Map a CSV before importing
CSV is useful when you have a track inventory but no portable vendor export. Its column names are not a universal DJ standard, so review the suggested mapping. An absolute local file path is required. Title, artist, album, genre, BPM, musical key, decimal duration in seconds, comments and one-level playlist name are optional mapped fields.
Unmapped columns remain in the unchanged source copy. A repeated path can appear in more than one playlist, and repeated playlist entries preserve their order. If repeated paths disagree about metadata, resolve that conflict in the source rather than allowing the converter to choose a version silently. A duration written as minutes and seconds must first be converted to the stated decimal-seconds format.
Understand what the output carries
A CSV inventory does not supply cue points, loops or beatgrid anchors merely because it has a BPM column. The workbench does not invent those structures. The review JSON keeps supported metadata with exact Unicode text and records the limitations of the source format. Formula-like CSV text receives a protective apostrophe in the exported inventory; the original string remains in JSON.
The handoff archive also contains M3U8 files for the selected playlists and collection. They use UTF-8 file URIs and simple duration/title labels. These files can communicate a sequence of local tracks to a compatible player, but they do not transport prepared cues, waveform analysis or vendor-specific grid settings. Player support for file URI entries varies and should be tested.
Share the right evidence
Use the XML/NML conversion when the recipient needs supported preparation metadata and the target application can import it. Use CSV for a readable inventory and JSON for a detailed comparison. M3U8 is suitable for a simple playback sequence when the receiver has the audio at the referenced location.
Before sharing the complete ZIP, remember that its original-source file contains the entire imported metadata library, even if the converted selection is smaller. Download individual output files when that full source is unnecessary. Keep music licensing, file distribution and the recipient’s own application workflow separate from this metadata conversion process.