The 100 terms of the music industry every musician should know

Download our glossary compiling all the main music industry definitions that every artist should know.

100 music industry terms glossary by Bridger
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100 music industry terms glossary by Bridger

100 key music industry terms

X
Copyright
Also know as “author rights”, these are legally granted to the songwriter of an original music work. They include moral rights, which allow the songwriter to claim the ownership of the musical work...
X
Label
Company that manufactures, distributes and promotes the recordings of affiliated artists. Label sells the artist's brand and the products they create.
X
Public Domain Work
Musical work that doesn't have copyright protection and that can therefore be used by anyone for any purpose without any license or agreement...
X
Split Sheet
Document that describes the rights split of a musical collaboration. It must be written and signed by the co-authors before the exploitation of the musical work.
X
Royalties
Revenues generated by the exploitation of a track for the songwriter, the performer and the producer. Incomes can be generated by physical or digital album sales, digital downloads, streams, radio or TV broadcasts.
X
Intellectual Property
Ownership of a concept that you have invented or created. It can be musical, pictorial, mechanical or procedural.
X
360 Deal
Exclusive recording contract allowing a record company to receive a percentage of all of your revenues, ie: sales of your music, publishing rights, concert revenues...
X
Direct-to-Fan
Act of selling music directly to fans without relying on a retailer or a distributor. Platforms like Bandcamp or Twitch do direct-to-fan.
X
Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA)
Anti-piracy law that outlaws the bypassing of rules restricting the access and distribution of copyrighted materials.
X
Co-Publishing Agreement
Publishing contract between two publishers in which a publisher shares a part of the royalties in exchange for creative and administrative services from the other one...
X
Black Box
Denotes the large amount of revenues generated by all the music aired on the various platforms that remains unattributable to the artist who created it...
Also know as “author rights”, these are legally granted to the songwriter of an original music work. They include moral rights, which allow the songwriter to claim the ownership of the musical work...
Copyright
Label
Public Domain Work
Split Sheet
Royalties
Intellectual Property
360 Deal
Direct-to-Fan
DMCA
Co-Publishing Agreement
Black Box
X
Copyright
Also know as “author rights”, these are legally granted to the songwriter of an original music work. They include moral rights, which allow the songwriter to claim the ownership of the musical work...
X
Label
Company that manufactures, distributes and promotes the recordings of affiliated artists. Label sells the artist's brand and the products they create.
X
Public Domain Work
Musical work that doesn't have copyright protection and that can therefore be used by anyone for any purpose without any license or agreement...
X
Split Sheet
Document that describes the rights split of a musical collaboration. It must be written and signed by the co-authors before the exploitation of the musical work.
X
Royalties
Revenues generated by the exploitation of a track for the songwriter, the performer and the producer. Incomes can be generated by physical or digital album sales, digital downloads, streams, radio or TV broadcasts.
X
Intellectual Property
Ownership of a concept that you have invented or created. It can be musical, pictorial, mechanical or procedural.
X
360 Deal
Exclusive recording contract allowing a record company to receive a percentage of all of your revenues, ie: sales of your music, publishing rights, concert revenues...
X
Direct-to-Fan
Act of selling music directly to fans without relying on a retailer or a distributor. Platforms like Bandcamp or Twitch do direct-to-fan.
X
Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA)
Anti-piracy law that outlaws the bypassing of rules restricting the access and distribution of copyrighted materials.
X
Co-Publishing Agreement
Publishing contract between two publishers in which a publisher shares a part of the royalties in exchange for creative and administrative services from the other one...
X
Black Box
Denotes the large amount of revenues generated by all the music aired on the various platforms that remains unattributable to the artist who created it...

+100 music industry terms

Copyright
Label
Public Domain Work
Split Sheet
Royalties
Intellectual Property
360 Deal
Direct-to-Fan
DMCA
Co-Publishing Agreement
Black Box
Copyright
Label
Public Domain Work
Split Sheet
Royalties
Intellectual Property
360 Deal
Direct-to-Fan
DMCA
Co-Publishing Agreement
Black Box

Music industry made simple

Whether you’re a new or seasoned creator, the music industry can be quite a maze to navigate.
It is difficult to access reliable information, rules and the vocabulary specific to this industry.
At Bridger, we believe that music industry knowledge is power, and we want you to hold the keys of your success.
We’ve gathered the 100 terms you should know no matter what’s your status or level of fame.
100 music industry terms glossary by Bridger
Let's rock it!

100 terms you should know

Bridger compiled in a document the 100 definitions of the music industry that every DIY artist should know.

The most common industry terms made understandable

100 definitions for free

Vocabulary that helps musicians to better understand the music industry

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“Bridger seems much more flexible than well-known performance rights organizations such as SACEM”
Camille Fabre, Music composer

We want to help to make the music industry accessible to every musician

Bridger aims at providing easier access to the music industry for everyone and to help artists to grow their musical projects and their careers faster with good practice.
Our ambition is to offer the keys of success to every artist and make sure YOU get the revenues YOU deserve.
“I was very positively surprised when I created and set up my account with Bridger !”
BartekMusic, Musician

It starts with this glossary

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