Compliance
Guide
A comprehensive reference for metadata compliance requirements across major streaming services. Every digital service provider publishes its own specification — this guide covers the standards, identifier formats, and field-level rules that govern global music distribution.
Identifier Specifications
These ISO and GS1 standards form the foundation of music metadata. Every store requires valid identifiers — a single malformed ISRC or UPC can block an entire catalog from ingestion.
ISRC
ISO 390112-character alphanumeric code identifying a specific recording. Format: CC-XXX-YY-NNNNN (country, registrant, year, designation).
UPC / EAN-13
GS113-digit barcode identifying a release. Final digit is a checksum calculated from the preceding 12 digits using the GS1 modulo-10 algorithm.
ISWC
ISO 15707International Standard Musical Work Code identifying a musical composition. Required for songwriter royalty collection.
ISNI
ISO 27729International Standard Name Identifier disambiguating contributors. Recommended for all artist and songwriter credits.
Language Code
ISO 639-1Two-letter code identifying the language of lyrics and metadata. Must match actual audio content for lyric synchronization.
Release Date
ISO 8601Date format YYYY-MM-DD. Must not be more than 6 months in the future for pre-release scheduling.
P-Line / C-Line
DDEX ERNPhonogram copyright (sound recording) and Copyright (composition) notices. Format: year + rights holder name.
Genre
Per-store taxonomyEach store maintains its own genre classification. Must be mapped from distributor genre to target store's proprietary taxonomy.
Store Requirements
Each streaming service maintains its own metadata specification. Below are the key compliance requirements for the six major global DSPs. These specifications are versioned and updated alongside each platform's API changelogs.
Spotify
- ISRC required for every track (ISO 3901, 12 alphanumeric characters)
- UPC/EAN required for every release (13-digit barcode with valid check digit)
- Titles must name the artistic entity — no SEO descriptors or search-intent phrases
- Contributor credits must include at least one Performer role
- Cover art minimum 3000×3000px, RGB color space, JPG or PNG
- Genre mapped to Spotify's 5,000+ micro-genre taxonomy
Apple Music
- ISRC and UPC required with valid checksums
- Flat genre hierarchy — no nested subgenres accepted
- Contributor roles mandatory: Performer, Songwriter, Producer
- Copyright P-line and C-line fields required (year + rights holder)
- Cover art 3000×3000px minimum, no upscaled images, no text overlay
- Synced lyrics required with accurate ISO 639-1 language code
Amazon Music
- ISRC and UPC required with checksum validation
- HD and Ultra HD tiers require sample rate, bit depth, and codec metadata
- Standard contributor credits including Performer and Songwriter
- Cover art 3000×3000px minimum, RGB/sRGB color space
- Genre mapped to Amazon's nested taxonomy (3-level hierarchy)
- Explicit content flag required when applicable
Tidal
- ISRC required for all tracks, UPC for all releases
- HiFi tier requires lossless audio format metadata (FLAC 16/24-bit)
- Contributor credits with full role assignments
- Cover art 3000×3000px minimum for HiFi tier
- Genre mapped to Tidal's curated taxonomy
- No version information in the primary title field
Deezer
- ISRC and UPC required with valid check digits
- Genre must match Deezer taxonomy v3.2 (nested 3-level system)
- Contributor roles: Performer, Songwriter, Composer, Producer
- Cover art 1400×1400px minimum (3000×3000px recommended)
- Language code verification (ISO 639-1/639-2)
- Explicit lyrics flag required when applicable
YouTube Music
- ISRC required for tracks, UPC for releases
- Release date in ISO 8601 format, not more than 6 months in the future
- Language code must match the actual lyrics language for synchronization
- Contributor credits including Performer and Songwriter
- Cover art 3000×3000px minimum, no text overlay or watermarks
- Genre mapped to YouTube Music's category system
Common Rejections
Invalid ISRC Checksum
The 12th character of an ISRC is a check digit. An incorrect checksum causes silent rejection at ingestion.
SEO-Optimized Titles
Titles containing search-intent descriptors (e.g., 'Sleep Music', 'Relaxing Ambient') trigger content manipulation filters.
Missing Contributor Roles
Stores require at minimum a Performer and Songwriter credit. Missing roles break royalty collection and display.
Artwork Below Resolution
Cover art below 3000×3000px (or 1400×1400px for some stores) fails the artwork specification check.
Genre Taxonomy Mismatch
Distributor genre tags that don't map to the target store's proprietary taxonomy cause browse category misplacement.
Language Code Mismatch
Metadata tagged with the wrong language code breaks lyric synchronization and regional browse placement.
Compliance Checklist
Validate metadata against each target store's specification before delivery — never after rejection.
Maintain a single source of truth for contributor credits with ISNI identifiers for disambiguation.
Use checksum validation on all ISRC and UPC codes before submission to any store.
Track the rule-set version used for each validation so compliance reports remain auditable over time.
Audit existing catalog metadata periodically — store specifications change retroactively and silently.
Ensure character encoding is UTF-8 across all text fields to prevent mojibake on international stores.
Map genre tags to each target store's proprietary taxonomy rather than using a single universal genre.
Include complete contributor roles (Performer, Songwriter, Producer, Composer) to ensure royalty collection.
Validate against every store
Run your metadata through our engine to get a field-by-field compliance report for every supported store before you deliver.