MusicBrainz

Business Profile

Core Value Proposition

MusicBrainz provides an open, community-maintained music metadata encyclopedia and database that collects music metadata and makes it publicly available under open licenses.

Target Customer

General music fans and contributors; developers building MusicBrainz-enabled applications; artists and record labels; commercial data users needing music metadata via licensing and live data feeds.

Key Differentiator

Open, community-driven metadata with data released primarily under CC0 (public domain) and the option for commercial licensing, plus available APIs and live data feeds for integration.

Implementation Timeline

Not specified in the provided content

Pain Points

1Reliance on proprietary music metadata and licensing models (historical CDDB/Gracenote context mentioned)
2Need for a reliable, unambiguous form of music identification and metadata that is freely accessible
3Desire for open access to metadata for tagging, development, and commercial use

Key Features

1MusicBrainz Database and open encyclopedia of music metadata
2MusicBrainz API and developer resources for building applications
3Live Data Feed for commercial data replication
4MusicBrainz Picard and other tagging/tagging tools (e.g., Mp3tag, Yate, etc.)
5License options: majority CC0 data and Creative Commons licensed data; commercial licensing available

Target Customer Industries

Client Results

1Access to music metadata that can be downloaded and used for free
2Open licenses allow broad reuse and potential commercial licensing of data
3Tools and APIs enable integration into applications and tagging workflows
4Support for tagging music files via tools like Picard

Competitive Advantages

1Open data licensing (majority CC0) enabling free use and broad reuse
2Community-maintained, open-source model
3No storage of music recordings; focuses on metadata only
4APIs, live data feeds, and tagging tools support integration and workflows
5Commercial licensing option for data

Key Benefits

1Free access to open music metadata

2Open licensing (CC0 majority) with commercial licensing available

3APIs and live data feed for developers and commercial use

4Tagging tools like Picard to improve music file metadata

5Community-driven data collection and contribution

Additional Product Information

Product Description

An open music encyclopedia and database that collects music metadata and makes it publicly available, with supporting tools (Tagging apps, API, live data feed) and licensing options.

Target Market

General public (music fans and contributors), developers, artists/labels, and commercial data users needing music metadata

Unique Value Proposition

Open, community-driven metadata with open licenses that enables broad reuse and reliable music identification across products and platforms

Technical Requirements

Usage via XML web service and development libraries; Live Data Feed for replication; data licensing under CC0/CC BY-NC-SA; internet access for APIs and feeds

Pricing Model

Majority data is released into the Public Domain and free to download; data is available for commercial licensing

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