Metadata Best Practices

Clean metadata, compliant assets, and consistent formatting are essential to ensuring that Releases pass automated and manual validation, whether they are delivered through Reprtoir Distribution, Direct-to-DSP Delivery, or Direct-to-Distributor Delivery. While each DSP and distributor applies its own technical and editorial rules, the industry relies on a shared set of metadata conventions that significantly reduce ingestion errors, correction requests, and delivery delays.

Metadata inside Reprtoir remains flexible, but delivery to DSPs does not. Any content intended for distribution must comply with editorial standards defined by major DSPs. These standards are broadly aligned across the industry, and most distributors rely on the Apple Music and iTunes style guides as a reference for formatting expectations.

Following metadata best practices is therefore strongly recommended when preparing Albums and Tracks for delivery. Correct casing, structured contributor roles, neutral descriptive formatting, compliant version descriptors, and correct language rules ensure that metadata is interpreted properly and displayed consistently across all DSPs. They also prevent automated ingestion issues, reduce manual review cycles, and minimise back-and-forth during the delivery process.

The guidelines on this page summarize industry-standard conventions and explain how they map to Reprtoir’s dedicated metadata fields. They establish the foundation for preparing metadata that delivers smoothly across all delivery channels supported by Reprtoir.

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How Best Practices Fit Into the Asset Delivery System
These guidelines apply to all delivery channels in Reprtoir. Whether you deliver through Reprtoir Distribution, your own DSP agreements, or external distributors, the preparation logic remains identical: high-quality assets, clean metadata, accurate roles, and consistent editorial formatting.

Preparing Metadata Before Creating a Release

Before creating a Release, all Album and Track metadata must be complete, accurate, and stored in the appropriate Reprtoir fields. DSPs expect metadata to be editorially clean and structurally consistent, and most ingestion systems flag formatting irregularities, misplaced information, or stylistic inconsistencies.

Metadata must remain strictly descriptive. Titles, Subtitles, contributor names, roles, and version descriptors must follow editorial guidelines and must not include promotional wording, decorative symbols, or unconventional stylisation. Reprtoir provides dedicated fields such as Title, Subtitle, Main Artists, Featured Artists, Composers, Authors, and contributor roles, ensuring that metadata exports correctly based on each DSP’s schema.

The most frequent and avoidable metadata issues include placing version information in the Title instead of the Subtitle, inserting featuring artists into the Title instead of using the Featured Artist field, adding promotional expressions such as “Official”, “Exclusive”, “HD”, or “New Release”, uploading incorrect artwork or audio formats, or using prohibited or decorative characters in public-facing fields. These problems are routinely flagged by DSP ingestion systems and may block or delay delivery.

Because Releases inherit all Album and Track metadata automatically, any error at this stage will propagate across every delivery instance. Preparing clean metadata upstream is the most effective way to ensure smooth validation, faster approvals, and consistent formatting across DSPs.

Preparing Artwork and Audio Files

Before creating a Release, artwork and audio must meet the technical standards required by DSPs. Incorrect dimensions, low-quality masters, or incompatible formats are among the most common causes of ingestion issues. Preparing high-quality media upstream ensures smooth validation across all delivery channels.

Artwork Requirements

Artwork must be square, high-resolution, and final before delivery. DSP ingestion systems will reject artwork that is too small, distorted, improperly formatted, or non-compliant with editorial restrictions.

Recommended technical standards:

Minimum resolution: 1500 × 1500 px (3000 × 3000 px strongly recommended)
Accepted formats: JPEG or PNG
Colour space: RGB only (CMYK may fail ingestion or display incorrectly)
No artificial borders or letterboxing, watermarks, decorative frames, or excessive graphic text unless it is part of the official artwork
No trademarks, explicit imagery, nudity, violent content, or any restricted material identified in DSP editorial policies

Replacing artwork after delivery requires a formal update workflow.

Audio Requirements

Reprtoir converts audio masters to FLAC 24-bit for delivery to most DSPs. The final fidelity depends entirely on the source master you upload.

For best results:

Upload WAV 24-bit, AIFF 24-bit, or FLAC 24-bit files
16-bit files are accepted but will be upscaled
Use consistent sample rates across all Tracks (44.1 kHz or 48 kHz recommended)
Avoid compressed formats such as MP3, AAC, OGG, or M4A
Ensure masters are free of clipping, silence padding, or artefacts that may trigger DSP validation

High-quality audio and compliant artwork significantly improve delivery reliability and reduce the risk of DSP rejections or publishing delays.

Replacing audio after delivery also requires a formal update workflow.

Delivery Validation Process

When delivering content to DSPs, multiple validation layers may apply along the delivery chain. These checks can lead to delays, temporary holds, or full rejections if the content fails to meet legal, editorial, or technical requirements. Reprtoir Smart Control identifies issues early, but additional validation is performed by distributors and DSPs.

Each stakeholder applies its own rules and uses different tools, including automated systems, machine learning models, fingerprinting technologies, and human editorial review. Avoiding issues upstream requires full compliance with metadata best practices and correct use of Reprtoir’s structured fields.

◼ 1. Reprtoir Smart Control

Reprtoir Smart Control automatically validates every Release before submission. It checks for missing mandatory metadata, incompatible artwork or audio formats, identifier inconsistencies, and structural mismatches between Album, Track, and Release. All issues must be corrected before the Release can be submitted. These checks reflect real DSP requirements and provide early visibility into potential blockers.

◼ 2. Manual Review Processes

Depending on your delivery channel, additional manual review may apply.

Reprtoir Distribution

Every Release submitted through Reprtoir Distribution is manually reviewed by Reprtoir’s content operations team. The review includes metadata structure and formatting, DSP editorial compliance, identifier accuracy, artwork and audio compatibility, legal or copyright considerations, ambiguous rights situations, and potential fraud detection. If corrections are required, detailed feedback is provided before resubmission.

Direct-to-DSP Delivery

Reprtoir does not perform manual review in this mode. DSPs receive your data exactly as submitted.

Direct-to-Distributor Delivery

Reprtoir does not perform manual review in this mode. Third-party distributors may apply their own editorial verification processes.

◼ 3. DSP Automated & Manual Validation Systems

After receiving your Release, DSPs typically apply both automated and manual validation.

Automated Validation

Automated systems scan every incoming Release for metadata inconsistencies or prohibited terms, non-compliant casing or formatting, artwork violations such as trademarks or restricted content, and audio issues including duplication, unauthorized samples, or AI-generated material where prohibited.

Manual Review

Many DSPs also operate human editorial teams. They manually assess suspicious metadata, legal or copyright risks, cultural or brand-sensitive content, ambiguous rights situations, and edge cases involving samples or potential fraud. Because DSP review takes place after delivery, preventing issues upstream is essential to ensure efficient distribution.