The UK Music Metadata Agreement: What Independent Labels Need to Know

In 2024, the UK Government published the United Kingdom Industry Agreement on Music Streaming Metadata. It was the result of years of lobbying, parliamentary inquiries and mounting frustration from artists, songwriters and independent labels who were losing money because of poor data.

The agreement sets out a core data set that should accompany every new recording delivered to streaming services. It establishes codes of good practice for everyone in the supply chain, from the songwriter in their bedroom to the distributor delivering files to platforms. And it puts a clear timeline on compliance.

For UK independent labels, this is not a theoretical exercise. It is a practical requirement that affects how you deliver music, how quickly you get paid and how accurately your catalogue is represented across every platform.

Why the UK Government Got Involved

The UK music industry contributes a record £8 billion to the national economy. The recorded music sector alone is worth £4.8 billion. Independent labels account for £464 million of that figure, with nearly 2,000 businesses operating across the country.

But the DCMS Select Committee inquiry into music streaming, which concluded in 2021, exposed a fundamental problem: the data infrastructure behind all of this revenue was not fit for purpose. Creators were not being identified. Works were not being matched to recordings. Collection societies like PRS for Music and PPL could not distribute payments accurately because the information they received was incomplete.

The result was hundreds of millions in unmatched and unclaimed payments sitting in black boxes across the industry. The artists who could least afford it were the ones most affected.

What the Core Data Set Requires

The agreement defines a minimum set of information that should be delivered alongside every new sound recording on UK streaming services. This includes:

• ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) for every sound recording
• ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code) for the underlying composition
• IPI/CAE numbers for all credited songwriters and composers
• ISNI (International Standard Name Identifier) where available
• Complete and accurate performer and contributor credits
• Clear identification of the rights holder for both the recording and the composition
• Correct territorial rights information

These are not new identifiers. They have existed for years. But the agreement formalises the expectation that they should all be present at the point of delivery, not added retrospectively months later when payments have already been miscalculated.

For a deeper look at each of these requirements and how to meet them, read our guide to music metadata requirements in 2026.

What This Means for UK Independent Labels

If you are an independent label operating in the UK, this agreement directly affects your workflow. Here is what you need to consider:

1. Your metadata must be complete before delivery. The days of delivering a release with minimal metadata and filling in the gaps later are over. Distributors are tightening their validation rules. Platforms are rejecting incomplete deliveries. And the agreement makes it clear that responsibility starts with whoever creates or controls the data.

2. You need proper identifiers for every contributor. Every songwriter, composer and performer on your releases should have verified IPI numbers. If they do not, you need to work with your collection society to get them registered. PRS for Music handles this for UK-based writers. PPL handles performer registrations.

3. Your works data matters as much as your recording data. Many labels focus on the recording side and leave composition metadata to publishers. But if your artists self-publish, or if there is no publisher involved, the responsibility for registering the underlying work falls to you. An ISRC without a linked ISWC means the recording can be played but the songwriter may not get paid.

4. You should audit your existing catalogue. The agreement focuses on new releases, but the same principles apply to back catalogue. If your older recordings have incomplete metadata, they are likely generating less revenue than they should. Our complete catalogue audit guide walks through every area you need to check.

The Role of Distributors and Aggregators

The agreement also places responsibility on distributors and aggregators to validate the data they receive before passing it to streaming platforms. This is significant for independent labels, because most deliver their music through third-party distributors rather than directly to platforms.

In practice, this means your distributor may start rejecting deliveries that previously would have gone through with minimal checks. Missing ISRCs, incomplete credits, absent songwriter identifiers: all of these are now grounds for rejection.

The labels that will navigate this smoothly are the ones who already have their metadata in order before it reaches the distributor. This is where a dedicated metadata management system becomes essential rather than optional.

AI Disclosure and the Next Wave

The metadata agreement also arrives at a moment when AI is reshaping how music is created, discovered and licensed. DDEX, the standards body that governs music data exchange, has introduced fields for AI disclosure in its delivery specifications.

This means labels and distributors will increasingly need to declare whether AI was used in the creation of a recording, and if so, how. Accurate metadata is the foundation for this. If your core data is already unreliable, adding AI disclosure on top will only compound the problem.

For UK labels, where the government is actively legislating around AI and copyright, getting metadata right now is not just about compliance. It is about protecting the value of your catalogue in an environment where the rules are still being written.

How DataDoktor Helps You Meet the Standard

rightsHUB's DataDoktor module was built for exactly this scenario. It scans your entire catalogue and flags every gap against the requirements that distributors, platforms and collection societies expect.

Missing ISRCs. Incomplete songwriter credits. Absent IPI numbers. Unlinked ISWCs. Undersized artwork. Inconsistent artist name formatting. DataDoktor catches all of it in a single pass and gives you a clear action list to resolve every issue.

Combined with rightsHUB's asset management, rights tracking and contract management modules, you have a single platform that covers every aspect of the UK metadata agreement requirements.

The Bigger Picture for UK Music

The UK has always been a global leader in music. British artists, labels and publishers punch well above their weight internationally. But that success depends on infrastructure. And right now, the metadata infrastructure is being rebuilt.

The UK Government's £30 million music growth package, announced in 2025, includes commitments to improve artist earnings from streaming. PRS for Music paid £1.07 billion to rights holders last year, a 4.9% increase. The industry is growing. But that growth only reaches the right people if the data is accurate.

For independent labels, this is an opportunity. The labels that get their metadata right will be paid faster, discovered more easily and valued more highly. The ones that do not will continue losing revenue to the black box.