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A-Z Music Industry Glossary

What is an A&R?
What are Neighbouring Rights?
What is copyright?

Being an independent musician is hard enough without getting lost in the jargon and unique terms found in the music biz. And as an industry that grows and changes faster than most, we know it can be hard to keep up. So whether you’re a songwriter, producer, solo singer, emcee, or the guy at the back of the stage banging on the drums, we got you.

Welcome to Spinnup’s complete A-Z Glossary of Music Industry Terms. 

Scroll down or click on a letter to read some of the key music industry terms and definitions, and if that isn’t enough for you, we have a whole Spinnup Academy ready for you to put your knowledge to good use.

 

Did we miss anything?
Send us a message @spinnup and let us know what term you want us to include.

 

Glossary:

# A B C D E F G H I J K L M O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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360 Deal – In the heyday of sales of recorded music, successful labels could easily survive and thrive just from selling physical product (and for a time, downloads too). In this modern era when sales are much lower and streaming revenues are still maturing, many labels now offer a ‘holistic’ exclusive recording contract in which, on top of the revenue from sales of the artist’s recorded music, they also work on and benefit from other artist income sources such as merchandise, touring, and endorsements. ‘360’ refers to the 360 degrees of a circle, referring to an all-encompassing deal. This falls on the legal side of things which we cover over HERE in our Spinnup Academy series.

 


A

 

A&R – Probably the most recognised music acronym around, but how many of us actually know what it means? A&R—which stands for artist & repertoire—is the division of a record company that’s responsible for discovering new talent, giving artistic direction, matching artists with producers, and facilitating the relationship between artist and label. Here at Spinnup, if you catch our ear, your music could be passed on to the A&R teams in our UMG labels to make you their next big thing! Watch A&R manager Rich Castello tell you more on our Spinnup Academy series.

 

Agent – Also referred to as a booking agent, they are the person responsible for organising an artist’s live dates. They will both proactively seek dates in certain territories to fit with an album release promotional cycle and field requests from festival and event promoters and venue bookers. We talk a bit more about them on our blog HERE.

 

Aggregator (Digital) – Digital Aggregators supply music downloads from labels and artists to many (often 20 or more) online retailers, e.g. iTunes, Amazon, Spotify.


B

Back up

 

Back Catalogue – This is a collection of an artist/writer’s music e.g. albums, EPs and/or singles. Also known as a ‘discography’

 

Blanket license – A license issued by a performing rights society that authorizes the public performance of all the songs in the society’s catalog.

 

C

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Copyright – The legal statute entitling an artist to legally claim rights to an original body of work that they have written and/or performed, preventing unauthorised copying or sampling of the music or lyrics therein. Read more HERE.

 

Copyright Control – Copyright control means copyright is retained by the writer and not assigned to a third party.

 

Cover – This is a new version or performance of an original recording by someone other than the artist.

 

CRM – Customer Relationship Management originated in business enterprise software suites like Oracle and now appears in web services for music. It refers to functions for handling interactions with fans (email database, personal details, communications, activity logs, transaction histories, complaints, etc.).It should be integrated with other platform services e.g. buying, ordering, accounting and soon.

 


D

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DAW – Stands for Digital Audio Workstation. A DAW is software or a computer program used to record, edit and produce music. Popular DAW software includes ProTools, Logic and Ableton. There are loads of free VSTs that you can use for these, check out a few HERE.

 

Demo – Demos are a sample of an artist’s work, typically used to present to record labels to give them a taste of their sound. Artists also sometimes send out demos to PR teams to create a buzz for an upcoming release. A demo typically consists of 3-4 of an artist’s strongest songs and can consist of a mix of covers and originals to show off both writing and performing abilities. Want to send your demo out? Read for some advice HERE. 

 

Direct to Fan – Without middlemen. Mail order CDs sold by the band or T-shirts sold at a gig. It’s not a new thing.

 

Distribution – Welcome to our world! Distribution is the process of getting recorded music into the hands of music listeners. Physical distribution companies sign deals with record labels which allows them to sell that label’s products. The distributor then takes a percentage of the profit from each unit sold and then pays the label the rest. With digital distribution (i.e. us), the process works fairly similar, but instead the distributor will send over the releases in digital formats, such as WAV or FLAC files. Here at Spinnup, we handle digital distribution in-house, meaning you don’t have to worry about dealing with it! You upload your music on our platform, and then we send it over to our Digital Service Providers like Apple Music, Spotify or Deezer. We make sure that you keep 100% of your royalties—we don’t take a cent—and provide you with in-depth streaming and sales data in the Stats section of your account.

 

DSP – This stands for Digital Service Provider, and is what we (and many other distribution services) call the stores we send your music to, like Spotify and Apple Music. Spinnup has over 35 DSPs, you can check out the full list here.

 

Dynamic Range – The range between the loudest and softest sounds or passages on a soundtrack and/or sound system can reproduce properly.

E

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EP – Extended Play (EP) describes a release that has more than two tracks, but is too short to be considered a full studio album. EPs are usually a great starting point for an artist wanting to show their skills over a longer format than a single, as it is less expensive to produce than an album, and less of a time commitment. When creating your release on Spinnup, an EP product is defined as one that contains 3-6 tracks in total.

 

EPK -Short for “electronic press kit”. This is just a computer or web version of an artist’s publicity material: biography, pictures, showreel, news, etc. There are loads of sites with advice on compiling a good one, including ours.

 

EQ – The abbreviation for the word Equalization. Electronically boosting or cutting the level in certain frequency ranges relative to other frequencies from the same source is commonly referred to as EQing. Equalizers are processing units that adjust the individual levels of specific frequencies within the EQ spectrum.

 


F

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Freemium – Most streaming platforms have a limited ‘free’-to-use option, usually supported by advertising. This model where users can have limited access in exchange for their time or data, is known as ‘freemium’.

 

 


H

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Hook – Another word for a chorus or the key melodic motif in a track—i.e. the catchy part of a song that sticks in your head. Think “If you liked it, then you should’ve put a ring on it.” Whether you liked it or not, you couldn’t avoid singing it at one point.

 

 


I

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Impact Date – Labels used to gear their promotional cycles to a specific release date far ahead in the future. This would enable them to gain traction on radio and TV, to arrange coverage with long-lead magazines who went to print weeks in advance of publication, and above all to allow for production and distribution times for getting physical product in stores. Now that you can effectively release a track on digital platforms the day it’s finished, like with Spinnup, many labels tend to plan an ‘impact date’ that’s several weeks after the actual release date of the album. This date is when they plan their marketing campaign to reach its peak, with the intention of this being the highest-selling and charting week for the release.
Indie – Short for an independent label, or sometimes referring to an independent or unsigned artist. Independent labels are labels that are not commercially tied to the three major label groups—which are Universal Music Group, Sony Music and Warner Music Group.

 

In The Box – Refers to the way music is created. If the entire piece was created using computers and software, musicians would commonly say it was created “in the box.

 

ISRC – The International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) is designed to help you track sales and radio station play. Every new recording and version of a recording is assigned a unique 12-digit number code, which at Spinnup we’ll assign you (free of charge) once your music is uploaded. So wherever your track is being played around the world, you can easily track it through your ISRC code.

 


L

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LP – Long Playing (LP) records were 12 inch 33 rpm vinyl records. They were also known as albums because each would replace several of the shorter-running 78 rpm records. A piece of music or compilation of songs was previously issued as an album of records.


M

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Manager – Managers are responsible for nurturing an artist’s profile and career. The manager acts as a point of call on all business-related decisions and helps their artist promote themselves through their own personal network, media exposure, distribution of demos, signing of sponsorship deals and so on. All career decisions, directions and financial deals will be overseen by an artist’s manager. We tell you a little bit more about them here

 

Mastering – A mastering engineer creates the final versions of the recordings, typically known as the masters. The most common steps in the process is unifying the sound of a record, maintaining consistency across an album, ensuring the sound of the record is as vibrant as possible and as close to as what the artist intended, and preparing the final masters for distribution. They usually step into the creative process after a mixing engineer has adjusted the album. We have a little mastering gift for you HERE. 

 

Merch(andise) – Every music fan will already know exactly what this is. It’s any branded physical product that can be sold featuring an artist’s name, likeness, logo or artwork. It’s usually sold through the artist’s online shop and at stalls at their gigs to raise additional revenue.

 

Metadata – In the context of music, Meta Data is the information embedded in a musical file (such as an MP3) that typically identifies things like (but not limited to) the creator(s), the publisher(s), the song title, the date created, email address, phone number, etc.

 

Mixing (and Mix engineers) – Frequently unsung heroes of the music world, mix engineers are the people who help to refine recordings by adjusting their audio quality and clarity. They also bring the different elements of a track that have been recorded separately and “mix” them together in to a master version. We highly recommend artist gets every track they record professionally mixed and mastered if they plan to release it online. Without going through this process, the final result will sound weak or unprofessional compared to other tracks. We have a little mixing gift for you HERE.
Musicianship – The knowledge, skill, compassion and artistic sensitivity involved in performing and recording music.

N

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Neighbouring Rights (Copyright) – Generally apply to recordings rather than the published content itself. The rights of performers and broadcasters to recordings of their work are neighbouring rights.

 

O

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One Sheet – The info sheet for a release; this can contain info about the band, the recording or anything else significant about the release. One sheets are used by labels and distributors to sell a new release. They get their name from the fact that they are (or at least they should be) one page long

P

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Per Diems – A per diem, or P.D, is a Latin phrase which means “per day” and is an allowance or payment made for each day—typically when an artist is touring.

 

Performance Rights Organisation (PRO) – ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC are the three United States performance rights organisations. They pay royalties to songwriters and publishers based on performances of their songs through the media. A published songwriter may affiliate with only one of the three.

 

Performance Royalty – Royalties are monies accrued from the use of an artist’s music.When your track is copyrighted, you are eligible for a performance royalty whenever your track is performed in a public space or sphere, like on radio, or TV, or when it’s played in a club or at a festival by a DJ—or even when you perform it in public yourself at a licensed venue or event.

 

PR – Although sometimes used as an acronym for ‘press release’, the use of this term usually means a public relations agent. They are responsible for an artist’s presence and coverage in the press, and how their image is developed and portrayed. PRs may cover multiple fields or only be responsible for one—i.e. print, online, TV (although in the case of TV, they will often be referred to as a ‘TV plugger’). We give some advice on how to get your own PR HERE. 

 

Press Release – No matter how established you are as an artist, you can’t beat a solid press release for getting the word out about your new release or project. Press releases are text bulletins sent to media outlets for the sole purpose of generating publicity for an artist or a new release

 

Producer -Think Timbaland, Dr. Dre or Quincy Jones. These guys are the forces behind a record, responsible for managing its creative direction. They’re a bit like a project manager, who has an overall vision for the music, and is in charge of the artistic success of a commercial project. How hands-on they are technically speaking varies from producer to producer, with the division of labour between them and the mix engineer varying accordingly.

 

Promo (short for promotion) – This refers both to activities relating to the promotional cycle and also to a digital or physical mailout of a release to press and/or radio and club DJs, bloggers and anyone else with a platform where the release could be promoted. Where demos are unsigned, promos are generally sent by and on behalf of labels for releases they have signed, although independent artists or their PRs may also send out promos of music that they are giving away for free. Promo is so important so, some handy tips are HERE for you.

 

Publishers – Music publishers are focused on managing a composer and or songwriter’s body of work to ensure that they are licensed, registered, and the earned royalties are paid. They also can get involved in the development and promotion of a track. While a label agrees to license an artist’s work for a specific period of time in order to sell it as a physical or digital product, a publisher controls the copyright of those works in perpetuity, unless the artist cancels their agreement. Publishers manage all financial deals relating to reproduction of the lyrics, cover versions, sampling and licensing to third parties (like films and adverts) of their artists’ work. Publishers is covered HERE.

 

Publishing Agreement – A contract offered by a publisher to a songwriter. The publisher pays the songwriter a weekly or monthly sum of money, called a draw. The writer agrees to assign the publisher half of any future income his songs make.Recoupable. Reimbursable

 

Public Domain – Not copyright. This happens when copyright expires or the owner explicitly puts the material in the public domain

Q

Back Up

 

QC – This is short for Quality Control

 

QR Code – A Quick Response (QR) code is a square barcode used to link people to a designated web page. These days you can scan the barcode with a mobile camera or QR app to go straight to the URL.–

R

Back Up
Recoupable Advance – When an artist enters into a contract with a record label, they are given an ‘advance’ by their label/publisher, which is a loan that the artist uses to work on an album, pay for studio time, buy equipment, and tour. The loan figure can be dependent on how in-demand the artist is, but no matter the size of the loan, if the advance (or a percentage of it) is ‘recoupable’, then the artist has to pay it back out of their royalties before any personal profit is made. These are the elements of a contract that you want to be very clear on and aware of when signing with a label.

 

Royalty – When you copyright your music, you are eligible for royalty payments in exchange for permission to use your music in different ways. As a Spinnup artist, you keep 100% of the royalties you earn, and can view your royalties you earn from fans streaming and downloading your music in the Earnings tab of your account.

 

Radio Plugger – Pluggers are the middle-people who work to get their artists exposure on the radio. Pluggers aim to get their artists’ tracks featured on radio playlists, specialist music shows, interviews or a live track performance, e.g. Radio 1 Live Lounge.

S

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Sampling – The process where a portion of an existing recording is used an adappated in the creation of a new recording. Examples include Nina Simone’s ‘Four Women’ being sampled by Jay Z on ‘The Story of O.J” and The Clash’s ‘Straight To Hell’ being sampled on M.I.A.’s ‘Paper Planes’. Always bear in mind that if you don’t receive clearance from the copyright holders of the recording, you are unauthorised to use it, and you risk legal action being taken against you for copyright infringement. For more information on using samples, check out our articlein the Help Centre.Support Slot / ActThis is where a lot of artists starts their career. The support slot or slots are the warm-up sets performed by bands ‘supporting’ the headline act at a gig. These can be great ways for artists to gain exposure to new audiences and to hone their craft. Almost everyone is a support act relative to someone else, which means you can sometimes see a huge name performing a support slot for an even huger one (e.g. Liam Gallagher for The Rolling Stones or James Blake for Kendrick Lamar).Sync/SynchronisationA music synchronisation license, or “sync” license, is a music license granted by the owner or composer of a particular piece of work. This allows the licensee to use the relevant artist’s track in the context of a film, TV show, computer game or advert or at an event. Landing a high-profile sync can be a great source of attention for an artist’s music, plus a welcome top-up on income.

 

Session Musician – A musician who contributes to a recording or a live performance but is not actually a full-time member of the band.

 

Showcase – An event staged to present a developing act to A&R men (in the hope of getting signed) or to present a signed act to the media for promotion.

 

Sync License – A Sync License is a publishing license to pay writers for music used in film, video or TV soundtracks. There is no fixed fee for sync licenses. Publishers set or negotiate these fees.

T

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Tour Manager – The person in charge of making sure that the artist gets from Show A to Show B to Show C and has everything they need to perform and to be comfortable before, during and after the show. They will oversee the on-the-road budget for the tour, ensure soundchecks are carried out and liaise with the venue staff and production team to make sure the show goes as planned. They will be in charge of the itinerary for the tour and make sure that the artist knows where they have to be and when.

 

Tour Support – Money paid out to cover the costs of a tour, usually by a record label.

 

Trademark – The legal protection of a trademark is about misuse of the business asset, passing off and confusing potential customers. It isn’t an exclusive right to the trademarked name.

U

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UPC – The Universal Product Code (UPC) is a barcode widely used to track record sales and streams. Similarly to an ISRC, once you distribute your music (either online or physically) you will get a unique UPC which contains 12 numerical digits. An ISRC represents a single track, or recording where as an UPC represents a body of work or product (e.g. an EP or album). If you are releasing your music digitally and physically, you will be provided two separate UPCs.

 

•••••

 

Now that you know your ABCs of the music industry you’re ready to go out and smash it, we’ll be expecting big things!
And don’t forget to check out our Blog and Artist Guides pages for even more know-how on navigating the ‘biz.

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