Music Industry Terms Every Artist Should Know
- 360 Deal: A contract where the label gets a percentage from all artist income streams.
- A&R: Artists and Repertoire department responsible for talent discovery and signing.
- Artist Manager: Guides an artist’s career, managing relationships and decisions.
- Back Catalogue: Collection of an artist’s past music releases.
- Big Three (Major Labels): Sony, Universal, and Warner, the largest record companies.
- Blanket License: Permission to play any song in a rights holder’s catalog for a set time.
- Collaboration: Working together to create music, involving various roles.
- Copyright: Legal protection for original music, preventing unauthorized use.
- Cover Art: Visual representation accompanying music releases.
- Digital Service Provider (DSP): Platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
- Door-Split Deal: Financial arrangement between a venue and performer.
- EP: Extended play, a shorter musical release than an album.
- EPK (Electronic Press Kit): Digital promotional package for artists.
- Intellectual Property: Legal protection for creative work.
- LP: Long-playing, refers to a full-length album.
- Mastering: Final preparation of a recording for commercial distribution.
- Master Recording: Original recording of a song.
- Merch: Items featuring artist branding sold to fans.
- Metadata: Additional data about music files, including rights and details.
- NFT (Non-fungible Token): Unique digital collectible tracked on the blockchain.
- One Sheet: Single-page document summarizing an artist’s bio and work.
- Performance Rights Organization (PRO): Ensures songwriters receive performance royalties.
- Per Diem: Daily allowance for artists, often while on tour.
- Pre-Save Link: Allows fans to pre-save upcoming music on streaming platforms.
- Royalty Advance: Pre-payment of royalties applied against earnings.
- Sampling: Copying a section of one recording for reuse in another.
- Song Identifiers: Codes identifying various elements of a musical work.
- Split Sheet: Document detailing songwriting contributions and royalty splits.
