4.1 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of all parts of the RDR standard the following terms have the definitions specified in this clause.

Although all the terms below are capitalised, they appear in the text of all the parts of the RDR standard in lower case, for ease of readability. This does not apply in this part of the RDR standard to Album Release, Clip Release and Track Release because these are combined terms that would not appear in a normal dictionary.

Audio-visual Resource

An audible and visually persistent manifestation of a subject (often but not necessarily of a performance).

Cell

An individual data element in a Record. Cells are separated by Primary Delimiters.

Claiming Music Licensing Company

A music licensing company that has claimed rights in sound recordings and/or music videos, and/or audio-visual resources containing music from a collecting music licensing company or other collection society/organisation.

The differentiation between claiming and collecting music licensing company is usually relevant in the context of the international exchange of data relating to the revenues generated by the licensing of sound recordings and/or music videos, and/or audio-visual resources containing music between music licensing companies. This is to ensure the agreements between such music licensing companies are fulfilled and that the revenues are correctly remunerated to the relevant rights controller in each territory via that territory’s local music licensing company from the music licensing company in the territory in which the revenue was earned. In such circumstances the local music licensing company is the claiming music licensing company.

Collecting Music Licensing Company

A music licensing company that collects revenue from licensees, such as a broadcaster in the local territory, for the exploitation of rights in sound recordings and/or music videos, and/or audio-visual resources containing music. For this, the collecting music licensing company requires a legal mandate to do so or has received a claim from a record company or performer, or claiming music licensing company and it wishes to report and pay these revenues to the claiming party.

Delimiter

A character that delineates in a message created in accordance with the RDR standard either one Record from another Record (Record Delimiter), one Cell from another Cell (Primary Delimiter) or one data element from another data element within a Cell (Secondary Delimiter).

Initial Producer

A party that initiates the creation of a sound recording or resource and is sometimes referred to as a commissioning rights holder. An Initial Producer may be a person or an organisation and the term contrasts with the role of a studio producer.

Message Recipient

A party that receives a message created in accordance with the RDR standard from a message sender.

Message Sender

A party that sends a message created in accordance with the RDR standard to a message recipient.

Music Licensing Company

A company that is duly authorised to issue licences for the use of sound recordings and/or music videos, and/or audio-visual resources containing music. Music licensing companies may issue licences on behalf of record companies, performers or both. DDEX avoids using the abbreviation “MLC” as it is easily confused with the abbreviations for the Mechanical Licensing Collective established by US law.

Paying Music Licensing Company

A music licensing company that reports and pays revenues for sound recordings and/or music videos and/or audio-visual resources containing music to a claiming party. A claiming party can be the rights controller, typically a record company or performer, or a claiming music licensing company on behalf of the rights controller(s).

In the use case where royalties are processed and paid domestically, the paying music licensing company is usually also the collecting music licensing company.

In the use case of international music licensing to music licensing communication, the music licensing company that receives royalties collected in a different territory, is usually at first a claiming. When that music licensing company then passes on the revenue to a rights controller, it is subsequently a paying music licensing company.

Primary Delimiter

Delimiter used to separate Cells.

Record

A collection of Cells that describe a specific data entity. Records are separated by Record Delimiters and the Record type is indicated in the first Cell of each Record.

Record Delimiter

Delimiter used to separate Records.

Release

An abstract entity representing a bundle of one or more resources compiled by an issuer. The resources in releases are normally primarily sound recordings or music videos, but this is not invariably the case. The release is not itself the item of trade (or “product”). Products have more extensive attributes than releases. For example, one release may be disseminated in many different products.

Resource

A digital fixation of an expression of an abstract work (such as a sound recording, a music video, an image, software or a passage of text). Resources are individual assets that make up a release. Typical resources are sound recordings, music videos and cover art images.

Revenue

The gross amount of money generated in accordance with the commercial terms of the licences issue for the use of sound recordings, and/or music videos, and/or audio-visual resources containing music by consumers by a music licensing company and other revenues collected by a music licensing company that have not been directly attributable to a particular sound recording and/or music video, and/or audio-visual resource containing music.

Rights Controller

A party that controls rights in one or more creations in respect of some or all rights for specific territories, time periods, rights types, usage types and commercial model types (which may be anything up to and including all rights for the world, in perpetuity, for all types of usage and for all types of commercial models). Creations include musical works, sound recordings and other resources as well as releases. A rights controller may be a human being or other legal person or corporate entity.

For the purpose of this standard the Rights Controller only deals with creations and the rights thereof related to sound recordings and/or music videos, and/or audio-visual resources containing music.

Secondary Delimiter

Delimiter used to separate data elements within a single Cell.