Welcome to the InterSpace Daily glossary — plain-English definitions of the terms that actually move money and metadata in the music business, written for African artists, producers, and label owners.
Every entry is built around three things: what the term is, why it exists, and what it specifically means for Nigerian and African releases. We add new entries every week. Use it as a quick reference, or send a link to a co-writer who keeps confusing mechanicals with performance royalties.
#
A
Aggregator vs Distributor in Music: The Real Industry Distinction
In music, an aggregator and a distributor are not synonyms. They sit on different layers of the supply chain. The terms get used interchangeably in marketing copy, which leads to confusion when a working professional needs to choose a partner — or when someone writes that DistroKid is an aggregator and trips an entire comments section.
Anghami: The MENA Region’s Leading Music DSP, Explained for Indie Artists
Anghami is the dominant music streaming service in the Middle East and North Africa. Here is how Arabic metadata, charts, and payouts work for indie artists.
Audiomack: The African and Hip-Hop Discovery DSP Explained
Audiomack is a free streaming service dominant in Africa and the global hip-hop scene. Here is how it pays, how discovery works, and who should prioritise it.
What is AI Music Detection? How DSPs Identify Generated Tracks
AI music detection is how distributors and DSPs flag tracks made by Suno, Udio, and similar tools. Here is what gets caught and what the rules are in 2026.
What is an Algorithmic Playlist? How Discover Weekly Actually Decides
An algorithmic playlist is generated by a machine learning system that picks songs for each individual listener based on their behaviour, similar listeners' behaviour, and the metadata of the songs themselves.
What is Apple Digital Masters? The High-Fidelity Standard for Apple Music
Apple Digital Masters is the audio quality standard that gets your release the AAC 256 best-in-class master on Apple Music. Here is the technical spec, plain.
What is Audio Fingerprinting? Chromaprint, Echoprint, and How Music Recognition Works
Audio fingerprinting turns any recording into a unique acoustic signature for matching. Here is how Chromaprint, Echoprint, and DSP systems actually work.
What is Audio Watermarking? Inaudible Tags That Track Music Use
Audio watermarking embeds an inaudible identifier inside a recording. Here is how it differs from fingerprinting and why it matters for promos, radio, and AI.
B
Boomplay: Africa’s Largest Music DSP, Explained for Indie Artists
Boomplay is Africa's largest music streaming service with 90M+ users across the continent. Here is how it pays, how to get on, and why it matters for indies.
What are Black Box Royalties? The Unclaimed Money Pool Explained
Black box royalties are music royalties that have been collected by a society or platform but cannot be matched to a specific rightsholder, and after a holding period are redistributed by formula rather than by actual usage.
C
D
What is a DSP? The Streaming Platforms That Pay You, Listed Globally
A DSP is any digital service that delivers your music to listeners. Streaming platforms, download stores, fitness apps, livestream tools, the entire downstream universe that consumes a distributor's catalog.
What is DDEX? The Music Distribution Delivery Standard Explained
DDEX is the standardised set of file formats and message specs that lets one music release move cleanly from a distributor to every digital service provider in the world.
What is DSR? Digital Sales Reporting, the Royalty Standard Explained
DSR is the DDEX message every DSP uses to report streams and revenue back to your distributor. It is the source of truth for any royalty dispute.
E
What is an Editorial Playlist? How DSP Curators Actually Pick Songs
An editorial playlist is a curated playlist programmed by a human team inside a streaming platform. They remain, by a wide margin, the most powerful single discovery surface in streaming for indie artists.
What is ERN? Electronic Release Notification, the Core DDEX Message Explained
ERN is the DDEX message that delivers a release from a distributor to a DSP. Here is what it carries, why deliveries fail, and which version matters.
H
I
What is an ISRC Code? The Recording Identifier Every Artist Needs
An ISRC is a 12-character code that identifies a specific recording of a specific song, used by every DSP and royalty body in the world to track who gets paid for that exact master.
What is an ISWC? The Composition Code Every Songwriter Should Know
An ISWC is the unique 11-character code that identifies a musical composition, the underlying song, separately from any recording of it.
J
K
L
M
What is a Mechanical Royalty? Songwriter Payouts on Reproductions Explained
A mechanical royalty is the money the songwriter and publisher earn every time a copy of their song is reproduced — physically, digitally, or as a stream.
What is Master vs Publishing? The Two Sides of Every Song Explained
Every song carries two separate copyrights. The master covers the recording. The publishing covers the composition. They are owned, traded, and paid out independently.
What is Metadata in Music? The Spine of Every Royalty You Earn
Metadata is everything attached to your music that is not the audio file itself.
What is Music Sub-Distribution? The Layer Between Labels and Global DSPs
Music sub-distribution is the B2B arrangement where regional labels plug into a global distributor's DSP network. Here is how the layer works and who it serves.
N
P
What is a Per-Stream Rate? Why the Number You Read Online Is Misleading
A per-stream rate is the average payout an artist or rightsholder receives per single play on a streaming platform.
What is a Performance Royalty? PROs, Radio, and Public Play Explained
A performance royalty is the money owed to songwriters and publishers every time a song is publicly performed — on radio, on TV, in a venue, on a stream, in a coffee shop, in a stadium.
What is a Pre-Save? The Release-Day Boost Most Artists Run Wrong
A pre-save is a fan action that automatically adds your release to their streaming library the moment it goes live.
What is a Publishing Admin Deal? Songwriter Royalty Collection Without Selling the Catalog
A publishing admin deal is a contract where an administrator collects your songwriter and publisher royalties from collection societies worldwide in exchange for a percentage commission, without taking ownership of your songs.
R
S
What is a Smart Link? One URL That Routes Fans to Every DSP
A smart link is one URL that detects which streaming service a visitor uses and routes them straight to the right platform to listen.
What is a Splits Sheet? The Document That Decides Who Gets Paid
A splits sheet is the document that records what percentage of a song each contributor owns and is therefore owed when the song earns.
What is Spatial Audio? Dolby Atmos Music and the Immersive Format Explained
Spatial audio in music means Dolby Atmos: object-based immersive mixes that pay more on Apple Music and Tidal. Here is what it actually requires.
What is Streaming Fraud? Bot Streams, Click Farms, and How DSPs Fight Back
Streaming fraud is the inflation of music streams using bots, click farms, or stream-buying services. Here is how it works, who pays for it, and the penalties.
What is Sync Licensing? Film, TV, Ads, and Games Explained for Artists
A sync license is the permission to synchronise a piece of music with moving images. Film, TV, advertising, video games, YouTube content, and increasingly TikTok and Reels for branded use.
T
U
W
Y
Z
Missing a term? Email editor@interspacemusic.com and we will add it.