Music Industry Glossary: 80+ Terms Every Artist Should Know (Part 2)

If you’re serious about building a career in music, learning the language is half the battle. The business side has its own codes and phrases, and distribution is one area where it really pays to get fluent.

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Whether you’re releasing your first track or leveling up your strategy, understanding how music gets from your studio to your listeners’ ears can help you make smarter moves, avoid common mistakes, and keep more control over your career.

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This week, we’re unpacking the terms you’ll run into when prepping your music for release — from the types of distributors to the files and codes that make your songs trackable in the digital world.

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Let’s break it down. 👇

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📦 Distributor

Think of a distributor as the bridge between you (or your label) and the world. They get your music onto platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and physical stores. There are a few different types, and each one plays a different role.

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🧑‍🎤 Artist Distributor

Platforms like Octiive let you distribute your music yourself. No label required. This DIY route is perfect if you want full control and are just starting out — or even if you're established and like keeping things direct.

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🛒 One-Stop

A bit old-school but still around — a one-stop buys wholesale and sells small batches to retail shops. Handy for niche or local stores.

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🧾 Rack Jobber

Ever seen CDs in a gas station or bookshop? That’s probably a rack jobber at work. They rent shelf space in physical retail spots and stock them with their own music picks.

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🌍 Licensee

A company that pays to handle distribution and marketing for your release in a specific region. Think: a UK label licensing a U.S. artist’s album for Europe. This happens in digital too — even in our internet-everywhere era.

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Getting Your Music Ready to Drop

Now let’s talk prep. These are the behind-the-scenes terms you’ll want to be familiar with when you’re uploading your music or reviewing your release checklist.

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🎧 WAV File

The industry standard for audio uploads. WAVs are high-quality, uncompressed files that keep your music sounding clean. You’ll need one for every track you release.

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🧊 FLAC File

Another lossless format, smaller than WAV but still keeps your audio crisp. Sometimes accepted by distributors depending on their specs.

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🖼️ High-Resolution Art

Your cover image needs to be clean, square, and hi-res (usually 3000x3000px ). Distributors and platforms have rules about what can be on the artwork — no pricing, no logos from other brands, no wild stuff. Keep it pro.

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🏷️ Label Copy

This is the official info tied to your release — artist name, song title, writer credits, ISRCs, and so on. Without this, your royalties might go MIA. In physical formats, it’s on the CD or vinyl sleeve. In digital, it lives in your metadata.

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🧠 Metadata

All the nerdy-but-necessary info baked into your audio file — names, dates, credits, rights holders. Platforms use it to track plays and pay royalties. Get this part right and future-you will thank you.

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℗ P Line

This symbol (℗) shows who owns the rights to the recording itself. You’ll see it with a year and name, often in your metadata or on the release artwork.

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© C Line

The © shows who owns the composition or creative elements — lyrics, cover art, liner notes, etc. The C and P lines usually go hand-in-hand, but they represent different rights.

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🔢 ISRC

The “digital fingerprint” for each recording. Every version (original, remix, cover) gets its own ISRC. Once you’ve got one, it sticks for life — across any distributor, label, or platform.

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🧾 UPC

Like a barcode for your album or single. It’s required for tracking sales and streams. If you're using a distributor, they’ll often assign one for you. One song = one ISRC, but one album = one UPC (and different formats need different UPCs).

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That’s a wrap on Part 2 of our glossary series. By now, you’ve got a handle on how music gets from your laptop to the world — and the terms that keep it all running smoothly.

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More to come soon — we’ll be diving into publishing, sync licensing, and more insider lingo every artist should know.

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Until then, keep creating, keep learning, and don’t let the acronyms intimidate you. You’ve got this. 💪

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