Primary and featured artists: prepare accurate release credits

Make a contributor sheet

For each track, record the approved artist spelling, role, existing public profile if relevant and who has approved the credit. List the main performing act separately from guests, writers, producers and engineers. Include the release-level billing decision rather than assuming every person on one track is a primary artist for the whole album.

What the destination receives matters

Spotify says artist roles should be supplied at both track and release level and distinguishes performers and non-performing contributors. Names belong in their appropriate fields rather than being combined into one invented artist identity. Apple also distinguishes primary performers from featured guests and production roles. Confirm the current DistroBolt form with the team if a role or profile choice is unclear; do not substitute a different role just to make an upload proceed.

Agree billing before delivery

• Confirm who is genuinely a main artist and who is a guest for each recording.
• Use consistent approved spelling and the correct existing profile links.
• Separate writers and producers from performing-artist roles. Do not give a non-performing contributor a guest-performance role merely for visibility.
• Check track-level and release-level credits against artwork and promotion.
• Keep the approvals and communicate unresolved disagreements before submission.

A collaboration example

A duo releases an EP with a guest singer on one track and a producer who did not perform. The working record identifies the duo’s identity, the guest’s exact profile, the producer’s production credit and the writers separately. Their agreed income shares sit in another section. Paying the producer does not automatically make that person a featured artist or determine a copyright share.

Do not promise a specific profile placement

Stores interpret delivered roles and identity information under their own rules. A credit does not guarantee a release will appear in every desired profile section or create access to that artist’s management tools. If a correct release appears on the wrong identity, collect both links and use the mapping guide. If the delivered role itself is wrong, request a precise metadata review.

Keep payments and permissions separate

Collaborator payment shares need a defined financial basis and agreement. A written payment arrangement is not proof of permission to use a performance, name, image or composition. Record the relevant approvals and rights independently. DistroBolt’s split tools do not decide a disputed billing or ownership claim.

Review before the next release

Keep the approved contributor sheet with the finished audio and identifiers. Reuse accurate profile references, not an unchecked old template. For a band rebrand or a change in project identity, use the artist-name change guide before submitting a new identity alongside an existing catalogue.