DDEX publishes multiple message type standards, each serving a different function in the music data supply chain. ERN, MEAD, PIE, DSR, MWDR, and BWARM are all DDEX standards that different parts of the music industry use to communicate standardised data. This guide explains each one.
What DDEX is
DDEX (Digital Data Exchange) is a standards-setting organisation funded and governed by major music companies, collecting societies, and technology providers. DDEX publishes standardised message formats that allow different parts of the music industry — distributors, DSPs, collecting societies, labels, publishers — to exchange music metadata and commercial data in a consistent, machine-readable format. Multiple message type standards address different data exchange needs.
ERN: Electronic Release Notification
ERN is the most widely used DDEX standard. It defines the format for communicating release metadata from distributors to DSPs. When a label or distributor delivers a new release (or updates an existing one) to Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, or any major digital store, the ERN message is the vehicle. ERN contains: resource metadata (ISRC, track title, artists, contributors, duration), release metadata (album/single title, UPC, label, release date), and deal terms (territory availability, distribution channels, pricing). Current version: ERN 4.3. See our dedicated ERN guide for full detail.
MEAD: Metadata for Audio Delivery
MEAD is used for delivering detailed audio metadata to sound recording databases and identification systems. Where ERN is about communicating release data to stores, MEAD is about communicating recording data to systems that need richer technical and rights information about recordings. MEAD is used in the integration of music databases and identification systems, where ISRCs and detailed contributor metadata need to be delivered in a structured format.
PIE: Party Identifier Exchange
PIE is a DDEX standard for exchanging information about parties — individuals and organisations involved in the music industry (artists, songwriters, producers, labels, publishers). PIE provides a standardised format for sharing party information including identifiers (IPI, ISNI, ISRC registrant codes) and relationships between parties. PIE is used by collecting societies and music databases to maintain accurate party records and to link identifiers across different systems.
DSR: Digital Sales Reporting
DSR defines the format in which DSPs report usage data back to distributors and collecting societies. When Spotify sends monthly usage reports to a distributor, or when a collecting society receives usage data from a streaming platform, DSR is the standard format for that communication. Accurate DSR reporting is essential for correct royalty calculation — DSPs that report in non-standard formats introduce errors into the royalty calculation chain. DSR messages include: usage counts by track and territory, revenue data, and the ISRC identifiers linking usage to registered recordings.
MWDR: Musical Work Data Request and Reply
MWDR is used for querying and exchanging musical work data — information about compositions (as distinct from recordings). MWDR allows collecting societies and publishers to query each other's databases for work registration details, including ISWC, writer shares, and publisher information. MWDR is the plumbing behind the international royalty matching system — when one collecting society needs to verify a work registration held by another society, MWDR is the format for that exchange.
BWARM: Basic Web Application for Rights Management
BWARM is a DDEX standard for web-based rights management interfaces, defining how rights data should be presented and exchanged in web applications used for rights administration. BWARM is less widely discussed than ERN or DSR but underpins some of the web-based tools used by collecting societies and publishers for rights management. It provides a standardised data layer for web interfaces that handle copyright and neighbouring rights data.
Code Group Music builds distribution and rights management infrastructure on DDEX-compliant standards. For labels evaluating their technical metadata delivery, a catalog assessment will identify where non-compliant delivery is causing downstream errors. Start at codegroupmusic.co.uk/#catalog-assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do independent labels need to implement DDEX directly?
Most independent labels do not implement DDEX directly — they work with DDEX-compliant distributors (such as AudioSalad or other B2B distributors) who handle DDEX delivery on their behalf. Understanding DDEX is useful for evaluating distributors and understanding what 'DDEX-compliant delivery' means when distributors claim it.
Is DDEX only for digital music?
DDEX standards are designed for digital data exchange in the digital music ecosystem. Physical product is handled by other standards (GS1 barcodes, EDI for physical retail). DDEX and GS1 standards can coexist in a label's data infrastructure.
Where can I find the DDEX standards documentation?
DDEX publishes its standards at ddex.net. Full schema documentation and implementation guides are available for registered members. Many DDEX standards are publicly available for download; others require DDEX membership.
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