WMG Chords — Style

How to format our language and content

We developed these guidelines by auditing industry best practices from companies such as Intuit, Eventbrite, and Adobe, as well as established standards like the Chicago Manual of Style and the Associated Press Stylebook.

🎧 Reading music: Taylor Swift - Style (Taylor's Version)

Acronyms and abbreviations

Acronyms and abbreviations are shortened versions of a word or phrase. Using them can help reduce the amount of text on a screen and ease cognitive load. But they aren't as accessible nor are they easily translated.

Spell out abbreviations and acronyms on first reference in body copy.

If it’s a common acronym or well-known to your audience, you don’t need to spell it out, such as DIY.

Use acronyms sparingly, unless it’s well-known to your audience.
Use capital letters for acronyms.
- Exceptions: There are some acronyms that have a known, accepted format: dBOM, YoY, WoW
Use sentence case for abbreviations.
Don’t use periods with abbreviations or acronyms.
Don’t alternate between an acronym and the full term or phrase.

Refer to date and number rules for specific guidance on their abbreviations.

Do ✅	Don't ❌
dBOM mo	D.B.O.M. Mo

Capitalization

We use sentence case because it's easier to read—and quick comprehension is vital to our success. It's also the standard in most other languages, making localization easier.

Sentence case is:

casual and friendly which matches our authentic voice
easier to translate—most non-English languages don’t use sentence case
better for readability

Use sentence case for button labels, column headers, UI elements, page title, slide titles, and other copy.

Exceptions

Capitalize proper names.
OK to use title case to match a legacy system for consistency. When possible, modernize the legacy system.
OK to use title case for a proper name (an artist’s name) or an actual title, such as a song or album title.

Do ✅	Don't ❌
Current balance snapshot We missed a beat. Please try again. Music IQ (proper noun)	Current Balance Snapshot We Missed a Beat. Please try again. Music iq (proper noun)

Contractions

We use contractions the same way we speak—it’s friendlier and more conversational. Contractions can make our voice sound more human, and more like your trusted friend in the music business. Avoid using regional and old-fashioned contractions. One thing to note: translations may use more formal language.

Do ✅	Don't ❌
can’t we’ll	shan’t ain't

Date and time

If there’s space, you can spell out the unit of time or date. It’s OK to abbreviate a unit of time or month or day. We have more specific guidance on how to abbreviate, but generally, keep in mind:

Use lowercase and no space unless it’s a proper noun.
Use title case for proper nouns.
Abbreviate months and days to first 3 letters, no punctuation.
Use a space to separate a number and unit of time.

Units of time

Use these abbreviations:

second | sec

minute | min

hour | hr

day | d

week | w

month | mo

Do ✅	Don't ❌
1 sec 1 min	1 sec. 1 min.

Time of day

When referring to a time of day, use 24-hour formatting or 12-hour formatting depending on the person’s location or system preferences.

For 12-hour formatting, include am or pm in lower case, with a space between the number and am or pm. Don’t include :00 if it’s on the hour.

Do ✅	Don't ❌
1 pm 10:30 am 14:00	1:00 PM 10:30 AM 14:00pm

Days and months

For months or days of the week, abbreviate with the first three letters and capitalize the first letter, since it’s a proper noun. Don’t use punctuation:Jan Feb MarMon Tue Wed Thu

Do ✅	Don't ❌
Jan Thu	jan. Thurs.

Date and time ranges

For a date range in the same month, list the month with the first date. Use an en dash to separate the days, without spaces.

If the date range is in two different months, use an en dash in between the dates, with spaces on either side of the en dash.

Do ✅	Don't ❌
Mar 17–21 Mar 17 – Apr 12	Mar 17 - 21 Mar 17 - Mar 21 Mar 17-Apr 12

Follow a similar pattern for a time range for the 12-hour format. When the time range occurs in the same part of the day (am or pm) use an en dash with no spaces around it and include the am or pm at the end of the range. If the time range starts and ends in a different part of the day, use an en dash with spaces.

For the 24-hour format, use a hyphen with no spaces to separate the time.

Do ✅	Don't ❌
9–10 am 10:30 am – 2:45 pm 11:00-14:00	9–10am 10:30 am–2:45 pm 11:00–14:00

Time zones

Only include timezones when referring to a timezone other than the user’s local time. Add them after the time, with a space between am or pm and the time zone.

Abbreviate North American timezones to two letters:

Do ✅	Don't ❌
9 am ET	9amET 9:30 amET

Emojis

Use emojis sparingly—they should enhance the message, not overwhelm it.

Look for whimsy in language and design, not in emojis.

They should have a clear purpose beyond decoration. They shouldn’t substitute language either—the meaning should be clear without an emoji, providing better accessibility for all users.

Use emojis:

sparingly—whimsy doesn't equal emoji
after text in a headline
with a clear understanding of what that emoji means in your product
after some research to avoid unintended communication and understand cross-cultural references
to convey levity; use an icon system for alerts, warnings, and notifications

Do ✅	Don't ❌
Check out the latest hot topic 🔥	🔥Check out the latest hot topic 🔥

Hyperlinks/links

Use links for tertiary actions or to go to other resources. When using a link, only link the relevant words, not the full sentence. Don’t write click here or click. Make the link clear and understandable about what to expect.

A link may appear as a bolded phrase or underlined depending on the product design.
Don’t link punctuation at the end of the phrase.

Do ✅	Don't ❌
By joining, you agree to our Privacy Policy. By joining, you agree to our Privacy Policy. Review our Community Guidelines	By joining, you agree to our Privacy Policy. Click here to see our Community Guidelines Click more info to learn more.

Lists

Lists organize content and make it easier to skim or scan information. Try to keep them short, with no more than five items.

Use the same format for all the items in your list:

Choose between sentence fragments or full sentences.
Use the same punctuation at the end of each list item; end full sentences with a period.
Start them the same way, either all verbs or all nouns.

Introduce lists with a lead-in sentence, fragment, or heading. Use a question mark if it’s a question. If the list items complete the lead-in sentence, are single words or fragments, don’t start them with a capital letter or end with punctuation.

Example

Artist onboarding requirements:

Brand assets: Provide high-resolution press photos, logos, and specific color palettes to ensure visual consistency across all WMG platforms.

Social media access: Grant administrative permissions for TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to allow for coordinated campaign tracking.

Release schedule: Submit a finalized calendar of upcoming singles and music videos at least six weeks prior to the first launch date.

Technical riders: List all backline and audio-visual requirements for the upcoming promotional tour to coordinate with regional production teams.

Use numbered lists if the order matters or it’s important to convey quantity.

Example

A common song structure:

Intro

Verse

Chorus

Verse

Chorus

Bridge

Chorus

Numbers

Use actual numbers when calculation and precision are important, like for financial data or other data counts.

You can spell out numbers one through nine in body copy if that feels like the best fit. Always use numbers for 10 and above.

For numbers 1000 and above, truncate to the number and keep the first decimal point, if not 0. Use a capitalized letter to indicate the value:

Thousands: K
Millions: M

Use ordinal numbers—first, second, third—sparingly and only when it adds clarity and readability.

Do ✅	Don't ❌
1 One 78 1.5K 2.8M	Ten 1,500 2,800,000 1.5k 2.8m

Professional titles

Capitalize titles when referring to a specific person. Otherwise, use sentence case.

Do ✅	Don't ❌
Marketing Manager Joe Smith Joe Smith, Marketing Manager This was designed for a marketing manager.	marketing manager Joe Smith This was designed for a Marketing Manager

Punctuation

Ampersands ( & )

Avoid, unless it’s part of a proper noun.

Do ✅	Don't ❌
Data and tools Simon & Garfunkel	Data & tools

Apostrophes ( ’ )

Use an apostrophe to form a contraction—such as y’all and can’t.

Use an apostrophe to show possession:

For singular nouns, add an apostrophe and an "s" at the end of the word.
For plural nouns that end in "s," add only an apostrophe at the end of the word.
For plural nouns that don't end in "s," add an apostrophe and an "s" at the end of the word.
For compound nouns, add an apostrophe and an "s" to the last word in the compound.
For nouns that end in "ch," "sh," "s," "x," or "z," add an apostrophe and an "es" at the end of the word.

Colons ( : )

Use a colon to introduce a list.

Ex: Add all artist attributes: artist name, track, record label, collaborators.

Avoid using a colon to separate two distinct thoughts. Instead, use a period and shorter sentences.

Don’t use a colon at the end of a label for a form field. Instead, design the element to communicate the relationship.

Do ✅	Don't ❌
First name (as a label for a form field)	First name: (as a label for a form field)

Comma ( , )

Use a serial comma, or oxford comma, when listing a group. This reduces ambiguity.

A serial or oxford comma is when you use a comma before "and" or "or" conjunction in a list.

Do ✅	Don't ❌
Upload a photo, video, or sound recording. (serial comma)	Upload a photo, video or sound recording. (No serial comma)

Dashes and hyphens ( - – — )

Hyphen -

Use a - for a compound word.

Example: in-app feedback

En dash –

Use for time or a range of numbers.

Example:

5–10 pm

500–2500

Em dash —

Use to connect thoughts or introduce a pause.Use without spaces before or after.

Example: We'll send information about this release as soon as possible—typically 24-48 hours after it's approved.

Exclamation mark ( ! )

Use with caution. ⚠️

Reserve for truly exciting moments and never put two !! together.

Period ( . )

Use periods at the end of a sentence, including in error messages. Use only one space after a period.

Do ✅	Don't ❌
We missed a beat. Please try again.	We missed a beat Please try again We missed a beat. Please try again.

Slashes ( / )

Use a slash in place of per in a data table or when space doesn’t allow.

Don’t use slashes in place of "and" or "or."

Do ✅	Don't ❌
Save and continue 65/150	Save/continue

Quotes and attribution

Use quotation marks for spoken words or short quoted phrases. “Just like this,” says the content designer.

Include a comma or period in the closing quotation mark. Include a question mark before the closing quotation mark if it’s part of the quote. Otherwise, all other punctuation goes outside the closing quotation mark.

Do ✅	Don't ❌
"This is great." - User "This is great," said the user. "Is that supposed to be there?" - User What did they mean by "this is great"?	"This is great". - User "This is great", said the user. "Is that supposed to be there"? - User What did they mean by "this is great?"

Spacing

When it comes to spacing, less is more. Don’t use two spaces between sentences or around dashes—like an em dash.

When abbreviating numbers, don’t use a space with the unit of measurement. But, do use a space with a measurement of time.

Do ✅	Don't ❌
1K (unit of measurement) 2 mo (unit of time)	1 K (unit of measurement) 2mo (unit of time)

Text formatting

Bold

Use bold sparingly to emphasize copy.

Bold may be used to indicate a link.

Italics

Use italics for exceptional use cases only, consult your content designer.

Strikethrough

Only use a strikethrough for numbers, often indicating a discount on a price.

Underline

Underlined text is known to indicate a link. Never use an underline to emphasize something.