---
title: Music metadata
layout: ../../layouts/MainLayout.astro
---

import { MiniRepl } from '../../docs/MiniRepl';
import { JsDoc } from '../../docs/JsDoc';

# Music metadata

You can optionally add some music metadata in your Strudel code, by using tags in code comments:

```js
// @title Hey Hoo
// @by Sam Tagada
// @license CC BY-NC-SA
```

Like other comments, those are ignored by Strudel, but it can be used by other tools to retrieve some information about the music.

It is for instance used by the [swatch tool](https://github.com/tidalcycles/strudel/tree/main/my-patterns) to display pattern titles in the [examples page](https://strudel.tidalcycles.org/examples/).

## Alternative syntax

You can also use comment blocks:

```js
/*
@title Hey Hoo
@by Sam Tagada
@license CC BY-NC-SA
*/
```

Or define multiple tags in one line:

```js
// @title Hey Hoo @by Sam Tagada @license CC BY-NC-SA
```

The `title` tag has an alternative syntax using quotes (must be defined at the very begining):

```js
// "Hey Hoo" @by Sam Tagada
```

## Tags list

Available tags are:

- `@title`: music title
- `@by`: music author(s), separated by comma, eventually followed with a link in `<>` (ex: `@by John Doe <https://example.com>`)
- `@license`: music license(s)
- `@details`: some additional information about the music
- `@url`: web page(s) related to the music (git repo, soundcloud link, etc.)
- `@genre`: music genre(s) (pop, jazz, etc)
- `@album`: music album name

## Multiple values

Some of them accepts several values, using the comma or new line separator, or duplicating the tag:

```js
/*
@by Sam Tagada
    Jimmy
@genre pop, jazz
@url https://example.com
@url https://example.org
*/
```

You can also add optional prefixes and use tags where you want:

```js
/*
song @by Sam Tagada
samples @by Jimmy
*/
...
note("a3 c#4 e4 a4") // @by Sandy
```

## Multiline

If a tag doesn't accept a list, it can take multi-line values:

```js
/*
@details I wrote this song in February 19th, 2023.
         It was around midnight and I was lying on
         the sofa in the living room.
*/
```
