DDEX Distribution

DDEX-compliant music distribution

Industry-standard DDEX delivery infrastructure for labels, distributors and catalog owners — structured metadata workflows, automated QC and direct DSP routing to 450+ global streaming platforms and stores.

450+

Stores & DSPs

ERN

DDEX Standard

Auto

QC Before Delivery

0

Rejected Deliveries

Every layer of compliant music delivery

DDEX compliance covers metadata completeness, rights data accuracy, delivery timing and DSP response handling. SMG's infrastructure manages all of it.

01

ERN Delivery Packaging

Releases are packaged in DDEX ERN format — the standard that Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and other major DSPs accept for distributor submissions.

02

Pre-Delivery QC

Audio quality, metadata completeness and artwork specifications are reviewed before any delivery is sent. Deliveries that fail QC are held and corrected before reaching platforms.

03

Metadata Validation

ISRC codes, UPC barcodes, artist credits, genre tags, language fields, copyright lines and content flags are all validated against DDEX requirements before packaging.

04

DSP Routing

Delivery is routed to each DSP's DDEX ingestion endpoint according to their specific format requirements. Platform-by-platform DDEX profile variations are handled by SMG's infrastructure.

05

Delivery Status Tracking

Each delivery is tracked through to platform confirmation. Processing failures, DSP-specific rejections and timing issues are handled operationally by SMG's team.

06

Revenue Report Ingestion

DSP revenue reports (DDEX DSR format) are ingested and processed through LUNA Accounting — feeding royalty calculations and artist statements with accurate per-platform data.

Why DDEX compliance matters

Non-compliant deliveries are a common cause of failed releases

Streaming platforms receive thousands of releases daily. Deliveries that don't conform to DDEX specifications — through missing metadata, incorrect file formats, or malformed packaging — are rejected automatically. For labels managing multiple simultaneous releases, a single rejected delivery can delay a release by days or weeks. SMG's DDEX infrastructure is designed to prevent rejections at source through rigorous pre-delivery QC.

FAQ

DDEX distribution questions

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Need DDEX-compliant distribution?

Contact SMG to discuss your catalog, delivery requirements and how our DDEX infrastructure can support your release operations.