Glossary · Index · Official References

Artist & Repertoire — record-label executive responsible for talent scouting and artist development.

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers — one of the major U.S. performing rights organizations (PROs).

Broadcast Music, Inc. — a U.S. performing rights organization collecting royalties for songwriters and publishers.

A smaller, invitation-only U.S. performing rights organization.

Global Music Rights — a boutique PRO representing top songwriters.

The Mechanical Licensing Collective — administers blanket mechanical licenses and distributes digital mechanical royalties in the U.S.

The complete body of songs, compositions, and recordings owned or controlled by an artist or publisher.

Legal permission to use a song or recording, obtained from the rights holder or publisher.

Digital Service Provider — streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and YouTube Music.

Electronic Press Kit — a digital portfolio containing an artist's bio, press, music, and high-res photos.

International Standard Recording Code — a unique identifier for sound recordings.

International Standard Musical Work Code — a unique identifier for musical compositions.

Interested Parties Information — a unique number identifying a writer or publisher within PRO systems.

Universal Product Code / European Article Number — barcodes for physical and digital releases.

The original, definitive recording of a song — distinct from the underlying composition/publishing rights.

The rights to a musical composition; includes mechanical and performance royalties.

Payment owed to a publisher/writer for the reproduction of a composition (physical or digital).

Payment owed when a composition is performed publicly (radio, venues, streaming).

Permission to synchronize music with visual media (film, TV, commercials, games).

Permission to use a specific master recording in visual media.

A signed document detailing writer/producer splits and publishing percentages for a song.

An agreement under which the creator assigns all rights to the commissioning party.

The process of recovering advanced costs from an artist's royalties before paying out.

Rights of performers and sound-recording makers to receive royalties from public performance of recordings.

Collects digital performance royalties for sound recording copyright owners and featured artists.

A clause returning rights to the creator after a defined term or condition.

The contractual right to inspect a label or publisher's royalty accounting.

Transfer of rights from one party to another.

Information describing a song or release (title, artist, composer, ISRC, release date, etc.).

The standardized metadata + audio delivery format required by DSPs and PROs.

A non-cash contribution (studio time, engineering, marketing) exchanged for equity or credit.

The ability to meet financial obligations — the METANATED doctrine frames it as sovereignty.

An independent music publishing and creative-bridge platform spanning New York City and New Orleans.

Cyril Darensbourg's 12-discipline concierge framework for artist career development.

Big Red NOLA's recording studio home in New Orleans.

The School of the Vault — a curriculum to register the work, bank the rights, and live in the black.

A fund reserving a percentage of projects for credited, paid younger creators.

A community support network for artists in the Big Red ecosystem.

The editorial portrait of Cyril Darensbourg — the architect who builds in silence.

The tech-bridge initiative connecting New Orleans creative talent with digital infrastructure.

The cultural bridge membership community uniting New York and New Orleans creators.

An internal economy where contributions are logged as credit hours redeemable for services.