{"id":2701,"date":"2021-05-12T19:39:59","date_gmt":"2021-05-12T19:39:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2021\/05\/12\/how-do-i-format-my-artist-name-correctly\/"},"modified":"2021-05-12T19:39:59","modified_gmt":"2021-05-12T19:39:59","slug":"how-do-i-format-my-artist-name-correctly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2021\/05\/12\/how-do-i-format-my-artist-name-correctly\/","title":{"rendered":"How do I format my artist name correctly?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_79 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2021\/05\/12\/how-do-i-format-my-artist-name-correctly\/#The_different_types_of_artist_names\" >The different types of artist names<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2021\/05\/12\/how-do-i-format-my-artist-name-correctly\/#What_is_a_primary_artist\" >What is a primary artist?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2021\/05\/12\/how-do-i-format-my-artist-name-correctly\/#What_is_a_compound_artist\" >What is a compound artist?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2021\/05\/12\/how-do-i-format-my-artist-name-correctly\/#What_if_I_collaborated_with_another_primary_artist\" >What if I collaborated with another primary artist?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2021\/05\/12\/how-do-i-format-my-artist-name-correctly\/#How_do_I_credit_featured_artists\" >How do I credit featured artists?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2021\/05\/12\/how-do-i-format-my-artist-name-correctly\/#The_process_for_entering_featured_artists_is_different_for_singles_and_albums\" >The process for entering featured artists is different for singles and albums:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2021\/05\/12\/how-do-i-format-my-artist-name-correctly\/#Why_is_it_important_to_format_my_artist_name_correctly\" >Why is it important to format my artist name correctly?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_different_types_of_artist_names\"><\/span><span>The different types of artist names<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span>An artist name seems pretty straightforward, right? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>We all know Lizzo, Simon &amp; Garfunkel, and Jay-Z &amp; Kanye West. <\/span><span>But did you know each of those artists fall under a different name designation on digital platforms like Spotify? What if any of those artists<\/span> also collaborate with a featured guest artist? Things can get confusing quick.!<\/p>\n<p>With so much music collaboration happening these days, you want to get this stuff right. Formatting your artist names correctly in any collaboration can help you reach that other artist\u2019s audience (and vice versa).<\/p>\n<p>I<span>n this article, we\u2019ll explain how different kinds of artist names are formatted, and why those distinctions are so important.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\n<div class=\"iframe-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_primary_artist\"><\/span><span>What is a primary artist?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span>Of all the artist name designations, this one is the most straightforward. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>A primary artist is the artist credited at the <\/strong><\/span><strong><i>artist level<\/i><\/strong><span><strong> of the release.<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Let\u2019s take Lizzo as an example. On her two albums <\/span><i><span>Lizzobangers<\/span><\/i><span> and <\/span><i><span>Cuz I Love You<\/span><\/i><span>, she\u2019s listed as the only primary artist. It\u2019s just her at the artist level.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>What does this look like on Spotify? Head to Lizzo\u2019s profile and you\u2019ll see her name and her name only at the top of the page.<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-28871 \" src=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Artist-name-1-1024x576.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" width=\"947\" height=\"533\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>She is the only primary artist. Easy! <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>So if you\u2019re submitting music and you\u2019re a solo artist like Lizzo, or if you\u2019re a group of people going by a band name (let\u2019s use AC\/DC for some rock variety), that one artist name goes in that primary artist field.<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_compound_artist\"><\/span><span>What is a compound artist?\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span>Here\u2019s where it gets a bit trickier. <strong>A <\/strong><\/span><strong><i>compound artist<\/i><\/strong><span><strong> is two or more primary artists who still exist in the same artist field.<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>For simplicity\u2019s sake, let\u2019s say it\u2019s two artists, and let\u2019s use Simon &amp; Garfunkel. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel have extensive discographies under their respective individual artist names. But before they went solo they made their music debuts together on those dusty folk albums you discovered in your parents\u2019 record stash as a kid. For this they went by a compound artist name, one entity: Simon &amp; Garfunkel. <\/span><i><span>Not<\/span><\/i><span> Paul Simon &amp; Art Garfunkel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Want to see this for yourself? Head to Spotify and search for Simon &amp; Garfunkel. You\u2019ll see all those classic records on that artist profile.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-28872 \" src=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Artist-name-2-1024x576.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" width=\"948\" height=\"534\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\"><\/p>\n<p><span>Now search for Paul Simon or Art Garfunkel. You\u2019ll see their solo work on their individual artist pages.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-28873 \" src=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Artist-name-3-1024x576.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" width=\"945\" height=\"532\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-28874 \" src=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Artist-name-4-1024x576.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" width=\"954\" height=\"537\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\"><\/p>\n<p><span>But <\/span><i><span>Bridge Over Troubled Water<\/span><\/i><span>? That\u2019s back on the Simon &amp; Garfunkel page. Since each artist in that group also has releases as a solo artist, those releases exist separately from the ones they created as part of their compound artist.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Interestingly, that\u2019s even true of an artist like Tom Petty who released some albums under his primary artist \u201csolo\u201d name (Tom Petty) and some albums under his primary artist band name \u201cTom Petty &amp; the Heartbreakers.\u201d Both those discographies appear under separate Spotify profiles.<\/p>\n<p><span>When submitting your music, if your group is a compound artist, you will enter the entire artist name in the primary artist field. <\/span><i><span>However<\/span><\/i><span>, <strong>the digital platforms have specific formatting rules for artist names, and they need proof that your artist name exists online with that formatting.<\/strong> This is called <\/span><i><span>web presence<\/span><\/i><span>. You might be asked to submit sufficient web presence to show that your artist name is, in fact, formatted the way you submitted it. We cover this as it pertains to artist name formatting in<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/support.cdbaby.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115001386903-Why-can-t-I-get-my-name-spelled-right-on-the-site-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span>an article on our Help Center.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_if_I_collaborated_with_another_primary_artist\"><\/span><span>What if I collaborated with another primary artist?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span>The last type of primary artist is a <\/span><i><span>collaboration<\/span><\/i><span>. <strong>A collaboration is where two or more artists create a song or album and they both get equal billing as primary artists, yet they still want to keep their individual artist names.<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Think of Jay-Z and Kanye West collaborating on <\/span><i><span>Watch the Throne<\/span><\/i><span>. Instead of forming an entirely new group, they chose to be credited individually.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Head to the Spotify page for <\/span><i><span>Watch the Throne<\/span><\/i><span> and you\u2019ll see each artist\u2019s name, separated by a comma.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-28875 \" src=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Artist-name-5-1024x576.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" width=\"939\" height=\"529\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\"><\/p>\n<p><span>Click on either of their names, and you\u2019ll head to that artist\u2019s page, where you\u2019ll see <\/span><i><span>Watch the Throne<\/span><\/i><span> among the rest of their solo releases.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-28876 \" src=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Artist-name-6-1024x576.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" width=\"943\" height=\"531\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\"><\/p>\n<p><span>Stylistically, these names are listed with an ampersand (&amp;) joining them on some platforms when the artist name is shown: Jay-Z &amp; Kanye West. Other platforms like Spotify display the artist names with a comma joining them, with each artist as a clickable link which leads to the individual artist\u2019s profile.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>The submission process for collaborative primary artist names is different from the previous types of artist names we\u2019ve covered.<\/strong> When you\u2019re entering your artist name on the first page of the submission, you\u2019ll enter the first primary artist, then click that outline of a person with the plus sign to the right.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-28877 \" src=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Artist-name-how-to-add-1.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" width=\"819\" height=\"280\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\"><\/p>\n<p><span>This creates a dropdown and a second artist field. Each different primary artist on a collaboration gets their own field for their artist name. That way the release goes under each of their artists pages with the platforms.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_I_credit_featured_artists\"><\/span><span>How do I credit featured artists?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>What if an artist performed as a guest on one of your songs? This is called a <i>featured artist<\/i>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span>For this example, let\u2019s stick with that Jay-Z &amp; Kanye West album. Check out the Spotify page for <\/span><i><span>Watch the Throne<\/span><\/i><span> again and look at the first song, \u201cNo Church in the Wild.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-28878 \" src=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Artist-name-7-1024x576.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" width=\"950\" height=\"535\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\"><\/p>\n<p><span>See those two artists to the right of the title? Frank Ocean and The-Dream. They\u2019re featured artists. Both those artists performed guest vocals on that song. Since this was a guest appearance for each, neither artist receives a primary artist credit. And while Frank Ocean also appears on another song (\u201cMade in America\u201d), he\u2019s still a featured artist on both.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If another artist appears on one of your songs as a featured artist, you\u2019ll credit them differently than you would a primary artist.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_process_for_entering_featured_artists_is_different_for_singles_and_albums\"><\/span>The process for entering featured artists is different for singles and albums:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span><strong>Single:<\/strong> Enter any other artists on the first page of the submission by clicking that plus sign we mentioned. When the dropdown is created, you can choose if they are a primary or featured artist. If there are multiple featured artists, click the button for each one so each is in their own field.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span><strong>Album:<\/strong> You\u2019ll enter featured artists further in the submission process. When you reach the section where you enter the information for each track, we\u2019ll ask if any other artists performed on each one. This is where you\u2019ll click that same plus sign and select a featured artist, then enter their name. As with singles, each featured artist gets their own field. Click the button for each artist who appears on each song and enter their name in their own separate fields.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-28879 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Artist-name-how-to-add-2.gif\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" width=\"611\" height=\"394\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\"><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>Tracks submitted with featured artists are automatically formatted correctly in the metadata.<\/strong> This is so it will display properly with the partners. So the full title of \u201cNo Church in the Wild\u201d is \u201cNo Church in the Wild (feat. Frank Ocean and The-Dream)\u201d on most major platforms. Again, Spotify is the outlier with how they display this. They\u2019ll won\u2019t show \u201cfeat.\u201d and instead list the featured artists separated by commas.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_is_it_important_to_format_my_artist_name_correctly\"><\/span><span>Why is it important to format my artist name correctly?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span>Put simply, correct metadata matters. <\/span><span><strong>The digital platforms need your artist name properly formatted for search purposes.<\/strong> If it\u2019s not formatted correctly or if it\u2019s formatted inconsistently across the platforms, people won\u2019t be able to locate your music, and people who can\u2019t find your music can\u2019t hear it. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>And if you\u2019re working with other artists, you want your music to reach their followers too. How does that happen? Proper artist name formatting!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>So follow the artist name guidelines above. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Choose a good name. Google it to make sure it\u2019s unique and no one else is using it. Enter it properly when distributing a new release. And then promote the heck out of your music.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/releasing-music\/how-to-format-artist-name-correctly\/\" target=\"_blank\">How do I format my artist name correctly?<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">DIY Musician<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The different types of artist names An artist name seems pretty straightforward, right? We all know Lizzo, Simon &amp; Garfunkel, and Jay-Z &amp; Kanye West. But did you know each of those artists fall under a different name designation on digital platforms like Spotify? What if any of those artists also collaborate with a featured guest artist? Things can get confusing quick.! With so much music collaboration happening these days, you want to get this stuff right. Formatting your artist names correctly in any collaboration can [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-seo-blogs"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2701"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2701\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}