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Guides, troubleshooting steps, and technical resources to resolve metadata validation issues and keep your releases moving to distribution.

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Guides & Tutorials

Getting Started with Validation

Learn how to upload your first metadata file, select target stores, and read the validation report.

5 min readRead

DDEX ERN Message Formatting

Understand the structure of Electronic Release Notification messages and common formatting pitfalls.

12 min readRead

CLI Installation & Batch Processing

Install the compliance SDK CLI and validate your entire catalog from the command line.

8 min readRead

Genre Taxonomy Mapping Guide

How to map your internal genre tags to each store's proprietary taxonomy system.

10 min readRead
Step-by-Step

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Encounter a validation failure? Find your issue below and follow the steps to resolve it before re-running validation.

ISRC validation fails with checksum error

The last character of the ISRC is a checksum digit that must be mathematically valid per ISO 3901.

Resolution Steps
  1. 01Locate the failing ISRC in your validation report.
  2. 02Verify the country code (2 chars), registrant code (3 chars), year (2 digits), and designation code (5 digits).
  3. 03Use the ISO 3901 checksum algorithm to calculate the correct check digit, or use our ISRC validator tool.
  4. 04Update the ISRC in your source metadata and re-run validation.

Release title rejected for SEO descriptors

Stores like Spotify and Apple Music reject titles containing search-intent keywords (e.g., 'Sleep Music', 'Relaxing', 'Meditation').

Resolution Steps
  1. 01Review the title field in your validation report — the flagged descriptors will be highlighted.
  2. 02Remove any descriptive, functional, or search-optimized language from the title.
  3. 03Ensure the title represents the authentic name of the release, not its content or use case.
  4. 04Re-validate — the title should pass the identity classification layer.

Artwork fails resolution check

Most stores require a minimum of 3000×3000 pixels. Common issue: artwork exported at 1500×1500 from older design templates.

Resolution Steps
  1. 01Open your artwork source file in your design tool (Photoshop, Canva, Figma).
  2. 02Set the canvas to 3000×3000 pixels at 300 DPI.
  3. 03Ensure the color mode is RGB/sRGB (not CMYK).
  4. 04Export as JPG or PNG with minimal compression.
  5. 05Re-upload and validate the artwork field.

Genre mapping returns 'unmapped' status

Your distributor's genre tag doesn't have a direct equivalent in the target store's taxonomy.

Resolution Steps
  1. 01Check the validation report for the specific store and genre combination.
  2. 02Consult our Genre Taxonomy Mapping Guide for that store's accepted genres.
  3. 03Choose the closest semantic match from the store's taxonomy.
  4. 04Update the genre field and re-validate against that store.

Contributor credits missing roles

Stores require contributor names with explicit role tags (Performer, Songwriter, Producer). Plain names without roles are rejected.

Resolution Steps
  1. 01Review the contributors field in your validation report.
  2. 02For each contributor, append the role in parentheses: 'Name (Role)'.
  3. 03Use standard DDEX roles: Performer, Songwriter, Composer, Producer, Mixer, Mastering Engineer.
  4. 04Re-validate the contributors field.

Language code mismatch on lyrics

The declared language code doesn't match the actual language of the metadata or lyrics, causing sync failures on YouTube Music and Apple Music.

Resolution Steps
  1. 01Check the language field in your validation report.
  2. 02Verify the actual language of the track title, description, and lyrics.
  3. 03Update the language code to the correct ISO 639-1 code (e.g., 'es' for Spanish, 'ja' for Japanese).
  4. 04Re-validate the language field.

Still stuck?

Our compliance engineers can help diagnose complex metadata issues directly. Reach out with your validation report and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.

Contact Support