the containers of data"; rather than the alternative sense "content about individual instances of data content" or metacontent, the type of data usually found in library catalogues. Since then the fields of information management, information science, information technology, librarianship, and GIS have widely adopted the term. In these fields the word metadata is defined as "data about data". While this is the generally accepted definition, various disciplines have adopted their own more specific explanation and uses of the term.

Slate reported in 2013 that the United States government's interpretation of "metadata" could be broad, and might include message content such as the subject lines of emails.

Universal Music aims to make $$ in the metaverse with NFTs of its artists

Universal Music Group has struck a partnership with NFT platform Curio to develop non-fungible token (NFT) collections for its record labels and artists, the companies said on Thursday.

The deal is a major move into a potentially new revenue stream by the world’s largest music company, which, like its rivals, depends heavily on streaming music for its financial survival.

Universal Music said it plans to work with Curio to develop digital artwork and other collectibles for the company and its artists. Curio also will serve as an online outlet where fans can buy officially licensed NFTs, starting in March with collaboration from Capitol Music Group and the British singer-songwriter Calum Scott.

Michael Nash, Universal Music Group’s executive vice president of digital strategy, said NFTs and Web3, the coming generation of the internet built on blockchain technology, present an opportunity for labels and artists to create unique digital products for fans at a time when streaming has made access to music ubiquitous.

“We have an opportunity, with Web3, to have ownership on top of access,” Nash told Reuters in an interview. NFTs are unique data files that can be music, art and more.

“With all the innovation happening around Web3 and NFTs, you’ve got the opportunity to make all kinds of digital products available that provide that ownership … And you have technologically enforced scarcity, so you can appeal to collectors,” Nash said.

Universal has been actively exploring ways to capitalize on the growing popularity of digital collectibles, going so far as to form a music group, Kingship, made up entirely of simian characters from the NFT brand Bored Ape Yacht Club. The animated apes, which live as unique items on the digital blockchain, have become coveted prizes for Hollywood celebrities and other collectors.

In Curio, Universal found an executive well acquainted with its business as co-founder and co-Chief Executive Officer Ben Arnon previously worked at Universal Music Group. One of Curio’s advisors, Marc Geiger, is the former head of music at William Morris Endeavor talent agency.

The partnership represents a milestone for Curio, which was founded in 2020 and dropped its first NFT last February. The company has subsequently released more than 75,000 digital collectibles working with music, films and television industry partners.

Universal already has been making moves in the metaverse, going so far as to form a music group, Kingship, made up entirely of simian characters from the NFT brand Bored Ape Yacht Club, seen above.

The platform features NFTs inspired by Neil Gaiman’s “American Gods” television series and Universal Pictures’ 2010 cult classic “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.”

Arnon told Reuters he built its NFT marketplace so it would be accessible to mainstream consumers, including those who have never used cryptocurrency.

A look into the recent collaboration of Universal Music Group and Curionf.com to create collections of NFTs for the labels and artisites under the company.

Whitney Houston NFT in The BOOK OF POP

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. She is one of the most awarded and best-selling recording artists of all time, with over 200 million records sold worldwide. Houston released seven studio albums and two soundtrack albums, all of which have been certified from gold to diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Known for her powerful and soulful vocals, Houston has influenced many singers in popular music. She is the only artist to have had seven consecutive number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, from "Saving All My Love for You" in 1985 to "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" in 1988.

Houston began singing in church as a child and became a background vocalist while in high school. She was one of the first black women to appear on the cover of Seventeen after becoming a teen model in 1981. With the guidance of Arista Records chairman Clive Davis, Houston signed to the label at age 19. Her first two studio albums, Whitney Houston (1985) and Whitney (1987), both peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and are among the best-selling albums of all time. She became the first female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 with her second studio album. Houston's third studio album, I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990), was certified quintuple platinum by the RIAA and yielded two Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles: "I'm Your Baby Tonight" and "All the Man That I Need".

Houston made her acting debut with the romantic thriller film The Bodyguard (1992). She recorded six songs for the film's soundtrack album, including "I Will Always Love You" which won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and became the best-selling physical single by a female in music history, with sales of over 20 million copies worldwide. The soundtrack for The Bodyguard won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and remains the best-selling soundtrack album of all time, with global sales of over 45 million copies. Houston starred and recorded soundtracks for two other high-profile films, Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher's Wife (1996). Soundtrack of The Preacher's Wife became the best-selling gospel album of all time and scored hit singles with "I Believe In You And Me" and "Step by Step". Houston is credited as the music producer of the album. As a film producer, she produced multicultural movies including Cinderella (1997) and series including The Princess Diaries and The Cheetah Girls.

Houston's first studio album in eight years, My Love Is Your Love (1998), sold millions and spawned several hit singles, including "Heartbreak Hotel", "It's Not Right but It's Okay" and "My Love Is Your Love". Following the success, she renewed her contract with Arista for $100 million – one of the biggest recording deals of all time. However, her personal problems began overshadowing her career and the 2002 studio album, Just Whitney, received mixed reviews. Her drug use and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown received widespread media coverage. After a six-year break from recording, Houston returned to the top of the Billboard 200 chart with her final studio album, I Look to You (2009). On February 11, 2012, Houston accidentally drowned in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, with heart disease and cocaine use as contributing factors. News of her death coincided with the 2012 Grammy Awards and was covered internationally.

Houston was certified as the best-selling female R&B artist of the 20th century by the RIAA. She also sold more physical singles than any other female solo artist in history. Houston’s accolades include two Emmy Awards, eight Grammy Awards (including Record and Album of the year wins), 14 World Music Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards and 22 American Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020. In 1997, the Franklin School in East Orange, New Jersey was renamed to The Whitney E. Houston Academy School of Creative and Performing Arts. Houston was named as one of the 100 greatest singers of all time by Rolling Stone. She was also ranked by VH1 among the "Top 100 Greatest Artists of All Time" and the "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons of All Time". Houston's entrance into the music industry is considered one of the "25 musical milestones of the last 25 years", according to the USA Today in 2007. Referring to her vocal talent, Houston has often been dubbed "The Voice" by the media.