1 Introduction

This document defines automated message exchange protocols that enable record companies or distributors to reliably communicate standard messages (created in accordance with Part 1 and/or Part 2 of the Electronic Release Notification Message Suite standard (ERN)) and associated resource files to digital music service providers (or DSPs), using cloud-based storage services. It was developed by the member organisations of the Digital Data Exchange, LLC (DDEX). Any organisation wishing to implement this (or any other DDEX standard) is required to apply for an Implementation Licence. The terms of the licence and an application form can be found here and here.

The standard messages contained in Part 1: Definition of Messages, Version 4.3.1 of the ERN standard provide a mechanism for record companies or distributors to inform DSPs about releases containing one or more resources that can be made available to consumers as electronic products. To aid companies that only wish to communicate a small subset of the types of releases that can be communicated using the NewReleaseMessage from Part 1: Definition of Messages , the structure of the message that should be used for such subsets is defined, depending on the type of the release, in Part 2: Release Profiles, Version 2.3.1 of the ERN standard.

Part 4: Choreography for Web Services, Version 1.8 of the ERN standard defines a message exchange protocol using web services.

This Part 3: Choreography for Cloud-based Storage, Version 1.8.1 defines how record companies or distributors can securely transmit information to DSPs and caters for non-repudiation requirements to be met. While the location and owner of the cloud-based storage server is not defined herein (this is left to be agreed by record companies or distributors and DSPs), the structure of the file servers and names for files are defined by this standard. This part of the ERN standard does not address issues arising from data mismatches detected during the information exchange.