ACRCloud
Type: Content recognition service
Yes — LabelGrid registers your recordings with ACRCloud for content identification once you turn it on for your label. Recognition delivery is included on every distribution plan, for record labels, distributors, and independent artists alike.
ACRCLOUD AT A GLANCE
- Typical go-live: timing varies by platform — submit at least 2 weeks ahead of your release date.
- What it is: an audio-fingerprinting recognition service used by streaming apps, PROs and labels, broadcast monitoring, and UGC platforms — not a consumer store.
- How it works: your recording is added as a reference fingerprint, matched against short audio segments wherever ACRCloud is integrated.
- Identifiers: a match can return your ISRC (and UPC) alongside your delivered metadata, so accurate delivery drives correct identification.
- Royalties: ACRCloud identifies plays; it does not pay royalties through LabelGrid. Earnings from your distributed release are tracked in LabelGrid’s royalty accounting, with automated splits from the Basic plan up.
LABELGRID
LabelGrid Integration
When ACRCloud is turned on for your label and selected on your release, LabelGrid delivers your recordings and their metadata to ACRCloud as part of distribution, so ACRCloud can add them to its reference database and recognise them wherever its recognition is used.
Getting Started
You do not need to register with ACRCloud yourself: turn on ACRCloud under Fingerprinting in your label’s Distribution Settings, keep it selected as an outlet on the release, and LabelGrid delivers your recordings and metadata as part of distribution. A recognition result shows the metadata you delivered, so check your ISRCs and credits before you submit.
LabelGrid provides the tools you need beyond distribution: catalog management for your metadata and releases, royalty accounting with artist statements from the Basic plan up, and promotion tools including smart links and Spotify pre-saves.
ACRCloud recognition specifications
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| What it does | Audio fingerprinting used across streaming apps, PROs and labels, broadcast monitoring, and UGC platforms to identify recordings from the sound itself |
| Reference file | Your delivered recording is added to ACRCloud’s reference database, and short audio clips are matched against it |
| Identifiers & metadata | Matches can return your ISRC, UPC and external service IDs, so accurate delivered metadata drives correct identification |
| Use | Identifies your recording wherever ACRCloud is integrated — supporting usage detection, reporting, and catalog protection |
| Royalty handling | ACRCloud identifies plays; it does not pay royalties through LabelGrid. Earnings from your distributed release are tracked in LabelGrid’s royalty accounting, with automated splits from the Basic plan up |
| Typical go-live after submission | Timing varies by platform — submit at least 2 weeks ahead of your release date |
| Delivery method | Recognition-catalog delivery by LabelGrid, once ACRCloud is turned on for your label and selected on the release |
Requirements can change — confirm current details with ACRCloud.
How long until my recording is registered with ACRCloud?
Timing varies by platform, so submit your release at least 2 weeks ahead of your release date. LabelGrid processes and reviews your release, then, with ACRCloud selected on the release, delivers it so your recording is added as a reference fingerprint with your ISRC and metadata — the same accurate delivery that identifies it wherever ACRCloud is integrated.
Related: music distribution · royalty accounting · automated royalty splits · pricing · compare distributors · LabelGrid for labels · LabelGrid help center
WHY ACRCLOUD
Artist Benefits
Key Features
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Audio fingerprinting – identifies a recording from a short clip of the sound itself.
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Large reference database – ACRCloud reports more than 150 million tracks.
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Broadcast monitoring – one of the uses ACRCloud lists for its recognition.
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Cover song identification – a separate engine for identifying cover versions.
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ISRC and UPC in match results – a match can return them, so an identified play can be reported against the exact recording.
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Recognition API – used by streaming services and apps, PROs and labels, and UGC platforms.
DEEP DIVE
What You Should Know About ACRCloud
Audio Fingerprinting Technology
ACRCloud uses audio fingerprinting to identify a recording from the sound itself. A short audio clip — about 10 seconds per recognition request, per ACRCloud’s documentation — is matched against its database of reference fingerprints, in the streaming, broadcast and user-generated content settings where ACRCloud is integrated.
Usage Reporting & Royalty Claims
ACRCloud’s recognition is used for broadcast monitoring and on user-generated content platforms, and its matches can return your ISRC and UPC, so an identified play can be reported against the exact recording.
How LabelGrid Integrates
You do not need to register with ACRCloud yourself: turn on ACRCloud under Fingerprinting in your label’s Distribution Settings, keep it selected as an outlet on the release, and LabelGrid delivers your recordings and metadata as part of distribution.
Tips for Success
- Deliver one correct ISRC per recording — matches can resolve to the codes you delivered
- Check and correct your metadata in LabelGrid before you submit — a recognition result shows what you delivered
COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently Asked Questions
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