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Music Business Glossary

The music business,
defined.

From DSPs to splits — every term you need to run your music business, explained clearly.

⌘K
146 terms10 categories
Showing 146 terms
A
9 terms
A&R→
A&R (Artists and Repertoire) is the label division responsible for discovering, signing, and developing new talent and overseeing the recording process.
Business & Finance
ASCAP→
ASCAP is a U.S. performing rights organization that licenses music and collects performance royalties on behalf of songwriters, composers, and publishers.
Royalties & Rights
Advance→
An Advance is an upfront payment from a label or publisher to an artist or songwriter, recouped from future royalties earned by their music.
Business & Finance
Aggregator→
An aggregator is a service that distributes music from independent artists and labels to DSPs like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.
Distribution
Album→
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued as a single item.
Release Management
Amplification Rate→
Amplification Rate measures how often your audience spreads a post, usually shares divided by reach (or by followers), showing how much of your content travels beyond you.
Analytics & Data
Artist Bio→
An Artist Bio is a narrative that introduces an artist, highlights their career milestones, musical style, and influences, and defines their brand.
Promotion & Marketing
Artist Profile→
An Artist Profile groups one artist's connected social accounts in melabel, keeping posts and analytics separate for each artist on a label's roster.
melabel Features
Asset→
An asset is any piece of music content, such as an audio file, artwork, video, or metadata, that makes up a release and is delivered to DSPs or used in marketing.
Distribution
B
4 terms
BMI→
BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) is a U.S. performing rights organization that licenses music and collects performance royalties for songwriters and publishers.
Royalties & Rights
BPM→
BPM (Beats Per Minute) is a unit of measurement used to quantify the tempo or speed of a musical piece, indicating how many beats occur in one minute.
Music Production
Best Time to Post→
Best Time to Post is the day and hour when your own audience has historically engaged most, calculated from your past post performance rather than generic charts.
Promotion & Marketing
Blanket License→
A blanket license lets services like radio stations or streaming platforms use an entire music catalog for a set fee rather than clearing each song.
Contracts & Legal
C
15 terms
CD→
A CD (Compact Disc) is a physical audio format for storing and playing digital music, once the dominant distribution format before streaming.
Release Management
Campaign→
A campaign is a coordinated set of promotional activities designed to achieve a specific goal, such as building awareness around a new music release.
Promotion & Marketing
Campaigns→
Campaigns in melabel are structured promotional efforts designed to market music releases, engage fans, and achieve specific marketing objectives.
melabel Features
Catalog→
A catalog refers to the complete collection of musical works or sound recordings owned or controlled by an artist, songwriter, publisher, or record label.
Release Management
Click-Through Rate (CTR)→
Click-Through Rate (CTR) is the percentage of people who clicked a link after seeing your content, calculated as clicks divided by impressions or reach.
Analytics & Data
Collabs→
Collabs in melabel are features that facilitate and manage creative partnerships between artists, producers, and other music professionals on shared projects.
melabel Features
Compulsory License→
A Compulsory License lets you use a copyrighted work without direct negotiation, provided you meet statutory conditions and pay the required royalty rate.
Contracts & Legal
Connected Account→
A Connected Account is a social media account, such as Instagram, TikTok or YouTube, that you have securely linked to melabel for posting and analytics.
melabel Features
Content Calendar→
A Content Calendar is a schedule used to plan, organize, and track content creation and publication activities across social media and promotional campaigns.
Promotion & Marketing
Content Decay→
Content Decay shows how quickly a post's engagement accumulates and then fades after publishing, revealing how long your content stays useful on each platform.
Analytics & Data
Content ID→
Content ID is a digital fingerprinting system developed by Google, primarily used on YouTube, to easily identify and manage copyrighted content.
Royalties & Rights
Conversion Rate→
Conversion Rate is the percentage of users who complete a desired action out of the total number exposed to a marketing effort.
Analytics & Data
Copyright→
Copyright is a legal right granting creators of original musical and artistic works exclusive control over how their work is used and distributed.
Contracts & Legal
Cover Song→
A cover song is a new performance or recording by an artist of a previously recorded, commercially released song written by someone else.
Contracts & Legal
Cross-Platform Comparison→
Cross-Platform Comparison is the practice of measuring the same post or format across several social networks to see which platform responds best.
Analytics & Data
D
10 terms
DDEX→
DDEX is a global standards body creating XML message formats for the digital music supply chain, enabling consistent data exchange between labels and DSPs.
Industry Standards
DPID→
A DPID (Data Provider Identifier) is a unique ID for companies exchanging music data via DDEX, ensuring accurate attribution across the digital supply chain.
Industry Standards
DSP→
A DSP (Digital Service Provider) delivers music digitally to consumers, whether through streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music or download stores like iTunes.
Distribution
Dashboard→
The Dashboard in melabel is the personalized home screen showing key metrics, upcoming events, and quick actions for an artist or label at a glance.
melabel Features
Data Freshness→
Data Freshness is how recently the numbers in an analytics view were updated, since data from social and streaming platforms always arrives with some delay.
Analytics & Data
Delivery→
Delivery is the technical process of transmitting music files, artwork, and metadata from an aggregator or label to DSPs ahead of a release.
Distribution
Digital Distribution→
Digital distribution is the process of delivering music to streaming platforms and online stores so listeners worldwide can access it via DSPs.
Distribution
Distribution Agreement→
A Distribution Agreement is a contract between a music creator and a distributor defining the terms under which the distributor delivers music to consumers.
Contracts & Legal
Distributor→
A Distributor is a company or service that delivers music from artists and labels to retail outlets and digital platforms around the world.
Distribution
Dolby Atmos→
Dolby Atmos is an immersive spatial audio technology placing sounds in three-dimensional space, creating a more realistic and enveloping listening experience.
Music Production
E
7 terms
EAN→
EAN (European Article Number) is a standard barcode system used globally to identify specific retail products, including physical and digital music releases.
Industry Standards
EP→
An EP (Extended Play) is a release with more tracks than a single but fewer than an album, typically 3 to 6 songs, used to showcase an artist's range.
Release Management
Electronic Press Kit (EPK)→
An EPK is a digital package of promotional materials providing essential artist information to media, booking agents, venues, and industry professionals.
Promotion & Marketing
Engagement→
Engagement measures how actively an audience interacts with an artist's content through likes, comments, shares, saves, and streams, gauging fan connection.
Analytics & Data
Engagement Rate→
Engagement Rate is the share of people who interacted with a post, usually total engagements divided by reach or by follower count, shown as a percentage.
Analytics & Data
Explicit Content→
Explicit Content refers to music with offensive, profane, or sexually suggestive lyrics or themes, requiring specific labeling and parental advisories.
Distribution
External Post→
An External Post is a post you published directly in a platform's own app rather than through melabel, synced in so your analytics cover all your content.
Analytics & Data
F
4 terms
FLAC→
FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) is a lossless compression format that reduces file size without any loss of audio quality, ideal for high-fidelity archiving.
Music Production
Fan Engagement→
Fan Engagement covers the strategies artists and labels use to build and deepen relationships with their audience, fostering loyalty and community.
Promotion & Marketing
Follower Growth→
Follower Growth is the change in an account's follower count over a period, shown as net new followers or as a growth rate, and tracked daily, weekly or monthly.
Analytics & Data
Free Tier→
The Free Tier is melabel's entry-level subscription plan, offering essential features and tools at no cost, designed to support emerging artists and labels.
melabel Features
G
1 term
GRid→
GRid (Global Release Identifier) is an internationally recognised unique ID for digital music releases, enabling precise tracking across the supply chain.
Industry Standards
H
1 term
Harry Fox Agency (HFA)→
The Harry Fox Agency is a leading U.S. mechanical rights organization licensing musical compositions for use on records, downloads, and interactive streams.
Royalties & Rights
I
5 terms
IPI→
IPI (Interested Party Information) is a number assigned by PROs to songwriters and publishers for accurate royalty identification and distribution.
Industry Standards
ISRC→
ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) is the globally recognised ID for sound recordings and music videos, used to track streams and royalties.
Industry Standards
ISWC→
ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code) is the unique ID for a musical composition, distinct from the ISRC that identifies a specific recording.
Industry Standards
Impressions→
Impressions are the total number of times content, such as an ad, social post, or playlist placement, is displayed to users, regardless of clicks or engagement.
Analytics & Data
Independent Label→
An Independent Label (indie label) operates without the financial backing or distribution infrastructure of the three major record companies.
Business & Finance
L
6 terms
Label Copy→
Label Copy is the full set of credits on a music release, including artist names, songwriters, publishers, producers, and copyright notices.
Distribution
Label Deal→
A Label Deal is a contract between an artist and a record label covering recording, marketing, distribution, and often a share of the artist's career.
Contracts & Legal
Label Operations→
Label Operations in melabel covers running a music label: artist management, catalog oversight, business development, and administrative strategy.
melabel Features
Landing Page→
A Landing Page is a standalone web page built for a specific campaign where visitors arrive after clicking a link in an ad, email, or social media post.
Promotion & Marketing
Link-in-Bio→
A Link-in-Bio is a single URL in a social media profile bio, especially on Instagram and TikTok, that leads users to a page with multiple important links.
Promotion & Marketing
Loudness (LUFS)→
Loudness (LUFS) is the standard unit for measuring perceived audio loudness, ensuring consistent volume levels across music tracks and streaming platforms.
Music Production
M
18 terms
MBO→
MBO (Music Business Operations) covers the end-to-end administrative, financial, and strategic processes of running a music business, and it sits at the core of melabel.
melabel Features
MP3→
MP3 is a lossy audio compression format that reduces file size by removing inaudible information, making it efficient for digital distribution and streaming.
Music Production
Major Label→
A Major Label is one of the three multinational companies dominating the music industry: Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group.
Business & Finance
Master Recording→
A Master Recording (or "master") is the original sound recording of a musical performance, which is the definitive version from which all copies are made.
Royalties & Rights
Mastering→
Mastering is the final stage of audio production, optimizing a mixed track for consistent playback across all systems and platforms at the right loudness.
Music Production
Mechanical Royalty→
A Mechanical Royalty is paid to a songwriter and publisher for the reproduction and distribution of a copyrighted composition, whether physical or digital.
Royalties & Rights
Merch→
Merch (Merchandise) refers to physical products like apparel and accessories sold by artists and labels, with management tools integrated into melabel.
melabel Features
Metadata→
Metadata in music is the descriptive information embedded in or associated with a music file, such as track title, artist name, ISRC, genre, and release details.
Distribution
Mixing→
Mixing is the process of blending and balancing individual audio tracks, such as vocals, drums, and guitars, into a cohesive, polished stereo or spatial audio file.
Music Production
Monthly Listeners→
Monthly Listeners is a streaming platform metric showing the number of unique users who streamed an artist's music at least once in a rolling 28-day period.
Analytics & Data
Music Analytics→
Music Analytics in melabel provides comprehensive data and insights into the performance of music releases, audience engagement, and revenue streams.
melabel Features
Music Business Workspace→
The Music Business Workspace is melabel's integrated environment unifying all aspects of running a music career or label into one cohesive platform.
melabel Features
Music Contracts→
Music Contracts in melabel are digital agreements and legal documents related to music projects, stored, managed, and sometimes generated within the platform.
melabel Features
Music Files→
Music Files in melabel refer to the centralized storage and management system for all audio, artwork, and other digital assets related to music projects.
melabel Features
Music Publishers Association→
The MPA (Music Publishers Association) is a U.S. trade organization representing music publishers and advocating for the value of music publishing.
Royalties & Rights
Music Publishing→
Music Publishing involves managing the copyrights in musical compositions and ensuring songwriters and composers are paid whenever their works are used.
Royalties & Rights
Music Video→
A Music Video is a short film or visual content created to accompany a song, serving as a powerful promotional and artistic extension of the music.
Promotion & Marketing
melabel→
melabel is a comprehensive digital workspace designed for independent music artists and labels to manage their entire music business operations.
melabel Features
N
2 terms
Neighboring Rights→
Neighboring Rights are performance royalties paid to performers and sound recording owners when their Master Recordings are publicly performed or broadcast.
Royalties & Rights
Newsletter→
A Newsletter is a regular email sent by an artist or label to subscribers with updates, exclusive content, and promotional information about their music.
Promotion & Marketing
P
14 terms
PR→
PR (Public Relations) in music manages an artist's public image and secures media coverage through press releases, interviews, and journalist relationships.
Promotion & Marketing
PRO→
A PRO (Performing Rights Organization) collects and distributes performance royalties to songwriters, composers, and publishers when their work is performed.
Royalties & Rights
Pay-Per-Stream→
Pay-Per-Stream is the royalty rate paid by streaming services to rights holders (artists, labels, and publishers) for each individual stream of a song.
Royalties & Rights
Performance Royalty→
A Performance Royalty is a payment made to songwriters and their publishers for the public performance of their copyrighted musical compositions.
Royalties & Rights
Playlist→
A Playlist is a curated collection of songs by users, artists, or editorial teams on streaming platforms, built around specific moods, genres, or activities.
Promotion & Marketing
Playlist Pitch→
A Playlist Pitch is the process of submitting a song to playlist curators on streaming platforms to secure placement and increase the track's discoverability.
Promotion & Marketing
Post Performance→
Post Performance is the complete set of results for a single post, from reach and engagement to saves, shares and clicks, used to rank what works best.
Analytics & Data
Post Status→
Post Status shows where a social post is in its lifecycle: Draft, Scheduled, Publishing, Published, Partial or Failed.
melabel Features
Pre-Save→
A Pre-Save is a digital marketing campaign that allows fans to save an upcoming music release to their streaming library before its official Release Date.
Promotion & Marketing
Press Release→
A Press Release is an official statement sent to media to announce something newsworthy about an artist, such as a new release, tour date, or major achievement.
Promotion & Marketing
Product→
A Product in music distribution is the commercial release package, whether a single, EP, or album, submitted to DSPs with all assets, metadata, and identifiers.
Release Management
Projects→
Projects in melabel are organizational containers that group all related assets, tasks, and information for a specific music release or creative endeavor.
melabel Features
Promotion→
Promotion covers all activities used to market a release or artist, including playlist pitching, social media, PR, advertising, and direct fan outreach.
Promotion & Marketing
Public Domain→
Public Domain refers to creative works whose copyrights have expired or never existed, meaning anyone can use them freely without permission or payment.
Contracts & Legal
R
12 terms
RIAA→
The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) is a trade organization representing the U.S. recording industry, including major and independent labels.
Industry Standards
ROI→
ROI (Return on Investment) measures the profitability of an investment, calculated as return minus cost divided by cost, and is applied widely in music marketing.
Analytics & Data
Radio Promotion→
Radio Promotion is the strategic effort to secure airplay on terrestrial, satellite, or internet radio stations to increase a song's exposure and reach.
Promotion & Marketing
Reach→
Reach is a marketing metric that quantifies the total number of unique individuals who have seen a piece of content or a promotional message.
Analytics & Data
Record Label→
A Record Label is a company that manages the production, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, and promotion of sound recordings and music videos.
Business & Finance
Recoupment→
Recoupment is the process by which a record label or publisher recovers an Advance or other expenses from an artist's or songwriter's future royalties.
Business & Finance
Release→
A Release is the official launch of a music product, such as a single, EP, or album, made available to the public through digital or physical distribution channels.
Release Management
Release Calendar→
The Release Calendar in melabel is a centralized timeline for planning, scheduling, and tracking all music releases and associated promotional activities.
melabel Features
Release Date→
The Release Date is the official day a music product, such as a single, EP, or album, is made publicly available to consumers on digital or physical platforms.
Release Management
Release Strategy→
A Release Strategy is a comprehensive plan outlining how and when an artist or label will launch and promote new music to maximize its impact and reach.
Release Management
Revenue Split→
Revenue Split is the agreed-upon division of income from music sales, streams, and licenses among artists, labels, publishers, and distributors.
Business & Finance
Royalty→
A Royalty is a payment made to an intellectual property owner for the right to use their work, typically as a percentage of revenue or a fixed fee per use.
Royalties & Rights
S
23 terms
SESAC→
SESAC is a U.S. PRO that licenses music and collects performance royalties for its songwriter, composer, and music publisher members.
Royalties & Rights
Sample→
A Sample (in audio production) is a portion of a pre-existing sound recording or musical composition that is incorporated into a new musical work.
Contracts & Legal
Sample Clearance→
Sample Clearance is the legal process of obtaining permission from copyright holders to use a portion of an existing recording or composition in new music.
Contracts & Legal
Sample Rate→
Sample Rate is the number of audio samples captured per second during digital conversion, measured in Hz or kHz, affecting audio fidelity and file size.
Music Production
Saves→
Saves count how many times people bookmarked a social post or added a track to their library, and are widely treated as a strong signal of genuine interest.
Analytics & Data
Sell-Through→
Sell-Through measures the percentage of physical music products or merchandise received by a retailer that are subsequently sold through to consumers.
Distribution
Shares→
Shares count how many times people passed your post along, by reposting it, sending it in a message, or sharing it to their own story or feed.
Analytics & Data
Single→
A Single is a one-track release, sometimes with B-sides or remixes, used to introduce an artist, promote an upcoming album, or test audience response.
Release Management
Smart Links→
Smart Links are dynamic, shareable URLs that automatically direct listeners to a specific music release on their preferred streaming or download service.
melabel Features
Social Analytics→
Social Analytics is melabel's unified view of how your posts and social accounts perform across platforms, from reach and engagement to follower growth and the best times to post.
melabel Features
Social Post→
Social Post is melabel's integrated feature for scheduling, publishing, and managing social media content across platforms to promote music and engage fans.
melabel Features
Social-to-Stream Conversion→
Social-to-Stream Conversion measures how well your social media activity turns into streams, linking posts and clicks to listening on streaming services.
Analytics & Data
Songwriting Splits→
Songwriting Splits are the agreed percentages of ownership and future publishing royalties allocated to each songwriter who contributed to a composition.
Royalties & Rights
SoundExchange→
SoundExchange collects and distributes digital performance royalties for recording owners and artists when music plays on non-interactive digital radio.
Royalties & Rights
Splits→
Splits refer to the agreed-upon percentages or shares of royalties and ownership distributed among collaborators on a music project, managed within melabel.
Business & Finance
Stems→
Stems are grouped audio tracks (all drums, all vocals, all guitars) bounced to individual files, giving more flexibility than a final mixed stereo file.
Music Production
Store (melabel)→
The melabel Store is a built-in storefront that lets artists and labels sell digital products, such as music downloads and fan donations, directly to their fans.
melabel Features
Stream Count→
Stream Count is the total number of times a song or audio track has been played on a streaming service.
Analytics & Data
Stream-to-Listener Ratio→
Stream-to-Listener Ratio indicates the average number of times each unique listener streams a particular artist's music within a given time period.
Analytics & Data
Streaming→
Streaming is the continuous delivery of audio or video over the internet, letting users listen or watch without permanently downloading the content.
Distribution
Street Date→
Street Date is another term for Release Date: the specific day a music product is officially made available for sale or public consumption.
Release Management
Superfan→
A Superfan is a highly dedicated fan who repeatedly streams music, buys merchandise, attends shows, and actively participates in an artist's community.
Promotion & Marketing
Sync License→
A Sync License grants permission to pair a musical composition or recording with visual media such as film, TV, ads, video games, or online videos.
Contracts & Legal
T
4 terms
Takedown→
A Takedown is a formal request to remove music from digital platforms, typically due to copyright infringement, contractual disputes, or policy violations.
Distribution
Tansen AI→
Tansen AI is melabel's integrated AI assistant, built to automate tasks, surface insights, and support decision-making for music professionals.
melabel Features
Territory→
Territory refers to the specific geographical regions or countries where a music release is distributed, licensed, or made available.
Distribution
Track→
A Track is an individual song or musical composition, typically a single audio recording, that forms part of a larger release like an album or EP.
Release Management
U
1 term
UPC→
A UPC (Universal Product Code) is the barcode that identifies a whole release, such as a single, EP or album, while ISRCs identify its individual tracks.
Industry Standards
V
4 terms
Vanity Metrics→
Vanity Metrics are impressive-looking numbers, like raw likes or follower counts, that do not reliably indicate real growth in fans, streams or revenue.
Analytics & Data
Venue→
A Venue is a location where live music is performed, from small clubs and bars to theaters and arenas.
Promotion & Marketing
Video Views→
Video Views count how many times a video was played, but each platform defines a view differently, so view counts are not directly comparable across networks.
Analytics & Data
Vinyl→
Vinyl refers to phonograph records, a physical analog format for music distribution, experiencing a significant resurgence in popularity.
Release Management
W
5 terms
WAV→
WAV (Waveform Audio File Format) is an uncompressed audio format by Microsoft and IBM, widely used for high-quality audio storage and professional production.
Music Production
Windowing→
Windowing is a release strategy where a music product is made available on different formats or platforms at staggered times, creating exclusivity windows.
Release Management
Work→
A Work is a musical composition, meaning the melody and lyrics of a song, as distinct from any particular recording of it.
Royalties & Rights
Work-for-Hire→
A Work-for-Hire is a work created by an employee or commissioned party where the employer or commissioner, not the creator, holds the copyright by law.
Contracts & Legal
Workspace→
A Workspace in melabel refers to the personalized, centralized digital environment where an artist or label manages all aspects of their music business.
melabel Features
Y
1 term
Year-End Stats→
Year-End Stats are annual reports summarizing an artist's or label's performance across key metrics such as streams, sales, and listener counts over a year.
Analytics & Data