Composition (or work). The song itself: the melody and lyrics. It belongs to the songwriters and their publishers. It's separate from any recording of it.

Copyright lines (℗ and ©). The ℗ line names who owns the sound recording. The © line names who owns the rest of the release, such as the artwork. Each line shows a year and a name. How to fill in copyright information

Cover. Your own recording of a song someone else wrote. You own your recording, but the song still belongs to its writers. Can I distribute a cover?

Licence. Permission to use something without owning it. When you distribute with us, you give us a non-exclusive licence to deliver your music to stores. You keep ownership. Do I keep ownership of my music?

Master (or sound recording). The finished recording of a song. Whoever paid for or made the recording usually owns the master. Independent artists often own their masters outright.

Neighbouring rights. In many countries, performers and recording owners earn royalties when a recording is played in public, for example on radio or in shops. These are collected separately from songwriting royalties.

Publisher. A company that manages and promotes songs for songwriters, and collects the money those songs earn. A publishing administrator does the collecting and registration work, usually without taking ownership of the songs.

Publishing. The business of the composition: registering songs, licensing them and collecting the royalties they earn. Publishing royalties: how to register your songs

Sample. A piece of someone else's recording used in your track. You need permission from the owners before you release it. Can I use samples in my music?

Sync licence. Permission to use music together with pictures, such as in a film, an advert, a game or a video.

Artist ID (or artist URI). The unique code a store gives your artist profile. Adding it to your release makes sure your music lands on your profile, not on someone else's with the same name. How do I find my Spotify URIs?

Explicit. A label for tracks with strong language or adult content. Stores use it for parental filters, so tag your tracks accurately.

IPI. A number that identifies you as a songwriter or publisher in the databases collecting societies use. You get one when you join a collecting society.

ISRC. A 12-character code that identifies one specific recording. Each track has its own, and it stays with that recording wherever it's released. ISRC, UPC, ISWC and IPI explained

ISWC. A code that identifies a composition (the song, not the recording). It's assigned when the song is registered with a collecting society.

Metadata (release details). All the information that travels with your music: titles, artist names, credits, genre, release date, codes and more. Accurate release details help you get found and paid. Essential metadata tips

Primary and featured artists. The primary artist is the main artist of a track or release. A featured artist is a guest who appears on it. Stores show them differently, so choose carefully. How to credit artists and contributors

UPC (or EAN). The barcode number that identifies a whole release, such as a single or an album. A UPC has 12 digits and an EAN has 13.

Catalogue. All the music you've released, old and new.

Distributor. The service that delivers your music to stores and streaming services and collects the money it earns for you. The Artist Platform includes distribution.

Pre-save. A link that lets fans save your song before it comes out, so it appears in their library on release day.

Release date. The day your music goes live in stores. We recommend submitting at least 5 weeks before it. How long until my release is live?

Release types (single, EP, album). Stores group releases by how many tracks they have and how long they are. Each store has its own rules for which is which.

Smart link. One link that sends fans to your music on whichever streaming service they use. Smart Links

Stores and streaming services (DSPs). The places people buy or stream music, like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Boomplay and Audiomack. In the industry they're often called DSPs (digital service providers). Which stores we deliver to

Takedown. Removing a release from stores. Each store removes it on its own timeline. How do I take my release down?

Territory. The countries where a release is available.

Collecting society (CMO or PRO). An organisation that collects royalties for songwriters and publishers when their songs are streamed, played or performed, such as PRS in the UK or ASCAP and BMI in the US. Publishing royalties: how to register your songs

Mechanical royalties. Money a song earns when it's copied, including when it's streamed or downloaded. It goes to the songwriters and publishers.

Performance royalties. Money a song earns when it's performed in public, including on radio, in venues and on streaming services. Collecting societies collect it for songwriters and publishers.

Royalty. Money your music earns each time it's streamed, downloaded or used. Recordings and compositions earn different royalties. How money works on The Artist Platform

Royalty advance. Money paid to you now, based on what your music is expected to earn later. It's paid back from your future royalties. Royalty Advances

Royalty split. Sharing a track's royalties with collaborators, such as a producer or co-artist, by agreed percentages. Track Splits

Royalty statement. A report of what your music earned, where and when. Stores report some time after the streams happen, so a statement always covers an earlier period. Why hasn't my royalty payment arrived?

Algorithmic playlist. A playlist a streaming service builds automatically for each listener, based on what they play, such as Spotify's Release Radar or Discover Weekly.

Allowlist (or whitelist). A list of channels that may use your music without receiving a Content ID claim. Add your own channels so your videos aren't claimed. How to whitelist your channels

Artificial streaming. Streams that don't come from real listeners, such as bots or paid streaming services. Stores remove them and don't pay for them. Artificial Streaming

Content ID. YouTube's system that finds your music in other people's videos, so you can earn money from them. Meta (Facebook and Instagram) has a similar tool called Rights Manager. What can't be claimed on YouTube, Meta and other UGC platforms

Discovery Mode. A Spotify programme that can recommend chosen tracks to more listeners in return for a commission on the streams that come from those recommendations. How do I submit a track to Discovery Mode?

Editorial playlist. A playlist chosen by a streaming service's own editors. On Spotify, you can pitch one unreleased song through Spotify for Artists. Editorial Playlist Pitching

Spotify for Artists. Spotify's free app for artists to manage their profile, see statistics and pitch to editors. Getting access to Spotify for Artists

UGC (user-generated content). Videos and posts people make and upload themselves, on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. Your music can earn money when it's used in them.