Catalog import (metadata)

Import is the metadata path. You paste a streaming URL (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, SoundCloud) and Patchline pulls what the streaming platform exposes — title, artist, cover art, ISRC, release date, duration. That’s it. Audio doesn’t come over via import — streaming platforms only give us metadata, not the master file. Import limits vary by plan — see pricing.

Import vs upload

Mode	What lands in Patchline
Import (this page)	Metadata only — title, artist, cover art, ISRC, release date, duration. No audio file, no AI caption.
Upload	The audio file itself. Unlocks AI captioning, the Music Store, smart links, asset shares, and full Aria reasoning on your master.

Import then upload — that’s the recommended path. Import gets the metadata in fast so Patchline knows your full catalog exists. Upload the audio for the tracks you want to act on — that’s what unlocks the rest of the product. If you only want intelligence and don’t plan to sell or AI-caption, import alone is fine.

How to import

Option A — Paste a URL into Aria

Easiest path. Aria’s analyze_url tool resolves any supported streaming URL to its canonical identity and either imports it or asks for confirmation.

Option B — Use the Catalog UI

Sidebar → Catalog → Import button (top right) → paste the URL into the dialog → click Import. The track’s metadata appears in the catalog list within a few seconds. To unlock AI captioning, smart links, and the Music Store for that track, upload the audio next.

Option C — MCP tool call (for AI agents)

# Aria's analyze_url is the universal dispatcher — it figures out whether
# the URL is a track, album, EP, artist, or playlist, and returns the
# canonical identity plus a ranked list of follow-up tool calls.

What gets imported

Import pulls only the metadata the streaming platform makes public:

Field	Source
Title	Streaming platform
Artist(s)	Streaming platform
ISRC	Streaming platform
Cover art	Streaming platform
Release date	Streaming platform
Duration	Streaming platform

What import does not give you:

The audio file
AI captions
Music Store listings, smart links, asset shares for the track

For those, upload the audio once the track is in your catalog. The metadata import + audio upload paths combine into one catalog row per ISRC. For an album/EP URL, Patchline imports the metadata for every track in the release (counts as several catalog imports).

Supported URL types

Platform	Track URL	Album URL	Artist URL	Playlist URL
Spotify	✅	✅	✅ (via `add_artist`)	⚠️ for analysis only, not imported
Apple Music	✅	✅	✅	—
YouTube	✅	—	✅ (channel URL)	✅ (read-only)
SoundCloud	✅	✅	✅	—
TikTok	⚠️ artist-only	—	✅	—
Instagram	⚠️ artist-only	—	✅	—

Artist URLs add the artist to your roster and trigger an artist-intelligence refresh — they don’t import all of the artist’s catalog automatically.

Deduplication

Patchline deduplicates by ISRC first, then by its internal catalog identity. If you import the same track twice — once via Spotify URL, once via Apple URL — Patchline merges them into a single catalog entry and updates the metadata with whatever was missing. If you’ve already uploaded a track via file and then import the same track via streaming URL, Patchline keeps the master audio (from the upload) and augments it with the streaming-platform identifiers.

Catalog import never overwrites master audio. If you’ve uploaded a WAV master and the import resolves to the same ISRC, your master stays. Streaming-platform metadata is added but the master remains the source of truth.

Examples

Import a single

You: Import this track for me.
https://open.spotify.com/track/4iV5W9uYEdYUVa79Axb7Rh

Aria: Metadata imported. "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen — ISRC
GBUM71029604 — added to your catalog. Upload the audio when you're
ready to AI-caption it or list it on your Music Store.

Import an album

You: Import this album.
https://open.spotify.com/album/4LH4d3cOWNNsVw41Gqt2kv

Aria: Imported metadata for 12 tracks from "The Dark Side of the
Moon" by Pink Floyd. It's now in your catalog.
Want me to walk you through uploading the audio for one of them so
you can list it on your Music Store?

Import all of an artist’s catalog (advanced)

You: Import every release by Mira on Spotify.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/...

Aria: Mira has 24 releases (3 albums, 2 EPs, 19 singles) = 47 tracks
total. That's a lot of imports. Want me to:
  1. Import everything
  2. Import just the 3 albums
  3. Import just the most recent 12 singles

How it works

Aria’s analyze_url tool inspects the URL pattern and resolves it against the right platform API (Spotify Web API for open.spotify.com, Apple Music API for music.apple.com, etc.).
Track metadata is fetched, normalized to Patchline’s schema, and saved to your workspace catalog.
Patchline updates the user-scoped search view used by catalog search. Deduplication runs before the track appears in your catalog.
The track appears in your catalog as a metadata-only row. The AI-readable caption and Music Store listing are not generated on import — they run only when you upload the audio.

Upload a track (file) — when you want the master in Patchline
AI-discoverable tracks — what runs after you upload the audio
Catalog search — semantic search across imported tracks
Artist roster — add artists by URL, separate flow

FAQ

Does importing a track actually move my audio?

No. Import references the streaming version. Your master stays wherever you originally distributed it. If you want Patchline to hold your master, upload it instead.

What if the same track is on Spotify with one ISRC and on Apple with a different one?

Most labels distribute the same ISRC to both. If they don’t (rare), Patchline treats them as separate catalog entries until you manually merge them in the UI.

Can I bulk-import a CSV of URLs?

Not from the dashboard UI today. From Aria: paste a list and ask “import these all.” For Enterprise customers with thousands of URLs, the REST API supports batch import — contact support.

What happens if the streaming URL goes 404?

The catalog entry stays. Patchline marks the source as unavailable and keeps the metadata already imported.

Can I undo an import?

Yes. Catalog list → track row → ⋯ → Delete. Lifetime import usage does not reset after deletion.

Does import work for unreleased tracks?

Only if the unreleased track has an unlisted streaming URL (very uncommon). For unreleased work, upload the file instead — that’s the canonical path.

​Import vs upload

​How to import

​Option A — Paste a URL into Aria

​Option B — Use the Catalog UI

​Option C — MCP tool call (for AI agents)

​What gets imported

​Supported URL types

​Deduplication

​Examples

​Import a single

​Import an album

​Import all of an artist’s catalog (advanced)

​How it works

​Related features

​FAQ

Import vs upload

How to import

Option A — Paste a URL into Aria

Option B — Use the Catalog UI

Option C — MCP tool call (for AI agents)

What gets imported

Supported URL types

Deduplication

Examples

Import a single

Import an album

Import all of an artist’s catalog (advanced)

How it works

Related features

FAQ