Metadata Content Standards
Last update: 13/05/2026
Overview
These standards define the requirements for metadata and associated assets submitted for distribution to digital stores, streaming platforms, and partner services.
They are designed to ensure accuracy, consistency, and compatibility across all distribution systems globally.
1. Intellectual Property Accuracy
All metadata must reflect accurate rights and ownership information.
- Rights holders (master, publishing, and related rights) must be correctly identified.
- Metadata must not misrepresent authorship or ownership.
- All credited parties must have legitimate involvement or authorization for the release.
2. Metadata Accuracy and Integrity
Metadata must accurately represent the released content.
- Titles, artist names, and contributor information must reflect actual creative involvement.
- Metadata must not include misleading, irrelevant, or promotional content.
- Search terms must be relevant to the release content.
- Fabricated or incorrect credits are not permitted.
3. Artist Naming Standards
Artist names must clearly identify a distinct creative entity.
- Generic or descriptive names that do not represent a specific artist identity are not accepted.
- Artist names must not intentionally resemble existing artists or brands.
- Names should remain consistent across releases and platforms.
- Impersonation or misleading similarity to established acts is not permitted.
4. Credits and Contributor Information
Contributor metadata must be accurate and consistent.
- Featured artists, composers, producers, and collaborators must be correctly credited.
- Roles must reflect actual creative or technical contribution.
- Credit information must remain consistent across all platforms.
- Featured artist formatting (e.g. “feat.”) must remain consistent across releases.
5. Release Structure and Formatting
Releases must follow standardized structural formatting.
- Track titles must be clearly defined and unique within a release where applicable.
- Release types (Single, EP, Album, Compilation) must be correctly assigned.
- Track order must reflect intended sequencing.
- Versions (e.g., remix, edit, instrumental, radio edit) must be clearly labeled and consistent.
6. Content Classification
Releases must be correctly categorized.
- Explicit content indicators must be accurately applied where required.
- Version descriptors must be clearly defined and consistent.
- Incorrect classification of release type or content is not supported.
7. Cover Art Standards
Cover artwork must meet technical and content requirements across all stores.
Technical Requirements
- Minimum resolution: 3000 × 3000 pixels
- Aspect ratio: 1:1 (square format)
- Accepted formats: JPEG or PNG
- Must be high-quality and suitable for digital display
Content Requirements
- Must not contain copyrighted or unauthorized imagery
- Must not include misleading branding or impersonation of other artists
- Must not include explicit content unless properly labeled and permitted by platforms
- Must not include platform logos, store branding, or UI elements
- Must not include promotional text, pricing, contact information, or advertising elements
Design Guidelines
- Artwork should represent the artist or release identity
- Must not replicate existing popular cover designs in a misleading way
- Must maintain professional visual quality suitable for global distribution
- Any artist or track name shown on artwork must match metadata exactly
8. Store Consistency
Metadata must remain consistent across all distribution platforms.
- Artist names, credits, and titles must match across all stores.
- Any updates must be applied consistently across all territories.
- Variations are only acceptable where required by specific store policies.
9. Restricted Metadata Practices
The following practices are not supported in metadata submissions:
- Keyword stuffing or irrelevant search terms
- Misleading associations with unrelated artists or brands
- Impersonation or imitation of existing identities
- Promotional or advertising text within metadata fields
- Artificial or inflated credit assignments
- Use of emojis, decorative symbols, or non-standard formatting in metadata fields
- Excessive punctuation or stylistic casing (e.g. ALL CAPS for emphasis)
10. DSP Metadata Standardization Rules
These rules ensure compatibility across all digital streaming platforms and stores.
- Each ISRC must be unique per individual track and must not be reused across different audio recordings.
- Each UPC must uniquely identify a release and must not be duplicated across different releases.
- Audio reuploads with altered metadata to bypass duplication systems are not permitted.
- Duplicate releases under different metadata are not allowed.
- Artwork and metadata must remain aligned; any artist or title shown on cover art must exist identically in metadata.
- Featured artists must follow a consistent format across all releases (e.g. “feat.” standardization).
- Version identifiers (Remix, Edit, Instrumental, VIP, etc.) must remain consistent and clearly defined.
- “Various Artists” releases must correctly distinguish between album-level and track-level artists.
- Metadata must not vary across stores unless explicitly required by platform ingestion rules.
- All fields must use clean formatting without unsupported characters or symbols that may interfere with ingestion systems.