DDEX standards

There are currently ten families of DDEX standards.

You do not have to be a member of DDEX to implement the standards. Anyone can implement the DDEX standards provided they acquire a free DDEX Implementation Licence. Find out more about obtaining an Implementation Licence to use the DDEX standards, here.

Electronic Release Notification Message Suite (ERN)

ERN enables the communication of data about newly available releases and resources, such as sound recordings and music videos, and the terms and conditions under which those releases or resources can be made available as electronic products by a digital service provider (DSP). The communication is usually from a record company or a distributor to a DSP.

Detailed information about ERN is available here.

Media Enrichment and Description (MEAD)

MEAD enables the communication of “rich” data about releases, resources, such as sound recordings and music videos, and musical works. As such, MEAD provides data that significantly supplements “core” supply chain and rights management data that would normally be communicated using ERN. MEAD can be communicated by anyone with rich data that a DSP needs but is usually from a record company or a distributor.

Detailed information about MEAD is available here.

Party Identification and Enrichment (PIE)

PIE enables the communication of rich data about parties, such as writers, recording artists, studio personnel, labels and others. As such, PIE provides data that significantly supplements core supply chain and rights management data that would normally be communicated using ERN. PIE can be communicated by anyone with rich data that a DSP needs but is usually from a record company or a distributor.

Detailed information about PIE is available here.

Transfer of Catalogues of Releases and Resources by Reassignment of Rights Controller Information (TOC)

TOC enables the communication of data about a defined group (“a catalogue”) of releases and resources such as sound recordings and music videos, where the catalogue transfer is taking place between just three parties, a relinquishing record company, an acquiring record company and a DSP. For these specific circumstances only this standard augments the Best Practices for Catalogue Transfer. The standard does not seek to support catalogue transfers that involve distributors or where more than three parties are involved.

Detailed information about TOC can be found here.

Best Practices for Catalogue Transfer

This best practice provides guidance to record companies, distributors and DSPs on how to most efficiently handle the transfer of catalogues of releases and resources, such as sound recordings and music videos, from one record company or distributor to another without disrupting the availability of those releases and resources to consumers on a DSP’s service. This best practice is for use in circumstances other than those set out in TOC above.

Detailed information about Best Practices for Catalogue Transfer is available here.

Digital Sales Reporting Message Suite (DSR)

DSR enables the communication of data about the releases, resources, such as sound recordings, music videos, and musical works used on a DSP's service and data about sales/usage generated from those releases, resources and musical works. The communication is usually from a DSP to a rights owner for subsequent invoicing of the DSP by the rights owner for use of the rights in sound recordings, music videos or musical works.

Detailed information about DSR is available here.

Claim Detail Message Suite (CDM)

CDM enables the communication of data about claims in musical works and royalty calculations relating to those claims. The communication is usually from a rights owner of the claims in musical works to a DSP and is most often sent after ingestion and processing by the rights owner of a DSR message (or similar) recieved from that DSP. CDM also enables a DSP to communicate back to a rights owner any discrepancies the DSP has identified in a claim message.

Detailed information about CDM is available here.

Musical Works Data and Rights communication (MWDR)

There are three MWDR standards which enable the exchange of data about the licensing of, primarily, the mechanical right in musical works in the US. The communication is between a record company or a DSP, and a music publisher or a music licensing agent:

  • Musical Work Right Share Notification Choreography (MWN) enables the exchange of information about rights claims in musical works;

  • US Musical Work Licensing Choreography (MWL) enables requests to be made for mechanical licences in such musical works; and

  • US Letters of Direction Choreography (LoD) enables notifications about changes of rights claims in musical works.

Detailed information about the MWDR standards is available here.

Bulk communication of Work And Recording Metadata (BWARM)

BWARM enables the communication, in bulk, of data about musical works, sound recordings or music videos that make use of such musical works as well as musical work claim information. This standard has been developed to support the activities of The Mechanical Licensing Collective established under the Music Modernization Act (MMA) but may also be used for other purposes. The communication is usually from an organisation with a musical works and recordings database, such as The Mechanical Licensing Collective, to organisations wishes to receive such data.

Detailed information about BWARM is available here.

Recording Data and Rights Standards (RDR)

There are three RDR standards which enable the exchange of data about sound recordings and music videos in respect of the rights administered by music licensing companies. The communication is between different music licensing companies in different territories and/or between a music licensing company and a record company:

  • Recording Data and Rights Notification (RDR-N) enables the communication of data about sound recordings, music videos, the identity of the contributors to those sound recordings and music videos and the rights claims in those sound recordings and music videos;

  • Recording Data and Rights Revenue Reporting (RDR-R) enables the communication of data about revenues generated from the usage of those sound recordings or music videos; and

  • Recording Data and Rights Choreography (RDR-C) sets out the message exchange protocol by which RDR-N or RDR-R messages are exchanged.

Detailed information about the RDR standards is available here.

Recording Information Notification (RIN)

RIN enables the communication of data about contributors including their roles, creations such as musical works or recording components, instrumentation and equipment captured in the studio during a recording session. The communication is between anyone operating in or providing services to the studio environment (which can be anything from Abbey Road Studios to a computer in a musician's front room) and any organisaiton operating in the music industry value chain, although usually, initially, a record company.

Detailed information about RIN is available here.


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