DDEX envisages two “modes” for MEAD. The first mode is where media enrichment and description information is sent as part of an ERN feed from a record company to a DSP (potentially, as with all DDEX standards, via aggregators or technical service companies). Labels would be able to send, for example, focus track information to DSPs that support voice-activated services or devices.

The second mode is where such media enrichment and description information is sent from a “metadata provider” to a DSP independently of an ERN feed. A DSP would subscribe to a metadata feed and would receive such information once new data becomes available. Such metadata providers can include record labels (although the label-internal data sources for MEAD may be different from the one used for an ERN feed) as well as companies that specialise in the aggregation of enriched data about parties, releases, resources and works not normally included in supply chain activities.

If media enrichment and description information is communicated alongside an ERN message, the MEAD message is sent like a resource that accompanies the ERN message. This approach works with ERN-3 as well as ERN-4. Therefore, neither the sender nor the recipients will need to update their message exchange process. There is, of course, code to be written for creating and ingesting the MEAD message itself.

Where media enrichment and description information is communicated independently from an ERN feed, the process depicted below is envisaged. This process can be implemented using (S)FTP or a web services API similar to the one used today to communicate ERN messages and their resource files.

The forthcoming MEAD standard supports information about musical works, recordings (primarily sound recordings), releases as well as parties such as writers, recording artists and studio personnel. 

The table below lists, in alphabetical order, the types of information that the draft version of the MEAD Standard currently contains, and who the likely sources of such information are. In addition, the standard will allow the communication of the name of the author of any of the pieces of information. A label might, for instance, include in their MEAD feed a review of an album written by a reputable journalist. The name of this journalist might then aid recipients of the media enrichment and description information to assess the reliability of the received information.

This list represents the current extent of what MEAD can express. DDEX expects this to expand significantly over the years:

It is essential to note that no company is expected to send or receive all types of media enrichment and description information. Instead, the standard provides a flexible “menu” approach were only those items that a party wishes to send (or receive) are actually communicated.

MEAD is based, like most DDEX standards, on an XML Schema Definition (XSD) that will seamlessly integrate with all other DDEX standards as all DDEX standards are based on a common data dictionary. Implementers of the ERN standard will therefore find it very easy to implement the new standard.

The MEAD XSD can be downloaded from the standard's page or from http://ddex.net/xml/mead/10/media-enrichment-and-description.xsd.