ID3v2

ID3v2 is a metadata container commonly used in MP3 audio files. It allows for the storage of extended information about the audio track, such as artist, album, title, genre, year, and more. This is an improvement over the older ID3v1 tag, which had a much more limited capacity. ID3v2 tags are typically located at the beginning of the MP3 file, allowing media players to read the metadata before playback begins.

There are several versions of the ID3v2 specification, with ID3v2.3 and ID3v2.4 being the most prevalent. Each version introduced new features and improvements to the tag structure. ID3v2 tags can be represented in different character encodings, such as UTF-8 or Latin-1, to support a wider range of characters. The specification also defines various frame types, each dedicated to storing specific pieces of metadata. For example, the "TIT2" frame is used for the song title, and the "TPE1" frame is for the lead artist.

Beyond basic text information, ID3v2 also supports the embedding of album artwork and other binary data. This allows for a richer user experience, displaying cover art alongside the music. While widely adopted, the flexibility of ID3v2 has also led to some inconsistencies in implementation across different software, which can sometimes cause issues with metadata display or editing. Despite these challenges, ID3v2 remains the standard for enriching MP3 files with detailed information.