Importing your catalog

Open Import from the Library header (or the last step of setup). There are three ways in, and you can use all of them, in any order:

Spreadsheet

Songs, writers and splits from Excel or CSV: your own sheets or any publisher's or administrator's export.

Audio files

A folder of demos and masters, matched to your songs by file name.

Past deliveries from Gmail

Songs your writers emailed before Catalyst. See Bring in past deliveries from Gmail.

Import a spreadsheet#

1. 1Step 1: Go to Import → Spreadsheet and drop in an .xlsx or .csv file (up to 100 MB). Older .xls files need saving as .xlsx or CSV first.
2. 2Step 2: Catalyst reads the file and proposes how it's laid out and what each column holds. Check the Layout, the header row, and which sheets to include.
3. 3Step 3: Under Columns, confirm what each column holds. Set anything you don't need to Don't import.
4. 4Step 4: Review the preview: which songs will be created, updated, left unchanged or skipped, and which writers are new. Nothing has changed yet.
5. 5Step 5: Choose Import. It runs in the background, so you can leave the page. When it's done, open the Library or download the report.

One row per song, or one row per writer share

Spreadsheets come in two shapes, and Catalyst handles both. Your own sheet probably has one row per song, with writers in a column or in numbered columns (“Writer 1”, “Writer 1 %”…). Administrator exports, like Warner Chappell's, usually have one row per writer share: the same song repeated on several rows, one writer each.

In a per-share file, consecutive rows with the same title (and date) are one song, until a writer repeats or the shares reach 100%. A row with a blank title continues the song above it. Songs that appear on more than one sheet are imported once.

Cleanup Catalyst does for you

• Repairs garbled characters from old exports, so “DON‚ÄôT” becomes “DON’T”.
• Turns “Last, First” names into “First Last” and re-cases ALL-CAPS names.
• Fixes ALL-CAPS titles by default. Under title capitals you can instead capitalise every title or keep them as written.
• Reads dates in either order. If your file's dates are ambiguous (03/04/2024), choose Month first (US) or Day first.

Saved mappings

If you import the same kind of file regularly, name the source (“Warner Chappell export”) and leave Remember these columns ticked. The next file with the same headers is mapped for you, and Catalyst tells you the choices came from your saved mapping.

When a column header isn't obvious, Catalyst asks the AI to suggest what it holds, using the headers and up to ten sample rows. Every suggestion is shown for you to confirm.

Matching songs and writers

Rows are matched to songs already in your catalog by title, checked against the writers and the date written, so two different songs with the same title stay separate. Writers are matched by IPI, then name, then Also known as names, then nickname or legal name.

When a name looks like one of your writers but isn't an exact match (a typo, an initial, a different spelling), Catalyst lists it as a Possible match for you to accept or reject. Until you accept, it's treated as a new writer. Accepted spellings are added to that writer's Also known as, so next time it matches on its own.

Songs already in your catalog

Choose what the import does to songs you already have:

Fill in blanks only

The default. Adds what's missing (DOC, ISWC, lyrics, alternate titles, notes, and splits on a song with none) and never changes what's there.

Publisher of record

For your administrator's official export. Its writers and splits replace the song's, and the old splits are noted on the song. A differing DOC is noted, not overwritten.

A share the file doesn't give is saved as 0%, so the song appears under Incomplete splits for you to finish. An import never changes a song's status.

The report

Download a CSV report from the import at any point. Before you import, it's the preview (what would be created and updated); afterwards, it's the result, with a link to every song. Each song an import touches carries an “imported” entry in its History naming the file and who confirmed it.

Import a folder of audio#

1. 1Step 1: Go to Import → Audio files and drop a folder (or choose one). Only audio files are used; system files like .DS_Store are ignored.
2. 2Step 2: Catalyst matches each file to a song by its name, instantly and before anything uploads.
3. 3Step 3: Check the review table. Each file shows the song it matched, its version type and label, and a status. Fix any row with the song picker, choose New song, or Skip it.
4. 4Step 4: Start the upload. Files upload three at a time; keep the tab open until it's done. You can move around Catalyst meanwhile.

How file names are read. Track numbers (“01 –”), dates, version words (“WORK TAPE”, “_WT”, “MASTER”, “v2”, “24bit”) and trailing notes like “FINAL” are set aside, and what's left is matched against your titles and alternate titles, forgiving small differences (“Lookin'” and “Looking”, “&” and “and”). If a file is just called demo.wav, the folder it's in names the song.

Matched

One song fits. It'll be added as a new version of that song.

Pick one

Several songs share the title, or a near-identical title was found. Choose the right one; Catalyst never guesses.

New song

No match. Choose New songs for all unmatched to create them in one go, or pick a song.

Duplicate

The same audio is already in your catalog (or appears twice in the folder). Skipped by default; you can include it anyway.

The version type follows the same rule as deliveries: Work Tape if the name (or a folder like Work Tapes/) says so, a named type such as Master if it says that, otherwise Demo. Each uploaded file is processed and analysed for BPM and key like any other upload.

Google Drive#

Importing straight from Google Drive isn't available yet. For now, download the folder from Drive and use Audio files.