loudness normalization
Loudness normalization is the automatic gain adjustment that streaming services and broadcasters apply so that one track does not sound much louder than the next. Rather than looking at peak level, it relies on integrated loudness as defined by the ITU-R BS.1770 recommendation, expressed in LUFS (loudness units relative to full scale). Targets differ by […]
algorithmic playlist
An algorithmic playlist is assembled by software rather than by a person. The service looks at what each listener plays, skips and saves, compares it with the habits of people with similar taste, and builds a personal selection that changes over time. Spotify’s Discover Weekly, introduced in July 2015, made the idea mainstream: about two […]
artist alias
An artist alias, or stage name, is the name under which an artist releases music instead of their legal name. Many musicians use one, and in lo-fi and electronic music it is common for producers to run several aliases for different styles or projects. On streaming services each alias usually has its own artist profile, […]
collective management organisation
A collective management organisation (CMO), also called a performing rights organisation (PRO) or collecting society, manages rights on behalf of many authors, publishers, performers or producers at once. As WIPO describes it, a CMO monitors how works are used, negotiates tariffs, grants licences to users such as broadcasters, venues and digital services, then collects the […]
Content ID
Content ID is YouTube’s automated copyright-matching system. Rights holders who own exclusive rights to a substantial body of original material that is frequently uploaded can supply reference files of their audio and video, and every new upload is scanned against that database. When a match is found, a Content ID claim is placed on the […]
copyright
Copyright is the set of exclusive rights the law gives the authors of original works, such as music, lyrics, texts and images, over copying, distributing, performing, adapting and making them available online. Under the Berne Convention of 1886, protection may not depend on formalities, so in most countries copyright arises automatically once a work is […]
Creative Commons
Creative Commons (CC) is a non-profit organisation, founded in the United States in 2001, that publishes free, ready-made licences creators can attach to their work; the first set appeared in December 2002. The licences do not replace copyright but rely on it, granting the public permissions that would otherwise have to be requested. There are […]
digital distribution
Digital distribution is how a recording travels from an artist or label to services such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music or Amazon Music. Artists generally do not upload directly to these platforms: a distributor, sometimes called an aggregator, delivers the audio, artwork and metadata, then collects the royalties the services pay and passes them […]
editorial playlist
An editorial playlist is selected and maintained by a streaming service’s own curators, who typically follow particular genres, moods or regions. Many of the best-known mood and genre lists on Spotify, for example, are run by editors who listen to new releases and decide what fits. Artists and labels can suggest music to these editors. […]