ID3

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File Format
Name ID3
Ontology
LoCFDD fdd000106, fdd000107, fdd000108
Released 1996

ID3, or ID3 tag, is a metadata format, used in MP3 audio files. It stores information such as the song title, artist, and album.

Contents

Format details

There are two major versions. ID3v1 defines a fixed-length data block that is always placed at the end of the file. ID3v2, which has very little in common with ID3v1, defines a block with variable-length frames and allows more flexibility and verbosity. ID3v2 data usually appears at the beginning of the file. It is possible, and common, for a file to have both ID3v1 and ID3v2 metadata.

As of 2017, it seems there are essentially three versions of ID3v2 to be aware of: v2.2.x, v2.3.x, and v2.4.x. These formats have some critical differences, and are definitely not compatible with each other.

Identification

An MP3 file with an ID3v2 tag usually begins with ASCII "ID3".

For an MP3 file with an ID3v1 tag, ASCII "TAG" appears beginning 128 bytes from the end of the file.

Specifications

Software

[Ed. note: There are many utilities that can read and write ID3 tags, including Windows Explorer to some extent. We suggest searching the web.]

Resources

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