Abstract: A metadata text file is used to make media files searchable and rearrangeable. The metadata text file is associated with one or more media files and includes a sequence of relaters that relate items of metadata to segments of the media files. The relater specifies the item of metadata and the segment of the media file. The metadata text file can be searched for an item of metadata and when the item of metadata is found, the item's relater can be used to locate the media file segment that corresponds to the item of metadata. The metadata text file can also be used to “play” the metadata files by displaying segments from the files in the order in which the relaters occur in the metadata file. New combinations of segments of media files may be made by adding, deleting, or reordering the relaters in the metadata text file.