Music Business Glossary

A label deal where the label takes a share of income beyond recorded music, such as touring, merch, publishing and brand deals, in exchange for wider investment in your career.

Money paid to you upfront against your future royalties. It is usually recoupable: you receive no further royalties until your share has paid it back.

A non-exclusive license to use a producer's beat, usually with limits on streams or sales. The producer keeps ownership and can lease the same beat to others.

The song itself: melody and lyrics. A separate copyright from the master recording, owned by the songwriters and their publishers.

YouTube's system that matches uploaded videos against registered audio, letting rights holders earn from, track or block videos that use their music.

The service that delivers your releases to streaming platforms and stores and pays you the master royalties they collect.

Digital service provider: a streaming platform or download store such as Spotify, Apple Music or Amazon Music.

A playlist curated by a streaming service's own staff. On Spotify you can pitch one unreleased song through Spotify for Artists ahead of release.

Electronic press kit: your bio, photos, music, press quotes and contacts in one link to send to blogs, bookers and labels.

A license that gives one buyer sole use of a beat or song, so the producer stops leasing it to anyone else. Terms on ownership and royalties vary by contract.

International Standard Recording Code: a 12-character code that identifies one specific recording. Each version, like a remix or radio edit, gets its own.

International Standard Musical Work Code: identifies a composition, not a recording. Usually assigned when the song is registered with a PRO.

The specific recorded version of a song. Whoever owns the master controls the recording and earns its royalties.

Permission from the master owner to use a specific recording in a film, ad, game or video. Needed alongside a sync license.

Paid to songwriters and publishers when a composition is reproduced, including streams, downloads and physical copies.

The Mechanical Licensing Collective: the US organization that collects mechanical royalties from streaming and download services and pays songwriters and publishers.

Royalties for the public performance of a recording, paid to performers and master owners. Collected by groups like PPL in the UK; US AM/FM radio does not pay them.

A single page summarizing a release: artist, title, date, key tracks, story and contacts. Sent with pitches to press, radio and retail.

Paid to songwriters and publishers when a composition is performed publicly: radio, streaming, TV, live venues. Collected by PROs.

A link that lets fans add an upcoming release to their library so it appears there on release day.

Performing rights organization: collects performance royalties for songwriters and publishers. In the US: ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR.

A producer's percentage share of a master's royalties, agreed in the producer agreement and often paid after recording costs are recouped.

A service that registers your songs and collects your publishing royalties worldwide for a percentage of what it collects, without taking ownership.

When a label or investor earns back money it advanced or spent from your share of royalties before paying you more.

US organization that collects digital performance royalties for recordings played on non-interactive services like satellite and internet radio, for artists and master owners.

A signed agreement that records who wrote a song and each person's ownership share. Best done the day the song is written.

Permission from the songwriters or publisher to pair a composition with visual media such as film, TV, ads or games.

Universal Product Code: the barcode that identifies a release, such as a single, EP or album, as a whole.

An arrangement where the person paying for the work owns it outright, so the creator gets no ownership or ongoing royalties unless the contract says otherwise.