Nuclear MP3 Releasing Standards 2005   by Nuclear

.--- - ----------------------------------------------------. | S!' _ _ ______._ - --. | | ' \|| | | | ____|_______ _____ /\___ _ ____|_ __ |_________/\ ___________| /\_____ _/ _ // |/ _/ _//_/ |_ _ \______ \_/ __/ // / / / // | |/ / / _ ./ | _/ / _/ _/ / |_ / ______/ / // | \_____ /\___________________/|_______ / /|______________________/|______| <--- \/ -+------------------------- \/ | .______ --------------|-------> | . _|______|_|______\_ _ | | | ' | | `-- - | `----------------------------------------------------------' [ ::::::: Nuclear MP3 Releasing Standards 2005 ::::::: ] .----------------------------------------------------------. | Version 0.24a | `----------------------------------------------------------' Recently there has been a lot of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) regarding how things should be in the MP3 arena. As a result, Nuclear has composed these standards and guidelines designed to assist groups in releasing high-quality material. The contents of this document contain the standards that we use when looking at MP3 releases. -- 1. SFVs 1.1. An .SFV file must be included to verify file integrity in every release. 1.2. Only .mp3 files are allowed in the SFV. This means .bin, .cue, .jpg, and .nfo filetypes are NOT allowed to be indexed in the SFV file. -- 2. NFOs 2.1. An .NFO file must be included with every release. 2.2. The NFO file must feature at least: - Album Title - Artist Name - Release Date (Recommended format: YYYY-MM-DD) - Tracks & Playtime - Genre - Source - Encoding Bitrate - Encoder Used We suggest including: - Label Note: The NFO must contain as much information about the release as possible. It is recommended that you place a 'Release Notes' section in your NFO file for any other information pertinent to the release. -- 3. Directory Naming and Labeling Specifications 3.1. The following are the standards for directory naming: - Directories must only contain characters of type a-Z 0-9 _ . - ( ) Example: Artist_-_Title-Promo-CDS-2005-Group - The first and last characters must be of type a-Z 0-9 Examples: Artist-Title-EP-REPACK-2005-Group Artist-Title_(feat_blah)-DE-2005-Group DJ_blah-Live_at_blah-CABLE-(YY-MM-DD)-Group 3.2. Parenthesis are allowed in the directory name. 3.3. Directory naming follows this format (spaces are used solely to clearly illustrate the format): Artist Name - Title - AdditionalInfo - Published Year - Group Name Example: Artist_-_Title-4CD-Retail-2000-Group Example: Artist-Title-AdditionalInfo-Language-Group 3.4. All release data will be held within the single release directory. No CD1, CD2 directories. 3.5. Various Artist album releases must be prefixed with "VA-". Soundtrack Album releases must be prefixed with "OST-". 3.6. Underscores and singular periods will be used. No double periods are to be used. Example: .. 3.7. Directory names can be up to 64 characters in length. It is acceptable to use abbreviations/selftitled/etc to achieve this. This is enforced to ensure wide device filesystem compatibility. 3.8. Additional Tagging Information (mandatory if applicable): Bootleg - Any release not produced by real artists or their representatives CDM - CD Maxi-single (2-5 tracks) CDR - CD-Recordable (CD-R) CDS - CD Single (1-2 tracks) DVDA - DVD-Audio EP - Vinyl Maxi-single (2-5 tracks) Lbl_Cat - Label and category number of the release. Example: -WS_1203- WS=Wavescape label Category number 1203 Liveset - DAB/SAT/CABLE/TAPE/etc, full date needed, e.g. -YYYY-MM-DD- Example: -2005-12-31- LP - Vinyl Full-length Album MD - MiniDisk Mixtape - Mixtape, pressed or promotional from a real artist or one of their representatives Promo - Promotional RETAIL - Retail TLD - Non-English dialect lang. by Top Level Domain (TLD) Examples: -DE- -FR- -SE- -UK- -NL- -CN- -JP- -KR- -MX- -BR- Reference: http://www.iana.org/cctld/cctld-whois.htm VINYL - Vinyl source (for newbie rippers) VLS - Vinyl single (1-2 tracks) xCD - Number of CDs, e.g. -3CD- XX - Import -- 4. File Naming and Labeling Specifications 4.1. Files must only contain characters; a-z A-Z 0-9 _ . - () 4.2. Periods are not allowed as replacement for spaces in filenames. 4.3. The use of periods is restricted to abbreviations only. 4.4. File names can be up to 64 characters in length. It is acceptable to use abbreviations/selftitled/etc to achieve this. This is enforced to ensure wide device filesystem compatibility. 4.5. Parenthesis are allowed in the filenames when: - They are part of the track title Example: 01-usher_-_i_want_to_pee_on_you_(girl)-group.mp3 - They are needed to specify a featured artist Example: 01-artist_-_title-(feat_blah)-group.mp3 - They specify the producers of the track when groupname isnt given Example: 01-artist_-_title-(produced_by_name)-group.mp3 - They specify unique track properties Example: 01-artist_-_title-(remix)-group.mp3 Parenthesis are not allowed in any circumstances except those outlined above. 4.6. All filenames must be lowercase. 4.7. File naming will follow this format (spaces are used to display the format better): Track Number - Artist - Song Title - Additional Info - Group.mp3 If Group name is chosen to not be used, the producer(s) of each track must be included so that each track has an original filename. Track numbering example: Single CD Release, or non CD and less than 2 sides, cds, etc... 01-... (track 1) 02-... (track 2) etc. Multi CD Release, or non CD and more than 1 side, cd, etc... 101-... (track 1 from cd 1) 102-... (track 2 from cd 1) 201-... (track 1 from cd 2) 202-... (track 2 from cd 2) etc. For vinyl releases you may also use the naming scheme a1, a2, b1, b2, etc. Labeling with 'a' would indicate side-a, 'b' would indicate side-b, and so forth. -- 5. Encoding 5.1. Encoder The following encoder is recommended for highest quality: Lame 3.90.3b Note: As new significantly improved final builds of codecs are released, this document will be updated by NUCLEAR. 5.2. Encoding Method: Use of Lame's --alt-preset standard (APS) is recommended. URL: http://hqscene.fatty.dk Use of 192kbps CBR FS or 160kbps CBR JS is at ripper's distrection. 5.3. Re-Encoding is strictly forbidden. Re-Encoding is defined as taking a file which is already in the mp3 format and encoding it again. A release that was bought as MP3 may be released as-is as long as it is noted in the nfo. Re-Encoding something originally purchased in mp3 format would result in undesireable loss of quality. Please note that this does not apply to free, publicly accessable files from the web. -- 6. No dupes! 6.1. You are not allowed to create a duplicate release from a source of lower quality if the original CD has already been released. - Not Allowed : Vinyl after CD release - Allowed : CD after vinyl release 6.2. A release is a dupe if the complete release (all tracks) is included in ONE previous release. Futhermore, if a release is different because it has fewer tracks, it is not a valid release if a previous release contains all of the tracks. -- 7. Mixes 7.1. Mixes must include track listing in NFO and a .CUE file (N/A for liveset) 7.2. No selfmade or homemade compilations. Real DJ Mixes are allowed. No, IRC DJs are NOT real DJs. -- 8. ID3 Tags 8.1. All ID3 tags must be generated correctly and all available information must be used (appropriate information in the correct fields). 8.2. Both ID3.v1 and ID3.v2 must be used. -- 9. No Partials! 9.1. The entire CD, Vinyl etc. must be released (no individual tracks). 9.2. Bonus Tracks must be released separately, if the original album has already been released. Example: Artist-Album-2CD-2005-Group has been released. Artist-Album-UK_Bonus_Tracks-2005-Group may be released, but not the full album including the boni. -- 10. Broadcast Sources 10.1. Live recordings (from radio etc.) must contain a date when they were broadcast in the directory name. Note: See rule 3.8 for additional info 10.2. All commercials must be removed. -- 11. Additional Specifications 11.1. Including covers in a release is optional, but strongly advised when possible. This can be done with a scanner, digital camera, or some other image capturing device. If, for whatever reason, you are unable to provide proof, you must include a concise and clearly written explanation in your NFO file. This will save you and everyone else grief and reduce the likelihood of a nuke. This Document was signed & approved in April 2005 by the following entities representing their respective groups: 2005-04-19 : v0.24a Written and Reviewed by: laiso mC Jnc7 pinky t0i sJ Any kind of feedback is welcome at [email protected] #EOF