# DDEX

Also known as: Digital Data Exchange, DDEX ERN

> DDEX (Digital Data Exchange) is a not-for-profit standards organization, formed in 2006, that defines the message formats music companies use to exchange data in the digital supply chain. Its best-known standard is the Electronic Release Notification (ERN), the XML format in which labels and distributors deliver releases and their metadata to streaming services and stores.

Source: https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/ddex · Category: Law and standards · Last reviewed: 2026-10-02 · License: CC BY 4.0

## Key facts

- **Type:** Not-for-profit standards organization
- **Formed:** 2006
- **Best-known standard:** ERN (Electronic Release Notification)
- **Other standards:** DSR (sales reporting), RIN (recording information), MEAD
- **Website:** [ddex.net](https://ddex.net/)

## Purpose

Labels, distributors, streaming services, collecting societies and publishers all exchange the same kinds of information — what a release contains, who made it, where it may be sold, and how much it was used. DDEX standardizes those messages so each company implements one format rather than a different one for every partner.[1]

## Principal standards

- **ERN — Electronic Release Notification.** Describes a release, its tracks with their [ISRCs](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/isrc), contributors, artwork, territories, deal terms and dates, and delivers it to a store.
- **DSR — Digital Sales Reporting.** The format in which services report usage and revenue back up the chain, the raw material of every [royalty statement](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/music-royalties).
- **RIN — Recording Information Notification.** Captures studio-session data — who played, sang, produced and engineered — at the point of creation.
- **MEAD — Media Enrichment and Description.** Carries descriptive data such as moods, lyrics and focus tracks for discovery.

Messages are expressed in XML, and identify parties and works by standard identifiers such as [ISRC](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/isrc), [ISWC](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/iswc) and [ISNI](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/isni).[1]

## In practice

Most artists never see a DDEX message: their [distributor](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/music-distributor) produces the ERN from the form they fill in, and receives DSR reports in return. Problems at that step — a missing contributor role, a mistyped ISRC, the wrong release date — propagate to every store the release is sent to.

## In practice at SNVRKOTICS

SNVRKOTICS can generate a DDEX ERN 4.3 message from a release in the catalog, so the metadata recorded once is the metadata delivered.

## Questions

### What is a DDEX ERN?

An Electronic Release Notification: the XML message a label or distributor sends to a store to deliver a release, its tracks, metadata, artwork and commercial terms.

### Do I need to understand DDEX to release music?

Not usually. Distributors generate DDEX messages on the artist's behalf. It matters to anyone building or auditing a supply chain.

## References

1. DDEX. "DDEX — Digital Data Exchange." https://ddex.net/

## Related

- [International Standard Recording Code](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/isrc): The ISRC is a 12-character code, defined by ISO 3901, that identifies one specific sound recording or music video recording.
- [International Standard Name Identifier](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/isni): The ISNI is a 16-digit ISO 27729 identifier for the public identity of a person or organization that contributes to creative works.
- [Music distributor](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/music-distributor): A music distributor delivers releases to streaming services and stores and passes the resulting master income back to the rights owner.
- [Music royalties](https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/music-royalties): Music royalties are payments to rights holders each time a song or recording is sold, streamed, performed, licensed or broadcast.

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Cite as: "DDEX." SNVRKOTICS Wiki, 2026-10-02. https://wiki.snvrkotics.com/ddex