“Prod. by” Must Not Be Included in Release Fields
Basic Rule
Do not insert “Prod. by …”, “produced by”, “producer …” or similar text into any field that sets the track title, album title, artist name, or any other metadata of a release. If you want to credit a producer — use the dedicated “Producer” field only.
Note: Metadata rules prohibit the use of “Prod. by” in track titles specifically for Spotify and Apple Music (iTunes).
If you still want a version with “Prod. by” in the track title, you must publish two separate releases:
- One version for Spotify and Apple Music — without “Prod. by” in the title
- Another version for all other platforms — where such formatting is allowed
Why “Prod. by” Is Not Allowed in Other Fields
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Streaming platform metadata guidelines:
Most digital platforms strictly prohibit inserting service or credit annotations (such as “prod by”, “feat.”, “remix”) into track titles, release names, or artist fields. According to official style guides, producer credits must be submitted through the proper metadata field, not embedded into titles.
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Correct rights and royalty processing:
Metadata is handled programmatically. Adding “Prod. by X” directly to a title can break parsing, interfere with artist recognition, and distort rights allocation. If a producer is not properly listed in the “Producer” field, their role may be ignored by automated systems — leading to missed credit and lost royalties.
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Formatting and data quality standards:
Metadata must remain clean and free of unnecessary annotations. This ensures smooth data exchange between distributors, aggregators, and DSPs (Apple Music, Spotify, etc.). Do not try to “hack the system” by injecting extra text — instead, use the correct metadata fields provided.
How to Correctly Credit a Producer
- Use the “Producer” field only — do not write “Prod. by”, “produced by”, or similar wording
- If there are multiple producers — add each one as a separate entry in the Producer field
- If there is no producer — leave the field blank