Glossary & Ontology
Shared, unambiguous definitions so agents and humans use terms consistently across all surfaces. Where multiple terms exist for the same thing, this doc says which one to use and why.
Where we don't yet know which term is right, this doc says so explicitly — flagged as Open rather than pretending settled.
Top-level rule: customer-facing vs. internal
| Context | Use | Don't use |
|---|---|---|
| Customer-facing copy | The "real name" of the thing | Internal codes, abbreviations, slug names |
| Internal docs / chat | Whatever's clearest | n/a |
Examples:
- Customer-facing: "Cherry City" (the studio in Salem). Internal-only: "MG10," "cherry-city" (slug).
- Customer-facing: "Community Manager." Internal shorthand: "CM" (fine in Slack, never in marketing copy).
- Customer-facing: "Monthly Lockout" or "Artist Studio" (see below). Internal-only:
MONTHLY(the reservation type enum).
Core product vocabulary
Monthly product
The private, month-to-month studio that's "yours" — gear stays, you have 24/7 access, no one else uses it.
Settled rule: "Studio" over "Room." Always. Paul's rule, observed across all current marketing copy. Use even when the underlying thing is, technically, a room.
Terms in active use for this product:
| Term | Status | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Lockout | Industry-standard | Default in marketing where context isn't already established. Search-friendly for musicians who know the term. |
| Artist Studio | Brand-preferred (Paul) | When elevating positioning; in product naming; in formal contexts (membership pages, tour copy). |
| Monthly studio | Casual / supplementary | When a sentence already used "lockout" or "Artist Studio" once and a synonym helps flow. |
| Practice space / rehearsal space | Acceptable supplementary | Useful for cold prospects who don't know "lockout" or "Artist Studio" yet. Especially helpful in SEO body copy and metadata. Note: "space" is fine, "room" is not. |
Forbidden:
- "Room," "practice room," "rehearsal room" (Paul's rule)
- "Cubicle," "office space," "co-working"
- "Unit," "rental"
- "Lease," "leased space" (positions us as real estate / landlord; we're a service)
Open question (flagged for testing): We don't yet know which of Monthly Lockout / Artist Studio connects best with cold prospects who aren't already in the scene. "Lockout" is industry-standard but not intuitive to first-timers. "Artist Studio" sounds elevated and brand-y but may read as marketing-speak. Worth testing in ad copy A/B once we have volume. Both are valid until tested; agents should match the surface convention (use "Artist Studio" on /monthly LP, use "lockout" in ad copy targeting working musicians).
Second open question — "studio" confusion risk (observed): "Studio" alone reads as recording studio to a measurable share of cold prospects, pulling in wrong-fit traffic. This is observed, not theoretical: when we ran Google Ads with "studio" in the copy, Matador (Cherry City CM) fielded inbound contacts from people looking for recording studios. The mismatch wastes ad spend and CM time. Mitigations available now: pair "studio" with a clarifier ("rehearsal studio," "Monthly Lockout studio," "practice space") in cold-traffic surfaces; lean on "rehearsal space" supplementary in metadata and search-aimed body copy; add negative keywords ("recording," "mixing," "mastering," "vocal booth," "podcast studio," etc.) to paid search campaigns. Worth quantifying as we get more cold-prospect data — ad-driven bounce rate, CM-reported recording-studio inquiries by location, search query mix from Search Console.
SEO note (for humans, not agents): Customers searching cold may type "practice room," "rehearsal room," "music practice space," "rehearsal space." Body copy and metadata can include "rehearsal space" / "practice space" freely (both are Acceptable in this glossary). Body copy and metadata may also include "practice room" or "rehearsal room" in a search-targeting context even though headline copy follows the studio-over-room rule. Agents drafting ad headlines or hero copy should follow the rule; agents drafting SEO body copy or metadata descriptions may include searched-for phrases as long as they don't dominate the visible copy.
Hourly product
The drop-in studio booked by the hour, gear included.
| Term | Status | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly Studio | Brand-preferred | Default for marketing. Same "studio over room" rule applies. |
| Hourly studios (plural) | Brand-preferred | When referring to the product line. |
| Hourly rehearsal space | Acceptable supplementary | Useful when "studio" alone might confuse cold prospects (recording studio risk). Especially in SEO body copy. |
Forbidden: "Hourly room," "rehearsal room hire," "practice slot," "lease."
Open question (flagged for testing): Same as monthly — Hourly Studio feels right internally but we don't have customer data yet. Defer to current preference until we have signal.
Studio sizes
Codified in the product (STUDIO_SIZES enum): S, M, L, XL. Each has a sq ft range and an "occupancy" descriptor (e.g., "Solo to Duo"). Use the size letter in customer-facing copy (e.g., "Studio M") only when accompanied by context (sq ft or occupancy). Otherwise refer to it by use case ("Four Piece," "Solo Drummer," "Big Group" — the carousel-card framing).
People vocabulary
People who pay us
| Term | Status | Refers to |
|---|---|---|
| Member | Settled | Someone with an active monthly lockout. Capitalized. Aligned with ICP. |
| Members | Settled | Plural of the above. (Used in headlines: "Members are Chirpin'…") |
| Hourly customer | Placeholder | Someone who books hourly studios. No settled term yet. See Open below. |
Forbidden across both: "User" (too SaaS), "Client" (wrong register), "Renter" (wrong register), "Tenant" (wrong register).
Open question: No good term exists for hourly customers. Candidates we could test:
- Hourly customer — generic, functional
- Drop-in musician — descriptive of behavior, on-voice
- Hourly user — too SaaS, probably out
- Hourly member — confusing (membership has a specific monthly meaning)
- Booker / guest — too transactional / too hospitality
Recommendation pending decision: "drop-in" as adjective ("drop-in musicians," "drop-in bookings") feels closest to voice. Ask for confirmation before adopting in copy.
Our staff
| Term | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Community Manager | Settled, capitalized | The on-site person at each location. Not a generic role — a specific person customers know. |
| CM | Internal shorthand | Slack, internal docs, ops scripts. Never in customer-facing copy. |
| On-site manager | Forbidden | Too corporate; loses the "community" framing. |
| Concierge | Forbidden | Wrong register entirely. |
The customer's people
| Term | Status | Refers to |
|---|---|---|
| Band | Default | The unit that uses the room. Use freely. |
| Bandmates | Default | The other people in the band. |
| Crew | Acceptable | Casual register; fine in social copy. |
| Trio / four-piece / big group | Default | Specific size descriptors used in carousel-card framing. |
| Authorized Users | Internal | The system term for non-primary band members on a lockout. Don't use in marketing copy. |
Action vocabulary
What customers do with us
| Term | Status | Refers to |
|---|---|---|
| Tour | Settled | The in-person walkthrough where a CM shows the space. Default term. |
| Book | Settled | What you do for an hourly session. ("Book a studio," "book your session.") |
| Become a Member | Settled | Convert from prospect to monthly. (Used in steps copy.) |
| Sign up | Acceptable | Casual variant for "become a member." |
| Showing | Forbidden | Real-estate register; wrong frame. |
| Visit | Forbidden | Too generic; loses the CM-driven specificity of "tour." |
| Walk-through | Internal | Fine in internal docs; "tour" customer-facing. |
| Practice / rehearse | Settled | What customers do in the studio. Both fine; "rehearse" slightly more in-voice. |
| Jam | Settled | Informal practice. On-voice. ("One-time Jams" carousel card.) |
| Get loud | Settled | Voice-aligned imperative. (See brand-voice.md.) |
Studio access mechanics
| Term | Status | Refers to |
|---|---|---|
| 24/7 access | Settled | The promise that monthly customers can come in any time, any day. |
| Keyless entry | Settled | Hourly studio access via code. |
| Access code | Settled | The numeric code that unlocks the studio. |
| Lockout (verb sense, "lockout your studio") | Acceptable | Refers to having exclusive access — overlaps with the noun. Use carefully to avoid confusion. |
Things, gear, equipment
Hierarchy: prefer in-group shorthand → general term → formal term.
| Preferred | Acceptable | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Gear | Equipment | Instrumentation |
| Kit (drums) | Drum kit | Drum set |
| Sticks | Drumsticks | (Just "sticks") |
| Amps | Amplifiers | Amplification |
| PA | Sound system | Audio reinforcement |
| Mics | Microphones | Vocal capture devices |
| Backline | Full band gear | (industry term, fine to use) |
| Cabinets / cabs | Speaker cabinets | Loudspeaker enclosures |
| Pedals / pedalboard | Effects | Signal processors |
Equipment vs. instruments distinction:
- Gear / equipment = the studio-provided stuff (drums, amps, PA, mics). Lives at the studio.
- Instruments = what the musician brings (their guitar, their bass). Usually privately owned.
When in doubt: "gear" for everything, especially in casual contexts. Use "instruments" only when specifically referring to what musicians bring vs. what we provide.
Place names
Locations
Each Metrognome studio has a real name (used customer-facing) and an internal code (never customer-facing). Source: apps/api/scripts/marketing/list-locations.ts — pulled 2026-04-26.
| Real name (customer-facing) | City | State | Internal code | Slug | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn | Portland | OR | MG1 | brooklyn | Active |
| Ladd's Addition #1 | Portland | OR | MG2 | ladds-addition-1 | Active |
| Ladd's Addition #2 | Portland | OR | MG3 | ladds-addition-2 | Active |
| Reed | Portland | OR | MG4 | reed | Active |
| Tilikum Crossing | Portland | OR | MG5 | tilikum-crossing | Active |
| Slabtown | Portland | OR | MG6 | slabtown | Active |
| Cully | Portland | OR | MG7 | cully | Active |
| Buckman | Portland | OR | MG8 | buckman | Active |
| Mt. Tabor | Portland | OR | MG9 | mt-tabor | Active |
| Cherry City | Salem | OR | MG10 | cherry-city | Active (opened 2025-11) |
| Carriage Tower | Portland | OR | MG11 | carriage-tower | Coming soon |
Rules:
- Always use the real name in customer-facing copy. Always.
- City context (Portland, Salem) is fine when geography is relevant — e.g., "Cherry City (Salem, OR)" in metadata; "our Salem location" when speaking to non-customers about expansion.
- Internal codes (MG10, MG11, etc.) never appear in customer-facing surfaces. Not in URLs, not in copy, not in metadata. Reserved for ops, scripts, and team Slack.
Markets
| Term | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | Settled | The metro area where 9 of 10 current locations sit. |
| Salem | Settled | The city where Cherry City sits. Use for SEO and geographic context. |
| St. Louis | Settled | Next market. Don't pre-announce specific dates until confirmed by ops. |
| The PNW | Internal | Fine in internal context. Customer-facing if obviously geographic. |
| Pacific Northwest | Acceptable | Use sparingly; we're going to outgrow it. |
System / internal-only vocabulary (never customer-facing)
These exist in the codebase or product but should not appear in marketing copy:
MONTHLY,HOURLY,EVENT(reservation types)MG10,MG11, etc. (location codes)- Slug names (
cherry-city,mt-tabor, etc. — fine in URLs, never in body copy) Inquiry,EmailCapture,TourRequest(system entities)Authorized User(system term — use "bandmates" in marketing)Reservation(use "booking" or "session" customer-facing)Resource(use "studio" customer-facing)User(use "Member" or "customer" — see People vocabulary)
How to use this doc when generating copy (AI agents, read this)
- Default to "Settled" terms. When a term is settled, use exactly that term — don't synonym-cycle for variety. Consistency builds recognition.
- For "Open" / unsettled items, follow the surface convention. Match what's already on the page or in the campaign you're contributing to. Don't introduce a new untested term.
- Never use Forbidden terms. No "room," no "user," no "client," no "showing" in marketing copy.
- Internal codes are forbidden customer-facing. Cherry City, never MG10. Always.
- Real-name rule for locations is absolute. Even in metadata, even in alt text, even in error messages a customer might see.
- When the doc says "Open," flag the choice for human review rather than silently picking a candidate. Especially: hourly-customer naming, lockout-vs-artist-studio testing.
- The "studio over room" rule is non-negotiable. Even if the surrounding sentence is awkward, find a different rephrasing — never substitute "room."
Open questions to resolve (prioritized)
- Hourly customer naming. No settled term. Recommend testing "drop-in" as adjective. Decide before scaling hourly marketing.
- Monthly Lockout vs. Artist Studio for cold-prospect copy. A/B test in ads once volume permits.
- "Studio" confusion risk — recording vs. rehearsal. Cold prospects (especially via search and ads) may interpret "studio" as recording studio, pulling wrong-fit traffic. Worth measuring: ad-driven bounce rate, CM-reported "I thought you did recording" inquiries. Mitigations available now: pair "studio" with "rehearsal" or "Monthly Lockout" in cold-traffic surfaces; use "rehearsal space" supplementary in metadata.
- Hourly Studio vs. alternative naming for cold-prospect copy. Same question, hourly side.
- Brand-voice register in non-music partnership outreach (e.g., Make Music St. Louis sponsorship deck) — covered in brand-voice.md as open. Glossary should align once decided.
- Member vs. some unified term for both monthly + hourly. If hourly customer naming lands somewhere, do we want a higher-level term that covers both? (e.g., "musician," "Metrognome musician")? Currently no — "Member" stays monthly-specific, but worth re-evaluating.
Related docs
docs/marketing/brand-voice.md— voice principles, tone, vocabulary shelf-lifedocs/marketing/icp.md— Ideal Customer Profile- (forthcoming)
docs/marketing/guardrails.md— what we can't say - (forthcoming)
docs/marketing/positioning.md— what we displace