Unlabel

Unlabel is a concept and pilot developed within the Open Music Europe framework that explores how under-documented, culturally valuable music can be made visible, usable, and distributable in the digital ecosystem. It addresses a structural problem identified across European music systems: large volumes of repertoire remain “invisible” because rights, metadata, and attribution are incomplete or inconsistent .

The project builds on policy and technical work around interoperable copyright data and metadata governance, particularly the need for machine-readable, trustworthy identifiers and rights information across the lifecycle of musical works and recordings . Instead of attempting full reconstruction at source, Unlabel focuses on pragmatic repair and enrichment of legacy data, enabling works to re-enter circulation.

Developed in collaboration with the Swedish distributor Aloaded, Unlabel tests how improved metadata, identifier alignment, and lightweight rights modelling can unlock dormant catalogues for distribution platforms and AI-ready environments. It operates at the intersection of archives, collective management, and digital distribution.

For me, Unlabel represents a shift from analysis to implementation: a concrete attempt to demonstrate that better data governance is not only a policy objective, but a practical pathway to cultural reuse, market access, and long-term preservation.