In this article

You'll learn how to:

• use Playlists as the foundation of your library
• build a Channel and folder structure around your playlists
• use track and playlist tags to add searchable depth
• use color indicators to make key information visible at a glance
• apply these principles across different industry workflows

Start with playlists

Playlists are the foundation of how files are organized in DISCO. Think of a playlist as the equivalent of a folder for your files - it is where tracks live, where you shape the listening experience, and where sharing happens. An album, a shortlist, a pitch package, a client delivery, a promo asset collection - all of these are playlists.

The important distinction from cloud storage systems like Dropbox or Google Drive - where the same file would need to be uploaded multiple times to appear in multiple folders - is that in DISCO a single track can live in as many playlists or Channels as you like without duplicating the file. Any update to a track - metadata, artwork, a replaced file - applies everywhere that track appears automatically.

Before building any Channel structure, get your files into playlists. See the Upload files article to get started.

Use Channels and folders to organize playlists into structure

Once you have playlists, Channels give them a home. Think of Channels as the broad shelf, folders as the labeled sections on that shelf, and playlists as the actual packages of work you open, share, and act on.

A common instinct is to drop tracks directly into Channels and treat them like Dropbox folders. This makes your library harder to navigate, harder to share, and harder to report on. Tracks belong in playlists. Playlists belong in Channels.

A common mistake is creating too many top-level Channels too early. A small number of broad Channels that reflect major areas of work is usually better than many specific ones:

• Catalog
• Active projects
• Pitch Log
• New releases
• Archive

Inside those Channels, use folders and subfolders to create more detail only where you need it - an artist folder inside Catalog, an episode folder inside a TV project, a monthly folder inside New Releases.

Some strong Channel structures for different kinds of work:

• a catalog Channel organized into artist or composer folders
• a current projects Channel with folders for each film, show, campaign, or album rollout
• a releases-by-month Channel with weekly folders inside
• an archive Channel for older work you still want to keep accessible

Use tags and color indicators to add depth

Channels and folders show you where something belongs. Tags tell you what it is and connect it to everything related - across folders, Channels, and time.

Track tags

Track tags describe the music itself - genre, mood, instrumentation, energy, lyrical themes, internal flags like "do not pitch", or approval status. They power search and help your team understand a track at a glance without opening it.

Some track tags should stay private. You can control tag visibility so internal notes do not appear in client-facing areas like Catalogs or shared playlists.

If you use the Discovery Suite, DISCO's auto-tagging adds descriptive track tags quickly - a significant time-saver when working with large catalogs.

Playlist tags

Playlist tags can describe the music inside a playlist - but they can also describe the context around it, which is where most people don't think to use them. Tagging by client name, project, media type, territory, or internal workflow flag means a single search or report can pull all related playlists together instantly, regardless of where they live in your structure.

This is what makes playlist tags so powerful for reporting. A pitch to the same client might produce several playlists across different Channels over months. Tag them all consistently and they become a coherent record. See the Pitch tracking and reports article for how this works in practice.

When to use folders vs tags

Use folders when you want to show where something belongs in your overall structure. Use tags when you want to describe, connect, or filter across that structure. If you find yourself wanting to place the same playlist in several different conceptual buckets, that is usually a sign that tags will do the job better than more folders.

Color indicators

Color indicators are one of the easiest ways to make a busy DISCO more readable - marking team favorites, highlighting tracks linked to a specific client, showing approval or clearance status, or signaling "do not pitch" at a glance.

Keep the system simple. A small, consistent visual language works better than trying to color-code everything.

Example organization setups

Rights holders, labels, publishers, and managers

Create a main Catalog Channel with folders for each artist, composer, or producer. Store album playlists, asset playlists, and pitch playlists inside those folders. Keep a separate Pitch Log Channel and an Active Projects Channel so day-to-day work stays separate from the core catalog.

Artists, producers, and composers

One Channel for owned music and another for current collaborative projects keeps your core catalog separate from works in progress.

Music supervisors

A Current Projects Channel with folders for each film, campaign, show, or season works well. Seasonal TV work can be broken into season and episode folders. A separate New Releases Channel organized by month and week keeps incoming music from cluttering active project areas.

Broadcasters and radio programmers

A Releases by Month Channel with weekly folders is simple and effective. Incoming release playlists can be reviewed, tagged, and stored by week or month so they remain easy to revisit.

Practical habits that help

Good organization comes from a few repeated habits rather than one perfect setup at the start - name playlists clearly, keep a small number of top-level Channels, always store tracks in playlists rather than dropping them loose into Channels, use tags to create cross-connections instead of building overly complex folder trees, keep your color system simple and consistent, and archive older work instead of leaving everything mixed together in active areas.

Wrap up

A clean DISCO comes from giving each tool a clear job. Playlists are the foundation - the actual packages of work you build, share, and act on. Channels and folders give those playlists structure. Track tags describe the music. Playlist tags connect related playlists across your entire library and make reporting possible. Color indicators make key information visible at a glance. When these layers work together, your DISCO becomes easier to search, easier to share, and much easier for your team to navigate.