7digital · Rate Limits

7Digital Rate Limits

7digital / MassiveMusic enforces rate limits primarily on non-live (prototype / test) API keys; live commercial keys have higher (but still scope-bound) limits negotiated with Client Success. Some operations also have endpoint- specific "acceptable usage" targets that the provider documents alongside the endpoint reference — notably preview-stream logging (5 POST/sec, 500 logs/batch) and media transfer (50 req/sec). Subscription streaming enforces per-clientId concurrency (Device A vs Device B). Bulk batch submission via S3 is offered as the escape valve when documented per-second limits are insufficient.

7Digital Rate Limits is the machine-readable rate-limit profile for 7digital on the APIs.io network, conforming to the API Commons Rate Limits specification.

It captures 7 rate-limit definitions, measuring requests_per_day, varies, requests_per_second, requests_per_batch, and concurrent_streams.

The profile also includes 6 backoff/retry policies defined and response codes documented for throttled and authError.

Tagged areas include Rate Limiting, Music, Streaming, and Licensing.

7 Limits Throttle: 429
Rate LimitingMusicStreamingLicensing

Limits

Non-live (sandbox / prototype) API key requests key
requests_per_day · day
4000
Documented example shows 4,000 requests per period per non-live key. Headers reveal current usage and reset window (X-RateLimit-Limit / X-RateLimit-Current / X-RateLimit-Reset in seconds).
Live commercial API key requests key
varies
negotiated under commercial agreement — typically lifted relative to non-live keys
Live keys are not subject to the documented daily sandbox cap; the effective ceiling is scoped by Client Success.
Preview stream logging (logging/preview) account
requests_per_second · second
5
Acceptable usage: 5 POST requests per second, batches of up to 500 logs per request. Beyond this, switch to S3 bulk batch submission.
Catalogue stream logging (catalogue/log) account
varies
near real-time or same-day batch
Documented as "near real-time, or same-day in batch" with no explicit per-second number. Compliance testing with Client Success establishes the operational rate for the partner.
Subscription stream logging (user/subscription/log) account
requests_per_batch
batches of 10–20 logs per request, near real-time or same-day
Smaller batch size than preview logging because of stricter timing requirements.
Media transfer / content delivery (content-delivery/media-transfer) account
requests_per_second · second
50
Documented acceptable usage: 50 req/sec. Usage requires coordination with Client Success and additional licensor due diligence.
Subscription streaming concurrency clientId
concurrent_streams
1
When clientId is supplied, multiple devices may NOT stream concurrently. Device A can start streaming, but if Device B starts, Device A finishes its current track then is blocked from playing again for a short period. After that, Device A can play again and Device B becomes blocked.

Policies

Sandbox vs Live key differentiation
Public usage limits apply only to non-live (prototype / test) keys. Production-grade keys are issued under commercial agreement and have different (negotiated) limits. Always check X-RateLimit-* headers.
OAuth 1.0 signature required on every request
Every request includes oauth_consumer_key. Signed (2-legged or 3-legged) operations also include oauth_signature. Unsigned access to signed endpoints returns 401 rather than counting against rate limits.
Batch-via-S3 escape valve
When per-second logging limits are insufficient (e.g. for preview-stream reporting), 7digital offers bulk batch submission via an S3 bucket. This is the documented path past the 5 req/sec preview-log ceiling.
Compliance testing before going live
Before logging real user data, the partner's Client Success contact runs Compliance Testing to validate logging accuracy and confirm the correct endpoint is being used.
Concurrency control via clientId
For subscription streaming, supply a clientId to enable single-device concurrency enforcement. Without clientId, multiple devices may stream simultaneously against the same subscription.
Endpoint-specific acceptable usage
Several endpoints document their own per-second / per-batch acceptable usage in addition to the global per-key cap. Honour the endpoint-level number — it is typically the binding constraint.

Sources