GLOSSARY

The vocabulary of
modern music analysis.

Every term SongScore uses — defined clearly and completely. These are the metrics and concepts that drive your track analysis and written report.

ScoreAnalysisPlatformStrategyProduction
SCORE6 terms

SongScore

The overall 0–100 track readiness score measuring a track's commercial potential across all streaming platforms.

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Platform Fit Score

A score measuring how well a track matches the algorithmic and cultural preferences of a specific streaming platform.

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Spotify Fit Score

A Platform Fit Score measuring how well a track matches Spotify's algorithmic preferences and editorial playlist profile.

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TikTok Fit Score

A Platform Fit Score measuring how well a track is positioned for viral performance on TikTok and short-form video platforms.

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Apple Music Fit Score

A Platform Fit Score measuring how well a track matches Apple Music's editorial curation preferences and spatial audio standards.

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YouTube Music Fit Score

A Platform Fit Score measuring how well a track is positioned for YouTube Music's hybrid streaming-video discovery ecosystem.

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ANALYSIS27 terms

Sonic DNA

SongScore's proprietary six-dimension acoustic fingerprint radar: Energy, Valence, Arousal, Danceability, Acousticness, and Instrumentalness.

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Hook Segment Analysis

Identification of the most representative and commercially strongest 30-second portion of a track.

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Mood Analysis

SongScore's detection and scoring of 31 emotional mood dimensions present in a track, from Happy and Energetic to Melancholic and Dark.

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Genre Detection

Automatic classification of a track's primary genre, subgenres, and free genre tags from audio analysis.

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Segment Time-Series

Charts showing how audio dimensions change over the duration of a track, not just as static averages.

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BPM (Beats Per Minute)

The tempo of a track measured in beats per minute, a fundamental rhythmic descriptor.

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Key Signature

The tonal centre and scale of a track, defined by its root note and whether it uses a major or minor tonality.

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Time Signature

The rhythmic framework of a track, defining how many beats are in each bar and which note value constitutes one beat.

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Energy (Audio Dimension)

The perceived intensity and activity level of a track, one of the six Sonic DNA dimensions.

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Valence (Audio Dimension)

The musical positiveness conveyed by a track, one of the six Sonic DNA dimensions — high values sound happy, low values sound sad.

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Arousal (Audio Dimension)

The degree to which a track activates and excites the listener, distinct from raw energy — high arousal can be tense and quiet.

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Danceability

How suitable a track is for dancing, based on tempo stability, rhythmic regularity, and beat strength.

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Acousticness

A confidence measure of whether a track uses acoustic (natural) sounds versus electronic or synthesised production.

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Intro

The opening section of a track, before the main vocal or hook begins.

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Verse

The narrative section of a track where the lyrical story advances, typically preceding each chorus.

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Chorus

The most memorable and repeated section of a track, typically containing the central hook and highest energy.

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Bridge

A contrasting section that provides variety before the final chorus, typically with new harmonic or lyrical material.

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Drop

The moment in electronic and dance music where tension releases into the fullest, most energetic section of the track.

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Build-Up

A tension-increasing section that precedes the drop or chorus, using rising energy and rhythmic acceleration.

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Outro

The closing section of a track, winding down energy and instrumentation after the final chorus or drop.

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Emotional Profile

The dominant emotional character of a track across 31 mood dimensions, mapped onto the Circumplex Model of Affect.

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Character Profile

Textural and sonic descriptors that capture the physical character of a track — how it sounds rather than how it feels.

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Movement Profile

The structural and dynamic characterisation of how a track progresses, builds, and releases energy over time.

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Primary Genre

The single most dominant genre classification for a track, identified by SongScore from the audio signal.

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Subgenre

A more specific genre sub-classification within a track's primary genre, providing finer-grained stylistic positioning.

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Free Genre Tag

Stylistic descriptors that cross traditional genre boundaries, capturing the unique hybrid character of a track.

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Genre Hierarchy

The full three-level genre classification of a track: Primary Genre, Subgenre, and Free Genre Tags.

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PLATFORM9 terms

Spotify Completion Rate

The percentage of Spotify listeners who play a track from start to finish, a primary algorithmic signal for playlist placement.

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Skip Risk

The predicted probability that a Spotify listener will skip the track within the first 30 seconds.

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Save Intent

The predicted likelihood that a listener will add the track to their library or a playlist, indicating strong long-term engagement.

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Algorithmic Fit

How closely a track matches the audio characteristics that Spotify's recommendation algorithm actively promotes.

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Playlist Potential

The predicted breadth of playlist suitability based on mood variety, genre clarity, and editorial relevance.

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Algorithmic Playlist

A personalised playlist generated by a streaming platform's recommendation algorithm, including Spotify's Discover Weekly and Daily Mix.

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Editorial Playlist

A playlist curated by a human playlist editor employed by a streaming platform, typically featuring hand-picked tracks.

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Personalized Playlist

A playlist that is unique to each listener, generated from their listening history and acoustic preferences.

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Release Radar

Spotify's personalised weekly playlist that surfaces new releases from artists a listener follows or has recently streamed.

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STRATEGY5 terms

Analysis Report

A written career-guidance analysis generated from a track's audio data, covering release strategy, pitching targets, and production recommendations.

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Track Readiness

The practice of objectively assessing whether a music track is technically and commercially ready for streaming platform release.

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Stream Velocity

The rate at which a track accumulates streams over time, indicating growth trajectory and momentum.

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Listener Retention

The percentage of first-time listeners who continue to stream a track across multiple sessions after initial discovery.

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Playlist Add Rate

The frequency at which a track is added to listener-created playlists, indicating organic discovery momentum.

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PRODUCTION2 terms

Vocal Clarity Score

A metric measuring the technical quality and mix presence of the lead vocal track, from 0 to 100.

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Production Analysis

SongScore's assessment of the technical quality of a track's mix and master, including loudness, frequency balance, dynamic range, and stereo width.

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