Release metadata
This page covers the release-level metadata fields for DDEX import. For an overview, see the DDEX import guide. For track-level fields, see Track metadata.
Required fields
Section titled “Required fields”| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | The release title. Multi-language titles are supported — at minimum, provide the title in the primary language of performance. |
| Release type | One of: Single, Album, EP, Compilation, Mix, Podcast. |
| Primary artist(s) | At least one primary (main) artist is required. |
| Release date | Format: YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., 2025-06-15). |
| Catalogue number | Your internal catalogue number. Must be unique per label. Maximum 20 characters. |
| Primary genre | Must match a genre from the LabelGrid genre list. |
| Copyright line (C-Line) | Copyright holder name and year (e.g., 2025 My Label LLC). |
| Publishing line (P-Line) | Sound recording owner name and year (e.g., 2025 My Label LLC). |
| Explicit content | One of: Not Explicit, Explicit, or Edited/Clean. |
| Artwork | Minimum 3000 x 3000 pixels. For best compatibility, use square JPEG or PNG. |
| AI usage disclosure (artwork) | Whether AI was used to create the artwork: None, Some, or All. |
Optional fields
Section titled “Optional fields”| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Subtitle | Multi-language supported. |
| Featured artist(s) | Should not overlap with primary artists or remixer. For clean metadata across platforms, use one role per artist. |
| Pre-order date | Format: YYYY-MM-DD. Best practice: set before release date. Note: pre-order fields are not serialized in DDEX ERN 4.3 deliveries. |
| UPC / EAN (barcode) | 12-digit (UPC-A) or 13-digit (EAN-13) numeric code. Auto-generated if left blank. Once distributed, it cannot be changed. |
| Secondary genre | Additional genre classification. |
| Tertiary genre | Additional genre classification. |
| Language of performance | Use LabelGrid-supported language codes (e.g., en, es, ja_Jpan). |
| Distribution territories | Defaults to worldwide. Use ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes (e.g., US, GB, DE) or * for worldwide. |
| Animated cover art | For motion-art workflows, provide both a square (1:1) and a tall (3:4) version together. |
Next steps
Section titled “Next steps”- Track metadata — Track-level fields, contributors, and splits
- Validation — Formatting standards and common mistakes
- XML reference — ERN 4.3 structure and examples
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