1 Introduction

This standard was developed by the member organisations of the Digital Data Exchange, LLC (DDEX) and provides a lightweight mechanism for communicating, in bulk, Musical Work and Recording information. This standard has been developed to support the activities of The Mechanical Licensing Collective established under the Music Modernization Act (MMA) that was signed into US law in 2018 but may also be used for other purposes.

Any organisation wishing to implement this (or any other DDEX Standard) is required to apply for an Implementation Licence. Information about the Implementation Licence, its terms and conditions and access to an application form can be found here and here.

This standard was developed by the member organisations of the Digital Data Exchange, LLC (DDEX) and provides a suite of messages that give a uniform mechanism to enable Release Creators (usually record companies) to inform DSPs about Releases — whether they are newly created or “back catalogue” — that are available for distribution to consumers.

This standard also enables Release Creators to inform DSPs in a standardised way the terms and conditions under which such Releases can be made available.