How to Credit Collaborators the Right Way
Not sure how to credit bandmates, guest artists, and collab partners on your next release? Learn how to credit collaborators and handle metadata so the music shows up correctly and your collaborators get the recognition they deserve.
How to Credit Collaborators the Right Way
from Demo
Do you work with other musicians and want to credit them properly on your next release?
There are lots of options — which often means lots of confusion.
Whether you’re dropping a solo track with a guest saxophonist…
Teaming up for a duet…
Starting a band with your two besties…
Or rebranding from Lil Crouton to Lil Crouton & the Salad Bowls…
Your artist name metadata matters!
Metadata tips for collabs, bands & guest features
Here’s the right way to credit collaborators so your music shows up where (and how) it should on Spotify:
Artist roles: How they work & why they matter
When you upload music to a distributor, you’re asked to enter artist roles for each track or release. These roles tell streaming services:
- Who did what
- Who deserves top billing
- Where your name (and your collaborators’) should appear
If you want to show up in your own discography, you must be listed as a Primary Artist at the album level. Otherwise, you may end up tucked away in a hidden section like “Appears On.”
Let’s break it down.
Primary Artist at the ALBUM level
This is the most straightforward use case: a solo artist or band name listed as the main artist on a release.
Examples: Phoebe Bridgers, Metallica, Run the Jewels.
It also applies to collaborative duos that function as a single artist name — like Simon & Garfunkel or Brooks & Dunn. This setup is called a compound artist name, and it’s treated as one unified entity across streaming services.
Artist + backing band? Proceed with caution!
Things get trickier when you add a backing band.
For example, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is considered one distinct artist name. That’s entirely separate from Tom Petty as a solo act. So Spotify gives them two separate artist pages, and:
- Streams and followers are counted separately
- Fans must search for both names to find all the music
- Algorithmic momentum can get split
That’s not ideal — unless you’re a household name. For indie artists, it’s often smarter to choose one name and stick to it, especially if you want to build long-term visibility in one unified discography.
If you rebrand from Your Name to Your Name & the Backing Group, you’re sacrificing catalog cohesion for band vibes. Choose wisely.
Collaboration between two separate artists?
When two artists with their own separate careers come together for a project, you’ll usually list both names as two separate Primary Artists at the album level.
Examples:
- JAY-Z, Kanye West
- Robert Plant, Alison Krauss
In this case:
- The album appears in both artists’ discographies
- On individual tracks, you’ll see the names are separated by commas
If you list multiple primary artists only at the track level, that track will appear in the “Appears On” section for each artist — but not in their main discographies.
Lemme give you an example of this hybrid approach:
A band built from solo artists
Take Bonny Light Horseman — a band made up of established solo artists Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson, and Josh Kaufman.
Bonny Light Horseman albums are credited to the band name. So the primary artist name at the album level is… Bonny Light Horseman.
But each of the three members are listed as Primary Artists at the track level. As a result:
- The band gets its own artist page
- Each member’s individual “Appears On” section includes releases from the band
- But their solo discographies stay separate from the band
This is a great way to show the connection while keeping the focus on the new band identity.
IMPORTANT: Want to list multiple primary artists only at the track level? Cool — just make sure your distributor doesn’t freak out. Some can’t handle that much nuance. Like a Roomba in a maze of mirrors.
Guest feature on a single track?
If a collaborator only appears on one or two tracks — say, a verse, a duet, or a prominent instrumental solo — they shouldn’t be listed as a Primary Artist.
Instead, you’ll mark them as a Featured Artist at the track level. This ensures the track shows up in their “Appears On” section, without confusing the identity of your release.
However, if the guest plays a major role on every track, you might consider upgrading their role to an additional Primary Artist at the album level.
Need help listing a featured artist properly?
We’ve got a full breakdown here on how to properly credit featured artists.
Metadata isn’t just background noise — it’s how your music gets found and fed to fans on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
Collaborating with other musicians? Ask how they want to be credited — and make sure they get the credit they deserve.
You’ll keep your metadata clean, your discography tidy, and your salads crunchy.
