A → Z
Glossary
Plain-language definitions for music publishing, sync licensing, and BRNP-specific terminology.
A
- A&R
- Artists & Repertoire. The team responsible for talent scouting and artistic development of signed artists.
- ASCAP
- American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. A performing-rights organization (PRO) that collects performance royalties.
B
- BMI
- Broadcast Music, Inc. The other major US PRO alongside ASCAP.
- BPM
- Beats per minute. The tempo of a track.
C
- Camelot Key
- Notation system that maps musical keys to numbers and letters for harmonic mixing.
- Catalog
- The full body of recorded and published works owned or controlled by a label or publisher.
- Clearance
- Written permission to use a piece of music in a sync placement, covering both the composition and the recording.
- Cue Sheet
- Itemized log of every piece of music in a film or TV episode, used to pay performance royalties.
D
- DSP
- Digital Service Provider. Streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon Music.
I
- ISRC
- International Standard Recording Code. A unique identifier for a specific recording.
- ISWC
- International Standard Musical Work Code. A unique identifier for a musical composition.
M
- Master
- The original recording of a song. Ownership of the master controls licensing of that recording.
- Mechanical Royalty
- Royalty paid to a songwriter or publisher when a song is reproduced (streamed, downloaded, pressed).
- MLC
- Mechanical Licensing Collective. US body that administers blanket mechanical licenses for digital uses.
O
- One-Stop
- A catalog where master and publishing rights are controlled by the same party, enabling fast sync clearance.
P
- Post-Algorithmic
- BRNP's working thesis: an era of music distribution that bypasses algorithmic mediation in favor of direct relationships.
- PRO
- Performing-Rights Organization. Collects public-performance royalties on behalf of songwriters and publishers.
- Publishing
- The business of administering, exploiting, and protecting musical compositions and their copyrights.
S
- SESAC
- A US PRO operating on an invitation-only basis.
- Split Sheet
- Signed document that records the ownership percentages each writer holds in a song.
- Stem
- An isolated audio track (drums, bass, vocals, keys) exported separately from a mix.
- Sync Licensing
- Licensing music for synchronization with visual media — film, TV, advertising, games, trailers.
T
- TV Track
- An alternate mix of a song with vocals removed but ad-libs and backgrounds intact.
U
- UPC
- Universal Product Code. Identifies a release (album, EP, single) for retail and streaming.
W
- Weblum
- BRNP's coined term: a web-native album experience replacing the traditional streaming page.