How to submit your track list to Gracenote using iTunes/Apple Music

Now that you've got your album finished you may be asking yourself, "how to get your track list submitted to Gracenote for iTunes?" Or perhaps, maybe you hadn't thought of it? You want your fans to know who you are, the name of your album, and song titles right!? The good news is it's simple! Here's how to do it;

What you see when you put a CD in your computer and open up iTunes/Apple Music is not actually embedded in the CD itself. iTunes/Apple Music reads from on online database called Gracenote. You can submit your CD's information to the Gracenote database straight from your own computer. It differs slightly for the various versions of iTunes/Apple Music.

1. Using iTunes (macOS or Windows)

Historically, iTunes has been one of the easiest methods for submitting new or corrected CD track info to Gracenote. While Apple has been transitioning to the Music app on more recent macOS versions, iTunes is still available on Windows (and on older macOS) and continues to use Gracenote.

1. Insert the CD

   • Open iTunes, then insert your audio CD. iTunes should automatically detect the CD and attempt to retrieve any track info from Gracenote.

2. Enter or Edit the Track Details

   • If iTunes does not find matching data in Gracenote, or the data it finds is incorrect or incomplete, you can manually enter the correct artist, album name, track titles, etc.
   • To do this, select the tracks, right-click (or use the menu bar) to choose Get Info (Windows) or Get Info (macOS), then fill in or correct the metadata fields.

3. Submit Track Info

   • Once you’ve entered all the details, look for the “Submit CD Track Names” option. Depending on your version of iTunes, you may find this in:
     • Advanced menu > Submit CD Track Names (older iTunes versions), or
     • File > Library > Submit CD Track Names (newer versions).
   • Click that option to send your updated metadata to Gracenote.

4. Confirmation

   • iTunes will briefly show a progress or confirmation dialog. That means your submission was sent to Gracenote.
   • Note: It can take several days (sometimes weeks) for Gracenote to process and incorporate the submission into the main database.

2. Using the Music app (macOS Catalina and later)

If you’re on a newer version of macOS (Catalina or later), you no longer have a standalone iTunes application; instead, there is the Music app. Apple Music on macOS still uses Gracenote for CD recognition, and the process is similar:

1. Open Music App and Insert CD

   • The Music app will automatically read the CD and attempt to retrieve album details.

2. Edit Metadata

   • If the data is incorrect or unavailable, click on a track (or select multiple tracks), choose Get Info, and fill in the correct album, artist, and track names.

3. Submit Data

   • After editing, look in the Menu Bar (the exact naming varies by version). You may find a Library or File menu option that says Submit CD Track Names. Select it to send updates to Gracenote.

4. Await Database Update

   • Again, Gracenote takes some time to validate and update their main database.

3. Other Media Applications

While iTunes (or the Music app) is by far the most common way people submit corrections, there are other tools and programs that incorporate Gracenote. Most commercial applications that have a “powered by Gracenote” mention will either automatically submit metadata or give you an option to do so. The process is typically:

1. Insert your CD.
2. Edit or fill in the track details if missing or incorrect.
3. Use the software’s “Submit” or “Send Track Info” feature if available.

4. Label or Publisher Direct Submissions

If you represent a music label, distributor, or publisher, you might be eligible for a direct submission account with Gracenote. This is a more formal route for bulk or professional submissions. Details on how to become a direct partner can be found on the Gracenote website under their “Music” solutions or “Contact” pages. This is typically not for one-off personal submissions.

Tips & Troubleshooting

• Make sure the metadata is correct and complete (including track numbers, disc number if part of a set, album artist vs. track artist if relevant). Incomplete or inconsistent data can cause confusion in the database.
• Only audio CDs are recognized by the standard CD lookup; data CDs (MP3 discs, etc.) will not trigger a Gracenote query in iTunes or Music.
• No immediate changes: Don’t be surprised if your submission doesn’t appear in the database right away. It may take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for Gracenote to process.
• Check for an existing match: Always let iTunes/Music try to fetch data first. If an album is already recognized but is incorrect, correct it and re-submit. That helps Gracenote refine data for the next user.