https://wearethemusicmakers.co/latest Music tech and AI in music: the news that matters, what we think about it, and a directory of the tools. en-us Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-a-upc-barcode-for-music https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-a-upc-barcode-for-music A UPC is the barcode that identifies a whole release, such as a single, EP or album, as one product; the number it carries is a 12-digit GTIN, and an EAN is the 13-digit version. Here is how the number is built, what GS1 charges, and why most independent artists take the free one from their distributor. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referenceupcmetadatadistribution https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-an-isrc https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-an-isrc An ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) is a 12-character code that identifies one sound recording or music video, not the song behind it. Here is how the code is built, who issues it, where Indian labels get a prefix, and why it matters for getting paid. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referenceisrcmetadatadistribution https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-an-iswc https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-an-iswc An ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code) is the permanent ID number for a song as a composition, not a recording. Here is what it looks like, who issues it and what it does not tell you. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referencemetadatapublishingroyalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/youtube-music-ai-labels-fully-partly-no-gen-ai https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/youtube-music-ai-labels-fully-partly-no-gen-ai YouTube Music began labelling AI-generated songs on its player on 14 Oct 2026, and the labels are coming to the main YouTube app. Partners declare Fully, Partly or No Gen AI, and YouTube's own detection fills the gaps. Here is how to declare, where the lines fall, and how it compares with Spotify's AI Credits. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers aiai-musicyoutube-musicmetadatastreaming https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/back-up-your-music-projects https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/back-up-your-music-projects A dead drive should cost you an afternoon, not an album. Here is the 3-2-1 backup rule applied to a music catalogue: what to save (sessions, stems, masters, metadata), how to make a project self-contained before you copy it, and how to archive a finished release so you can still open it in ten years. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowsbackupsarchivingmetadata https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/content-credentials-c2pa-for-audio https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/content-credentials-c2pa-for-audio Content Credentials are signed provenance records, built on the open C2PA standard, that can travel inside WAV, MP3, FLAC and M4A files. Here is what a credential actually records, how to check one, which tools read them today, and the limits every artist should understand before relying on one. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers provenanceaimetadataartist-rights https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/disclose-ai-use-through-distributor https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/disclose-ai-use-through-distributor You never tell Spotify or YouTube how you used AI. You tell your distributor, and it turns your answers into DDEX fields that every store reads in its own way. Here is the path one answer takes, the three places it can lose detail or go missing, and what to check before and after release, as we read the primary pages on 24 Oct 2026. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers ai-musicdistributionmetadataddexcreditsworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/metadata-isrc-iswc-split-sheets https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/metadata-isrc-iswc-split-sheets Two codes and one document hold your royalties together. An ISRC names the recording and comes from the recording owner, a national agency or a manager such as your distributor. An ISWC names the song and only a registration agency, usually your collecting society, can assign it. A split sheet has no issuer at all: you and your co-writers make it. Here is who issues what, what it costs where we could check, and why the split sheet has to come first. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers royaltiesmetadatapublishingdistributionworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/musixmatch-acquires-music-reports-songdex https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/musixmatch-acquires-music-reports-songdex The lyrics company has made its first acquisition in 16 years, buying the owner of the Songdex copyright registry, the Blokur matching platform and Cuetrak. Better matching could pay writers money they are owed today. It also puts a large share of the industry's rights data inside one private-equity-backed company. Mon, 19 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryroyaltiesmetadatamusixmatch https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/platforms-label-ai-music-differently https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/platforms-label-ai-music-differently YouTube Music started labelling AI-generated songs on 14 Oct 2026, using what partners declare plus its own detection. Apple Music, Spotify, TIDAL, Deezer and the RIAA/IFPI scheme each draw the line in a different place, so an artist who uses AI for one stem now has to describe it five ways or let a detector decide. Wed, 14 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers aiai-musicstreamingmetadatayoutube-music https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/isrc-iswc-ipi-upc-metadata-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/isrc-iswc-ipi-upc-metadata-explained Four codes identify your recording, your song, you as a writer and your release. Royalties go missing when they don't line up with each other, usually because the splits disagree or nobody linked the recording to the song. Here is what each code does, who issues it, and a release-day checklist. Thu, 17 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowsmetadataroyaltiespublishingexplainer https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/2027-release-checklist-guides-in-one-page https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/2027-release-checklist-guides-in-one-page We spent a month writing practical guides on releasing music, from registering a song to reading the statement that pays for it. This is the short version, in the order you will need it, with each step pointing back to the guide and the official page behind it. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowsrelease-planningmetadatamasteringspotifyapple-musicroyalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/how-to-disclose-ai-use-ddex-containsai-spotify-ai-credits https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/how-to-disclose-ai-use-ddex-containsai-spotify-ai-credits Spotify's AI Credits run on a DDEX standard that records AI use per role and per file, as None, Partly or All. You can only use it through a distributor that supports it, so here is how to credit AI and human work separately, step by step, with a template you can copy. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowsaiai-musicmetadataspotifyddexcredits https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/06/china-ai-labelling-rules-netease-cloud-music-testing https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/06/china-ai-labelling-rules-netease-cloud-music-testing China has required AI-generated audio to carry a label and embedded metadata since 1 Sep 2025, and platforms must detect AI content and let uploaders declare it. In April 2026 NetEase Cloud Music told a Chinese newspaper its AI labels were still in a small-scale test and relied mostly on creators declaring AI themselves. We think that leaves honest creators carrying the cost. Fri, 26 Jun 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers ai-musicai-labellingmetadataartist-rightsstreamingchinanetease-cloud-musictencent-music