A method for managing music associated with a user account of an online music provider, comprising: receiving a request from a client device to add a music data file to the user account, the request including metadata of the music data file, an audio clip of the music data file, and an audio hash of the music data file; processing (408, 412) the metadata and the audio hash into a hash pair, wherein the hash pair includes a metadata hash and the audio hash; performing a first match search for the hash pair, the first match search performed on a database having a plurality of preprocessed hash pairs corresponding to previously stored music data files in a master repository of the online music provider, each of the preprocessed hash pairs having a logical link corresponding to a music data file in the master repository; performing a second match search when the first match search determines that the music data file is missing from the master repository, the second match search includes performing fingerprint matching using the metadata and the audio clip, wherein the metadata is used to identify at least one candidate music data file from the master repository and the audio clip is processed to generate a fingerprint signal, the fingerprint signal used to identify if a match for the music data file exists in the at least one candidate music data file; associating the music data file to the user account when either the first or the second match search identifies the music data file to be in the master repository, wherein associating the music data file to the user account includes at least one of: delivering the logical link to the identified music data file in the master repository to the client device; and storing the logical link to the identified music data file in the master repository in a music locker of the user account, wherein the music locker is an online storage medium for storing music data files associated with the user account; and requesting upload of the music data file to the online music provider when the first and second match search determines that the music data file is missing from the master repository. receiving a request from a client device to add a music data file to the user account, the request including metadata of the music data file, an audio clip of the music data file, and an audio hash of the music data file; processing (408, 412) the metadata and the audio hash into a hash pair, wherein the hash pair includes a metadata hash and the audio hash; performing a first match search for the hash pair, the first match search performed on a database having a plurality of preprocessed hash pairs corresponding to previously stored music data files in a master repository of the online music provider, each of the preprocessed hash pairs having a logical link corresponding to a music data file in the master repository; performing a second match search when the first match search determines that the music data file is missing from the master repository, the second match search includes performing fingerprint matching using the metadata and the audio clip, wherein the metadata is used to identify at least one candidate music data file from the master repository and the audio clip is processed to generate a fingerprint signal, the fingerprint signal used to identify if a match for the music data file exists in the at least one candidate music data file; associating the music data file to the user account when either the first or the second match search identifies the music data file to be in the master repository, wherein associating the music data file to the user account includes at least one of: delivering the logical link to the identified music data file in the master repository to the client device; and storing the logical link to the identified music data file in the master repository in a music locker of the user account, wherein the music locker is an online storage medium for storing music data files associated with the user account; and delivering the logical link to the identified music data file in the master repository to the client device; and storing the logical link to the identified music data file in the master repository in a music locker of the user account, wherein the music locker is an online storage medium for storing music data files associated with the user account; and requesting upload of the music data file to the online music provider when the first and second match search determines that the music data file is missing from the master repository.