Understanding Artist Roles

When submitting a release, you must assign roles to each performing artist.
These roles control how the release appears on artist pages, how listeners are counted, and who can access performance analytics on music platforms.

Choosing the correct role is important for accurate attribution across stores and streaming services.

Primary Artist #

Primary artists are the main performers on a release. They can be assigned at either the release level or the track level, depending on how the artist should appear on stores.

Release-Level (Album-Level) Primary Artist #

When an artist is set as a primary artist at the release level:

• The release appears in the main discography of the artist’s page
• All streams from the release count toward the artist’s Monthly Listeners
• The artist can view detailed performance data in their artist analytics tools

Important display rule:
If a release has four or more primary artists, stores may list it as Various Artists. In this case, the release appears under Appears On instead of the main discography.

How to Add a Release-Level Primary Artist #

1. Start a new release and enter the release title
2. Add the main artist name
3. Select an existing artist from your account or create a new artist profile
4. If there are multiple primary artists, choose the order they appear
5. Add any additional primary artists in the release information section

Track-Level Primary Artist #

Track-level primary artists are used when an artist is a main performer on only a specific track, not the full release.

When assigned at the track level:

• The track appears in the artist’s Appears On section
• Only streams from that specific track count toward the artist’s listeners

How to Add a Track-Level Primary Artist #

1. Go to Manage Tracks and upload the audio file
2. Open Track Information for the selected song
3. Select Participants → Artist Roles
4. Add an existing artist or create a new one
5. Assign the role Primary Artist and save

Featured Artist #

Featured artists are guest performers on a track and are not considered main artists.

Key points:

• Featured artists only appear on the track level
• The song shows under Appears On on their artist page
• Featured artists do not receive monthly listener credit
• Featured artists do not have access to detailed analytics

How to Add a Featured Artist #

1. Upload the track under Manage Tracks
2. Open Track Information
3. Go to Participants → Artist Roles
4. Add the artist and select Featured Artist as the role
5. Save changes

Remixer #

A remixer is the artist who creates a remixed version of an original track.

When correctly assigned:

• The remix may appear on the remixer’s artist page
• Streams from the remix count toward the remixer’s listener totals
• Remixers can access analytics for the remix in artist tools

How to Add a Remixer #

1. Upload the remix audio file
2. Open Track Information
3. Go to Participants → Artist Roles
4. Add the remixer as an artist
5. Select Remixer as the role and save

Final Notes #

• Always assign artist roles carefully before submitting a release
• Incorrect roles can affect artist visibility, listener counts, and analytics access
• Stores apply their own display rules, which may vary by platform