DDEX Basics for Artists and Labels: What ERN Is and Why It Matters
Updated 2026-10-21 · 5 sources
Short answer
DDEX publishes the standards the music industry uses to exchange metadata. The one that matters for releases is ERN (Electronic Release Notification): a message, usually sent by a record company or distributor to a DSP, that describes the release, its recordings and the terms on which it can be made available. Your distributor turns your upload form into ERN, and Amazon, YouTube and Deezer all describe ingesting releases this way.
What ERN contains
DDEX says ERN messages communicate metadata about releases and how they can be made available, are usually sent by a record company or distributor to a DSP, and that the main message, the NewReleaseMessage, carries the release, its resources (usually sound recordings or music videos) and the terms of when, where and how it can be made available [1].
Who uses it
- Amazon Music says distributors deliver to it via a DDEX ERN delivery feed, and that signals in that feed can fail and misplace content on artist profiles [2].
- YouTube's Art Track features are for partners using its DDEX feed with ERN 3.6 or later [3].
- Deezer accepts DDEX 3.x (preferably 3.8) and 4.1 or 4.3 (preferably 4.3) [4].
- ERN 4.3.2 added the ContainsAI field for AI disclosure [5].
Why artists should care
Each field on your distributor's form, from artist roles to the explicit flag, ends up as structured data in the delivery. If the form puts a featured artist in the title instead of a role, that's what the store receives. Getting the form right is getting the DDEX right.
Examples
| Instead of | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Featured artist typed into the title field | Featured artist added as a separate contributor role | Roles travel as structured data; titles are plain text. |
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FAQ
Do I need a DDEX licence?
Only if you build software that sends DDEX messages. DDEX says anyone can implement its standards after taking out a DDEX Implementation Licence. Artists using a distributor don't need one.
Which ERN version does my distributor use?
Ask them. It matters for newer fields like ContainsAI, which arrived in ERN 4.3.2.
Related guides
Sources
- DDEX: Electronic Release Notification Message Suite (ERN)
- Amazon Music for Artists Help: Amazon Music Artist Profiles
- YouTube Help: What is an Art Track?
- Deezer for Creators: How To Add Music To Deezer Through A Label
- DDEX ERN 4.3.2 Data Dictionary: ContainsAI
Platform rules change. Each rule above is attributed to the company or standard that published it, as checked on 2026-10-21. This guide is not legal advice.