Categories (formerly called Tags) are a user-defined way of organizing tracks in your Live365 library. Categories can help to make searching your Library and building Playlists and Clockwheels easier.
What are Categories?
Categories are a Live365-internal way of labeling tracks in your Library. Track Categories (formerly called Tags) are different from Types: Categories are customizable and user-defined, whereas track Types are static, defined by Live365. A track can have multiple Categories, but it can only have one track Type. (Read more about Types here.) You can use the flexible Live365 Categories feature to organize your library in many ways. Here are some common ways to organize your library:
- By genre - Probably the most popular way to organize your library if your station intends to play more than one genre of music. Some examples include rock, pop, gospel, classical, etc.
- By decade - You might have songs from different decades. Use Categories like -'70s, -'80s, -'90s, etc. This can help you build decade-centric Playlists.
- By mood - Categorize your tracks as “upbeat”, “chill”, “happy”, “fierce”... These Categories can help your make smoother transitions in your Playlists by matching tracks for the mood they convey.
- By upload date - Categorize by year or month that the Track was uploaded. When you run low on room in your library, delete the oldest tracks and add some new tracks.
- By language - This might not be applicable for most stations, but if you have multiple tracks in Japanese or Spanish, for example, it would make the foreign tracks easier to recognize.
- By popularity - Create codes for recent hits and timeless tracks so that you can work the biggest hits into your Playlists regularly. You can read more about that kind of library coding here: https://live365.com/blog/coding-a-music-library/
You can have more than one Category per track, for example something can be categorized as “'90s”, “rock,” and “upbeat” at the same time.
Why do I need Categories?
Categories make it easier for you to search your library. They also help in Playlist and Clockwheel creation. Categories can help you rotate new songs into your library as well.
You can use the Filter menu (pictured above) in the Tracks tab to search your library for songs that have a specific Category, or number of Categories simultaneously.
How do I make Categories?
Create Categories by selecting Media > Categories, from the Navigation Bar, as shown below.
In the Categories pane, enter a descriptive name for your Category. You can also select a color for your Category, but that is optional.
Once you have clicked the “Add” button, your Category will appear in the Category pane. You can edit or delete a Category using the icons on the right. Editing a Category will change the Category for all of the tracks currently labeled with that Category.
You can add Categories and Types while uploading tracks to your Library.
Once you have created Categories, you can upload songs and add Categories in the same step if you are using the Live365 track upload feature.
Once your tracks have uploaded, click on the "Categorize these tracks” button. All of the songs currently in the upload window will be updated with the Type and Categories that you choose in the window displayed below:
All of the tracks in the upload window will be Tagged simultaneously. In general, we recommend that you upload batches of similar tracks to make use of this feature.
How do I bulk-adjust track Categories?
If you did not add Categories when you uploaded the tracks, don’t worry! It’s not too late! You can add Categories to your tracks at any time. Select Media > Tracks from the Navigation Bar.
Use the checkboxes in the column on the left to select tracks. All of the tracks that you select will receive the same Category.
Once you have selected tracks, use the Category drop-down menu at the top of the pane to choose a Category for the selected tracks.
Choose a Category (or multiple Categories) for the selected tracks, or create a new Category by typing in the textbox, then hitting "enter ↩” on your keyboard to create it. Click the “Apply Categories” button to add the Categories to all of the selected tracks.