From The Stem · Standards

Sources and Citations Policy

Last updated: 2026-06-14

A claim is only as good as the source behind it. From The Stem reports on a field crowded with confident, uncited assertion, blogs repeating other blogs, numbers with no origin. To earn the reader's trust, we hold every factual claim to a defined source standard. This page sets out what we treat as authoritative, how we corroborate, and how we cite.

1. The source tiers we use

We classify sources into three tiers and weight them accordingly.

Tier 1, primary and authoritative

The bodies that define or administer the facts. We treat these as primary: Spotify and other official platform and DSP documentation, ASCAP, BMI and other performing rights organizations, The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC), SoundExchange, the U.S. Copyright Office, official organization pages, and public filings. When we describe how a rule, rate, or system works, this is where the claim should trace.

Tier 2, established trade and data

Recognized industry trade reporting and data providers, for example Billboard, Music Business Worldwide, Variety, Pollstar, the RIAA, the IFPI, and established analytics and charts data. We use Tier 2 to confirm, contextualize, and report breaking developments, and to corroborate Tier 1 where primary documentation is thin.

Tier 3, color and context only

Blogs, newsletters, podcasts, forums, and social posts. These may add color, framing, or a useful pointer, but we do not rest an uncorroborated factual claim on a Tier 3 source. If a Tier 3 source is the only thing behind a claim, the claim is either verified up the tiers or left out.

2. Corroboration

Significant or surprising claims are corroborated across more than one source where possible, with primary documentation preferred. Where sources disagree, we say so and attribute each position rather than silently choosing one.

3. How we cite

Within articles, factual claims drawn from a source are attributed to that source by name in the text, and link to the underlying document where one is publicly available. We name the publication or organization, not a generic "source," so the reader can judge the evidence and follow it. Rates and figures are dated so readers know how current they are.

4. Claims we will not publish unverified

We do not publish, under any byline, fabricated or unverified:

Quotes or attributed statements;
Chart positions, stream counts, or sales figures;
Awards, certifications, or credits;
Partnerships, signings, or deals;
Reviews or endorsements;
Sources themselves, we never invent a citation to support a claim.

Awards, sales, and credits are verified against public records before publication. Where verification is not possible, the claim is omitted or explicitly flagged as unconfirmed.

5. Our own analysis

Some reporting draws on our own operator-level observation rather than a third-party source. That work is labeled and carries the disclosure described in our Research Methodology. It is presented as analysis, not as externally reported fact, and is never used to manufacture a precise figure we cannot support.

6. Corrections to sourcing

If a source we relied on turns out to be wrong, or we misread it, we correct the article and note the correction. See our Corrections Policy.

7. Contact

Mollohan Production Inc. · MPIArtist · Castle Rock, Colorado, USA. If you can point us to a better primary source, or believe a citation is wrong, reach us through the official contact channel provided by MPIArtist or the From The Stem subscription workflow.