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Regional Standards

Regional
Standards

Metadata nuances and data requirements for different international music markets. Each region has its own dominant platforms, language requirements, genre taxonomies, and PRO registrations.

🇺🇸

North America

Markets
United States,Canada,Mexico
Primary Platforms
SpotifySpotifyApple MusicApple MusicAMAmazon MusicYouTube MusicYouTube Music
Regional Nuances
  • 01English and Spanish language tags required for US Latin market releases
  • 02Canada requires bilingual metadata (English/French) for Quebec-targeted releases
  • 03UPC/EAN-13 is the standard identifier; ISRC is mandatory for all tracks
  • 04Explicit content flagging follows RIAA standards (Parental Advisory)
  • 05Genre taxonomy follows US-centric categories — regional subgenres may not map
Key Requirements
ISRC (mandatory)UPC/EAN-13 (mandatory)P-LineC-LineLanguage CodeExplicit Flag
🇪🇺

European Union

Markets
United Kingdom,Germany,France,Sweden,Netherlands
Primary Platforms
SpotifySpotifyApple MusicApple MusicDeezerDeezerAMAmazon Music
Regional Nuances
  • 01GDPR compliance required for any contributor personal data (names, contact info)
  • 02Multi-language metadata expected for releases targeting multiple EU markets
  • 03GEMA, SACEM, PRS, and STIM registration recommended for songwriter credits
  • 04Deezer is a major platform in France — v3.2 genre taxonomy required
  • 05ISWC strongly recommended for songwriter royalty collection across PROs
  • 06Territory rights must be explicitly set per country, not assumed EU-wide
Key Requirements
ISRC (mandatory)UPC/EAN-13 (mandatory)ISWC (recommended)P-LineC-LineLanguage CodeTerritory Rights (per-country)
🇧🇷

Latin America

Markets
Brazil,Mexico,Argentina,Colombia,Chile
Primary Platforms
SpotifySpotifyApple MusicApple MusicYouTube MusicYouTube MusicDeezerDeezer
Regional Nuances
  • 01Portuguese (pt-BR) language code required for Brazilian releases
  • 02Spanish language variants: es-MX (Mexico), es-AR (Argentina), es-CO (Colombia)
  • 03Latin genre taxonomy is highly granular — regional subgenres (Reggaetón, Forró, Sertanejo) must be mapped precisely
  • 04ECAD (Brazil) and SACM (Mexico) registration for performance royalties
  • 05YouTube Music has higher market share than Apple Music in some LATAM markets
  • 06Pre-release dates often differ from global release dates — coordinate territory-by-territory
Key Requirements
ISRC (mandatory)UPC/EAN-13 (mandatory)Language Code (regional variant)Genre (Latin taxonomy)Territory Rights
🇯🇵

Asia-Pacific

Markets
Japan,South Korea,Australia,India,Indonesia
Primary Platforms
SpotifySpotifyApple MusicApple MusicYouTube MusicYouTube MusicAMAmazon Music
Regional Nuances
  • 01Japan: JASRAC registration required for songwriter credits; katakana/kanji name fields supported
  • 02South Korea: Melon, Genie, and Flo are dominant local DSPs — separate delivery required
  • 03Japan: Cover art often includes artist photo and release info — different from Western minimal style
  • 04India: JioSaavn and Gaana are major regional platforms; Hindi and regional language codes (hi, ta, te) needed
  • 05Indonesia: Langit Musik is a significant local platform; Indonesian (id) language code required
  • 06Australia/NZ follow Western standards but ARIA chart eligibility has specific metadata requirements
Key Requirements
ISRC (mandatory)UPC/EAN-13 (mandatory)Language Code (local)Local PRO RegistrationTerritory Rights
🇦🇪

Middle East & Africa

Markets
United Arab Emirates,Saudi Arabia,South Africa,Nigeria,Egypt
Primary Platforms
SpotifySpotifyApple MusicApple MusicAAnghamiYouTube MusicYouTube Music
Regional Nuances
  • 01Anghami is the dominant DSP in the Middle East — separate delivery and genre taxonomy required
  • 02Arabic language code (ar) with RTL text support; artist names in Arabic and English recommended
  • 03South Africa: SAMRO registration for songwriter credits; follows Western metadata standards
  • 04Nigeria: Afrobeats genre taxonomy is evolving — map to store-specific categories carefully
  • 05Religious and cultural content sensitivity — some stores require additional content review flags
  • 06Territory rights often exclude certain markets due to licensing restrictions — set explicitly
Key Requirements
ISRC (mandatory)UPC/EAN-13 (mandatory)Language Code (Arabic/local)Local PRO RegistrationTerritory RightsContent Sensitivity Flag
🇨🇳

Greater China

Markets
China,Hong Kong,Taiwan,Singapore
Primary Platforms
NCNetEase Cloud MusicTMTencent MusicApple MusicApple MusicSpotifySpotify
Regional Nuances
  • 01NetEase and Tencent (QQ Music, Kugou, Kuwo) are dominant — Western DSPs have limited market share
  • 02Simplified Chinese (zh-CN) for mainland China; Traditional Chinese (zh-TW) for Taiwan/HK
  • 03MCSC (China) and MUST (Taiwan) registration for songwriter credits
  • 04Content review by Chinese platforms is strict — metadata is scrutinized for political/cultural sensitivity
  • 05Cover art must not contain certain imagery; platform-specific artwork guidelines apply
  • 06ISRC is accepted but local identifiers may also be required by some platforms
Key Requirements
ISRC (recommended)Local Identifiers (per platform)Language Code (zh-CN/zh-TW)Local PRO RegistrationContent Review Compliance

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