Roles of Artists and Contributors
Why Specifying Roles Matters
Specifying the roles of artists and contributors is a requirement of digital music platforms. Spotify enforces contributor roles most strictly, while Apple Music (iTunes) specifically requires artist roles to be provided.
Please always specify the roles of contributors. If you plan to release your music on Apple Music or iTunes, make sure to also include artist roles.
Key Points to Remember
When creating a release, it's important to distinguish between two types of participants:
Primary Artist(s) — the author or authors of the release who will be listed as performers on streaming platforms. Once published, the release will appear in their catalog (artist profile). For each artist, you must provide their stage name, or real name if it is used as their stage name.
Contributors — individuals who played a role in the creation of the release but are not performers. They will not appear as performers on platforms, and the release will not be added to their artist profile. For some contributor roles — specifically lyricist, composer, and arranger — it is mandatory to provide their full real names without abbreviations (e.g., John Smith). For other contributor roles, either stage names or real names may be used.
How to Specify Roles
When creating a release, in the first section of the release editor, you'll find the "Primary Artist(s)" and "Contributors" fields. Use the "Add Artist" and "Add Contributor" buttons respectively.
Clicking these buttons will open a window where you can enter the participant's name and assign their role. Later, to edit the name or change roles, click the "+" next to the previously selected role.
Please Note
- Each field should contain only one participant. Do not list multiple names in the same entry.
- Every release must include at least one contributor with the "Composer" role.
- In accordance with Apple Music (iTunes) requirements, starting November 1, 2024, each release must also include at least one contributor from the "Production and Sound Engineering" category to be delivered to this platform. A list of roles that fall under this category is provided at the end of this article.
Performer Roles
The full list of roles is always available to you in the release editor. Here, we provide clarifications for some of the less obvious roles. Please review them carefully.
- Keyboards - Includes all keyboard instruments except piano.
- Piano - Classical piano.
- Synthesizer - An electronic keyboard instrument used to create and modify sounds.
- Mixed Artist - An artist who plays multiple instruments.
- Orchestra - A group of musicians playing various instruments.
- Programming - Programming drum parts, synthesizers, samples, and effects; using a DAW to create and edit tracks.
- Rap - Rhythmic spoken delivery with an accent on beat.
- Sampled Artist - An artist who uses pre-recorded sounds they created themselves (samples).
Contributor Roles
Contributor roles are divided into two main categories: Production & Engineering and Composition & Lyrics. Each track must include at least one contributor from the Production & Engineering category.
Production & Engineering Roles
- Assistant Engineer
- Graphic Designer
- Mixing Engineer
- Recording Engineer
- Co-Producer
- Mastering Engineer
- Producer
Composition & Lyrics Roles
- Adapter
- Composer
- Lyricist
- Songwriter
- Arranger