Music industry glossary
Plain-English definitions for the acronyms and concepts that show up in releases, splits, and rights. No jargon-on-jargon.
Metadata
- ISRCInternational Standard Recording Code
- A 12-character code that uniquely identifies a single sound recording. Required by every major distributor and streaming platform; without it, a track can't be released. ISRCs are issued by national agencies and travel with the recording for life. Where this lives in Vandall
- ISWCInternational Standard Musical Work Code
- A code that identifies a musical composition, separate from any specific recording of it. The same song covered by different artists keeps one ISWC across all recordings.
- Metadata
- Structured information about a track: title, artist, ISRC, BPM, key, genre, credits, splits, release date. Garbage-in metadata is the leading cause of distribution errors and lost royalties. Where this lives in Vandall
Rights & royalties
- IPIInterested Parties Information
- A unique number identifying a songwriter, composer, or publisher in the global rights database (CISAC). Used by performance rights organizations to attribute royalties. Captured on Vandall split sheets so PROs can match payments to people. Where this lives in Vandall
- IPNInterested Parties Number
- A national-level identifier for a rights holder, complementary to IPI. Required by some societies for accurate royalty distribution.
- Split sheet
- A document that records who contributed what to a song and what percentage of the publishing each contributor owns. Should be signed at the session, not after release. In Vandall, split sheets become immutable signed PDFs attached to the project. Where this lives in Vandall
- Master recording
- The original recorded version of a song, owned by whoever financed the recording (usually the label or the artist). Distinct from the underlying composition, which is owned by writers and publishers.
- PROPerformance Rights Organization
- An organization that collects performance royalties on behalf of songwriters and publishers. Examples: ASCAP, BMI, SESAC (US), PRS (UK), GEMA (Germany), TEOSTO (Finland). Each writer registers their work with their PRO.
- MLCMechanical Licensing Collective
- The US-based organization that administers blanket mechanical licenses for digital audio services and distributes mechanical royalties to copyright owners. Created under the Music Modernization Act of 2018.
- Sync licensing
- Licensing recorded music for use in film, TV, advertising, or games. Requires both master and publishing clearances. Sync agents pitch tracks to music supervisors using rich metadata (mood, tempo, vocals, instrumentation) Vandall stores per project. Where this lives in Vandall
- Split disputes
- Disagreements over who wrote what percentage of a song, usually surfacing months after release when royalties start flowing. Avoidable when splits are documented at the session — exactly what split sheets are for. Where this lives in Vandall
Release
- EPKElectronic Press Kit
- A digital package sent to playlist editors, journalists, and bookers containing artist bio, photos, music samples, and contact info. Vandall generates EPKs as part of the release package so the same metadata travels with every pitch. Where this lives in Vandall
- Release package
- Everything needed to ship a release: cover art, audio masters, lyrics, credits, ISRC, splits, and streaming links. In Vandall this is one shareable URL instead of a zip file on WeTransfer. Where this lives in Vandall
- Distribution
- Getting recordings onto streaming services and digital stores. Distributors (DistroKid, CD Baby, Stem, AWAL) ingest the master + metadata and deliver to Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, etc. Vandall hands distributors clean release packages, not chaotic email threads.
Workflow
- Stems
- Individual instrument or group tracks (drums, bass, vocals, etc.) bounced separately from the final mix. Used for remixes, sync placements, and mastering revisions. Vandall stores stems alongside the master at lossless quality.
- A&RArtists & Repertoire
- The label role responsible for signing new artists and overseeing creative output. A&R reviews demos, gives feedback, approves masters, and coordinates with producers. Vandall gives A&R one feed for the entire roster. Where this lives in Vandall
Platform
- Lossless audio
- Audio stored without compression — WAV, AIFF, FLAC. Preserves the full quality of the original recording. Vandall does not transcode lossless files; the WAV you upload is the WAV your collaborator downloads. Where this lives in Vandall
- Release package builder
- The Vandall tool that bundles audio, cover art, lyrics, credits, and streaming links into one shareable release page. Replaces the EPK-as-PDF + Dropbox-folder + Mailchimp-link workflow with a single URL. Where this lives in Vandall