Metadata that helps listeners (and algorithms) understand your music

Language, consistency, and artist identity

Language metadata affects how stores surface music in regional contexts. If vocals are mixed languages, follow your distributor's guidance for primary language. Instrumental tracks have their own conventions; do not guess if the form offers an explicit "instrumental" option.

Consistency across singles builds artist identity. If your project name includes punctuation or stylization, mirror it exactly each time. Changing spelling between releases fractures search and verified artist association.

Your artist name is effectively a brand. If you release as "DJ Waves" on one single and "Dj Waves" on the next, streaming platforms may create two separate artist profiles. Merging them later is possible but time-consuming and may result in lost playlist placements or follower counts. Decide on your exact name formatting before your first release and stick with it permanently.

Featuring artist formatting also matters. Platforms have specific rules about where the "feat." credit goes - in the title field, in a separate artist field, or both. Your distributor's upload form will guide you, but preparing this information before you start the upload process prevents last-minute confusion and rejected submissions.

Copyright lines and post-release corrections

Copyright and sound recording lines belong to the rights holders you name. They signal professionalism to industry readers and sometimes appear on lyric sites or partner tools that ingest feed data.

When you update metadata after release, not every field is editable on every store, and some changes require redelivery. Getting it right the first time is cheaper than emergency fixes during a campaign. LUCY Academy has a full module on metadata best practices if you want to go deeper. Ready to put this into practice? Start distributing with LUCY and get your metadata right from the start.

The copyright line format follows a standard pattern: the copyright symbol, the year of release, and the name of the copyright holder. For the sound recording, use the phonogram symbol instead. If you own your masters and compositions, both lines will show your name or your publishing entity. If a label or publisher is involved, their name goes in the appropriate line.

Post-release metadata corrections can take days or weeks to propagate across all stores. During that time, your release may show incorrect information to listeners. Some stores cache metadata aggressively, meaning even after your distributor submits the correction, the old version may persist for a while. This is why prevention is always better than correction when it comes to metadata accuracy.

The codes and credits that decide who gets paid

Every recording needs its own ISRC (International Standard Recording Code). It is how stores and collection societies count plays and send the money to the right place. A remix, a radio edit or a live version is a different recording, so it gets a new ISRC. The same recording released again, say a single that later appears on your album, keeps its original ISRC so every play counts toward one song.

Each release (a single, an EP or an album) also gets a UPC, the barcode that identifies the product as a whole. Your distributor usually supplies both codes; keep a copy of them, because you will need them to pitch playlists, register with societies and claim your profiles.

List every songwriter and producer, and spell their names exactly as they are registered with their performing rights organisation (PRO). Songwriting royalties are matched on those names, so "Jon Smith" on the release and "Jonathan Smith" at the PRO can leave money unclaimed. If a song has three writers, name all three.

Agree the split before release day, in writing, and enter the same percentages in your distributor. With LUCY you enter them once and royalty splits pay each collaborator automatically every month.

Genre, mood and titles: describe, don't advertise

Choose a primary genre, and a secondary one if the form offers it, that a listener would recognise in the first ten seconds. Mood and subgenre tags help playlists and recommendations find the right audience; stuffing in every popular genre does the opposite.

Keep the title to the song's real name. Stores follow strict style guides and will reject or rewrite titles that add keywords, emojis, "Official", "New" or social handles. Version details such as Remix, Acoustic or Radio Edit go in the version field, and guest artists go in the featured-artist field, not in the title.

A five-minute check before you upload

Run through this list for every release. Title: spelled the same on the cover and in the form. Artist name: identical to your earlier releases, down to the capitals. Credits: every writer and producer, with PRO-registered names. Codes: a new ISRC for each new recording, the original one for a re-release. Genre and language: honest and specific. Explicit flag: on if the lyrics need it, off if they don't. Copyright lines: the year and the rights holder, ℗ for the recording and © for the composition.

Keep a simple metadata sheet, one row per track, with the title, ISRC, UPC, writers, splits and release date. It takes minutes, it saves you when a store asks for proof, and it makes the next release faster. Once the song is live, use your analytics to see where people find it and which tracks hold listeners.

How to do this with LUCY

The LUCY tools for this, and which plans include them

Send your music to 470+ stores in one upload. Upload once, even from your phone, and your release goes to Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok and 470+ stores and apps. Included on every LUCY plan: Free releases once a month and keeps 70%; Pro is unlimited and keeps 100%. See how it works