DSP
Digital Service Provider — any platform that delivers music to consumers in digital form, including interactive streaming services (Spotify, Apple Music), download stores (iTunes), and non-interactive webcasters. DSPs are required to obtain mechanical and performance licenses and report usage data to rightsholders.
Articles about DSP
DSPs Explained: How Digital Service Providers Handle Metadata, Reporting, and Royalties
DSPs Explained: How Digital Service Providers Handle Metadata, Reporting, and Royalties DSPs explained: this article breaks down how digital service providers ingest and validate metadata, produce event and financial reports, and convert usage into royalty payments. You will get standards-first, field-level guidance including DDEX ERN examples, identifier and split validation rules, reporting cadences, and the matching logic that catches most lost royalties.
Barcodes for Music: The Artist & Guide to UPCs & ISRCs
Every digital release needs two types of barcodes: UPCs identify products, ISRCs identify recordings. Getting them wrong breaks royalty tracking, sales reporting, and chart eligibility across every DSP and CMO in your distribution chain.
Boost Music Royalties with Automated Registration System: 5 Steps
Manual song registration costs independent songwriters thousands in missed royalty payments each year. This five-step framework shows how automated registration systems ensure every work is registered across all relevant CMOs and DSPs, eliminating data entry errors and missed deadlines.
The Top 10 Artist Management Tools for Independent Careers
Choosing the right artist management tools determines whether you run a professional operation or lose contracts in email threads. This guide evaluates the top 10 artist management tools for independent careers, from comprehensive platforms to specialized tour and release management systems.
Agreement of Distribution: A Musician's Guide to negotiating fair terms
Distribution agreements determine how your music reaches listeners and how you get paid. This guide breaks down the essential terms every independent musician must understand before signing, from revenue splits to reversion rights, so you can negotiate deals that protect your catalog and your income.
Effective Accountability Systems for Music Royalties: A Builder's Guide
Legacy royalty systems fail creators through black box statements, 18-month delays, and unexplained deductions. Modern accountability requires transaction-level transparency, immutable audit trails, and standardized data formats that let you verify every payment.
360 Deals in the Music Industry: A 2026 Guide
360 deals let labels take 15-50% of your income across recorded music, touring, merch, brand deals, and sometimes publishing. This guide explains exactly what labels claim from each revenue stream and how to negotiate better terms in 2026.
Song royalty tips: 7 ways to maximize your earnings
Most songwriters leave money on the table through registration gaps, territory blind spots, and misunderstanding royalty streams. These seven song royalty tips fix the operational gaps that cost writers thousands in unclaimed music royalties every year.
Uncommon ways your song can make you money: beyond streaming and radio
Most songwriters focus on streaming and performance royalties while missing dozens of niche revenue streams. These uncommon ways your song can make you money require active catalog management but collectively represent significant income that independent writers leave unclaimed.