Communicating the name of a writer of a Musical Work is an important part of a number of DDEX messages – specifically: ERN, RIN, DSR and the various messages to support the licensing of Musical Works. There are, several aspects to writing a Musical Work that DDEX messages can differentiate:
- Has the writer contributed to the lyrics of the Musical Work?
- Has the writer contributed to the melody or tune of the Musical Work?
- Has the writer contributed to the lyrics and the melody/tune of the Musical Work? Or
- Is it only known that the writer has contributed to the Musical Work but not whether they contributed to the lyrics or the melody/tune?
These four cases can be communicated in all standards published in 2020 or later with four role codes: Lyricist, Composer, ComposerLyricist and ComposerAndOrLyricist.
In older versions of DDEX standards only three values, Lyricist, Composer, ComposerLyricist, are available. When using those standards it is suggested to use a ComposerAndOrLyricist as a user-defined value as described on https://kb.ddex.net/display/HBK/User-defined+Values.
Note: DDEX of course also supports additional Musical Work-related roles such as Adapater and Arranger.