This is a well-organized list of the most popular slang terms in the music industry, sorted by context to help you use them effortlessly in conversations. Understanding what others are saying can be crucial, so we at OurGig.com created this in-depth list just for you.
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Artist & Career Slang
Buzz – Growing attention or hype around an artist
Breaking – When an artist starts gaining mainstream traction
Developing artist – Early-stage artist still building audience
DIY – Independent, no label backing
One-sheet – A single-page artist or release summary
Lane – An artist’s niche or sound (“stay in your lane”)
Rebrand – Resetting an artist’s image or sound
Legacy act – Established artist with long-term catalog value
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Releases & Catalog
Drop – Release music (“we’re dropping Friday”)
Soft release – Low-promo or test release
Single-driven – Strategy focused on singles over albums
Catalog – An artist’s existing body of work
Deep cut – Non-single fan favorite
Frontloaded – Strong first-week numbers that taper off
Waterfall release – Multiple singles leading to an album
Deluxe – Expanded re-release to boost streams
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Marketing, Streaming & Data
Playlisting – Getting tracks added to playlists
Algo / Algorithmic – Spotify Discover Weekly, Release Radar, etc.
Save rate – % of listeners who save a track
Skip rate – How fast people skip a song
Engagement – Likes, comments, saves, shares
Conversion – Turning listeners into fans or buyers
Reach vs. impressions – Unique viewers vs. total views
Vanity metrics – Numbers that look good but don’t convert
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Industry & Business
Gatekeeper – Someone who controls access (A&R, editors)
A&R – Artist & Repertoire (talent scouting/development)
360 deal – Label takes a cut of multiple income streams
Indie major – Independent label with major distribution
Upstreaming – Indie artist later signed to a major