Fetching Metadata

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You're probably used to sticking a disc into iTunes and always seeing the proper album name, artist names, and track names automatically just "show up". The info is just always there, as if it comes with the disc. This info is called "meta data", and is not in fact included on the CD itself. The data is stored "in the cloud". For kJams, typically the data is found automatically on a service called "freedb", but sometimes, nobody has entered the data, so there is none there, or the disc "looks like" another, so you get wrong data (see this FAQ). The reason it's always on iTunes is because they automatically use a service called "Gracenote": a paid, commercial, professionally curated database. kJams however automatically uses a service called "freedb", which is a free, open-source, user-created database (like Wikipedia), so the data may or may not be there (or may not be correct).

If the correct data is NOT there

In the following list, you will use kJams and go to the Advanced menu, and try each of the "Get CD Tracks From..." menu items in turn. If, when you try one, you are presented with a list of choices, try each choice, until one of them is the correct one!

  1. Try "freedb", it may have more choices
  2. Try MuzicBrainz
  3. Now Try "GraceNote". Note that this will ask for a small, optional donation, since the service is not free. They have a much more comprehensive meta-database for music CDs, however, they often do not stay as current with more recent Karaoke titles.
  4. The last thing to try is KayJayPro™, which is a pre-paid service ($7 to look up as many discs as you wish, for one month), the good news being they specifically try to keep up with all new karaoke releases, so this is your best bet.
  5. Only if all else fails, you must enter the data manually.

Note that after you get the data from anyplace except freedb, please "Submit" it to the freedb (Advanced->Submit CD Tracks to freedb), so that others may benefit from your work.