A cappella
A Track with only vocals and no instrumental accompaniment.
AIFF or AIF
An .AIFF file (Audio Interchange File Format) is a high-quality audio file format developed by Apple in the late 1980s. It’s commonly used for storing uncompressed, CD-quality audio, and is popular in professional audio and music production settings. Apples version of .WAV
API
API (Application Programming Interface) A tool that allows developers to connect DISCO with other apps or systems, enabling automated actions like uploading files, managing metadata, or retrieving stats without using the DISCO interface. This is only available on our Enterprise plans.
Artist or Album Page
A customizable, shareable Playlist in DISCO used to present tracks, videos, or other files for streaming or download. Unlike a default Playlist, a Page can be even more branded, and include an embedded video, making it ideal for showcasing an artist or new release or pitching to clients.
Assigned URL
A unique, trackable link tied to a specific contact when sharing a playlist. It lets you see who accessed the playlist, when, and which tracks they streamed or downloaded.
Bitrate
Bitrate is the number of bits used per unit of time to represent audio or video after data compression. For example, MP3 files typically have bitrates between 128K and 320bps (bits per second). A higher bitrate generally corresponds with higher quality and less compression.
Boolean search
A type of search where you can use Boolean operators (special words or symbols, such as AND, OR, NOT, +, and -) to limit, widen, or define your search.
BPM
BPM (beats per minute) measures the tempo of a track and is often stored as metadata to assist with tasks like beatmatching and time-stretching. In DISCO, BPM is a searchable metadata field used to help users find music that fits a specific pace or energy.
Channel
Use Channels to create a folder structure to organize your playlists and content in DISCO. Share a Channel link with collaborators or share the entire Channel into another DISCO account.
CSV
CSV (Comma-Separated Values) - A plain text file format that stores data in rows and columns, with each value separated by a comma. Often used to move data between spreadsheets or software platforms.
Cutdown
A shortened Version of a Track.
DDEX
DDEX (Digital Data Exchange) is a standardized data format designed to streamline the process of sharing information between businesses involved in the digital supply chain.
Demo
An early recording or draft of a Track to demonstrate the Track's core ideas or to receive feedback on.
Grouping
Grouping is a metadata tag often used in iTunes to store custom details. In sync, it typically holds copyright ownership and contact info, such as: One Stop Clearance // bob@mymusic.com // 100% master, 100% publishing.
Instrumental
A Track without vocals.
Metadata
"Metadata is the information that describes the contents of a music file—like artist name, song title, album, genre, contact details, copyright control, splits, and more. It helps organize, search, and identify music across platforms. A common format is ID3v2, used with MP3 and AIF files. In DISCO, all fields in the metadata tab—including lyrics—are saved using ID3v2, meaning they travel with the file when shared to another DISCO account or opened in programs like iTunes, Meta, or MP3Tag. Metadata can also refer more broadly to any data about the file—such as notes, custom fields, writers, and track tags. However, these fields do not travel with the file and are only visible within DISCO."
MFA
MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) An added layer of account security that requires users to verify their identity with a second method (like a code from a phone) in addition to a password when logging into DISCO.
Mix
A Track that may include different levels, effects, or added elements. Also referred to as an alternative mix or ‘alt mix’.
MP3
A compressed audio format that shrinks file size by removing subtle sound details, making it easier to stream and store. Compared to lossless formats like WAV or FLAC, MP3 files are smaller but lower in audio quality.
Music Supervisor
A skilled professional who manages all music-related elements of a project, including film, television, advertising, video games, and other visual media platforms
One Stop
One stop means that a single party controls 100% of both the recording (Master) and the Publishing rights for a track, allowing it to be licensed quickly.
Optimized format
A compressed version of an audio or video file (such as MP3 for audio or MP4 for video) created to enhance streaming performance and reduce file size. In DISCO, these formats are automatically generated when needed from original files to ensure smooth playback and efficient downloading.
Performing Rights Organization
Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) collect royalties for songwriters and publishers when music is played publicly—like on radio, TV, or at live events—and distribute those earnings to their registered members (e.g. BMI, SOCAN, SESAC, PRS, JASRAC)
Pitch
Pitching means the proposal of songs for a project to stakeholders (e.g. music supervisor, ad agency, producer) from a rights-holder/music admin for consideration of use.
Playlist
A curated collection of tracks grouped together in DISCO for sharing, pitching, or organizing music. Playlist designs can be customized with the Album or Artist Page templates.
Publisher
Publishers represent the songwriter(s) and owner(s) of a composition, develop songwriter careers and handle tasks like collecting royalties, overseeing public usage, plugging songs to labels to be cut (recorded), and seeking licensing opportunities for the works they represent.
Remix
A Track that has been altered in some way via adding, removing, or otherwise changing part(s) of the Track.
Rights holder
A rights holder is an entity who is legally allowed to seek the exploitation of a copyright. This could be a record label, publisher, music administrator, lawyer, the artist themselves.
SSO
SSO (Single Sign-On) A login method that lets users access DISCO using their credentials from another platform (like Google or Microsoft), so they don’t need to create or remember a separate password for DISCO. This is only offered on our Enterprise plans.
Stats
Analytics that show how tracks, playlists have been accessed, streamed, downloaded, or shared - helping users track engagement and interest.
Stems
Stems are individual audio files that isolate parts of a song (such as vocals, drums, or guitars), so they can be adjusted separately during mixing, remixing, or sync editing for film, TV, or ads.
Sync
Short for synchronisation (or "placement")—the use of music in visual media like film, TV, ads, games, or trailers. A sync license grants permission to use both the song (publishing) and the recording (master).
Track
An individual audio or video file uploaded to DISCO. Tracks are streamable and support metadata, lyrics, artwork, tags, notes, and custom fields. They can be added to unlimited playlists for easy organization and sharing. Each track can have two associated files: a high-resolution version (WAV, AIFF, etc.) and an MP3, which is automatically generated when a hi-res file is uploaded.
Transcoding
The process of re-encoding a media file into a different format or quality level, often for the purposes of reducing file size. DISCO transcodes uploaded lossless/uncompressed files into a lossy format to ensure faster and more efficient streaming.
Watermarking
An inaudible digital marker embedded within an audio file to help trace unauthorized distribution, commonly used in promotional or pre-release tracks.
WAV
A standard digital audio format that usually stores uncompressed PCM audio. WAV files are widely used in professional audio settings due to their high quality but tend to be large in size. WAV files typically don't include ID3 metadata.
Writer Splits
Writer splits are the percentage breakdown of songwriting credit shared among co-writers and co-owners of a song, adding up to 100% ownership of the composition.