How to Credit Everyone Who Worked on a Song
Updated 6 min read
Every song carries the names of the people who made it: the artists, the songwriters, the producers, the engineers and the musicians. Agree on every credit and every songwriting share before the release, spell each name the same way everywhere, and the work follows each person from song to song.
Why credits matter to the people beside the artist
For a producer, a songwriter or an engineer, credits are the portfolio. Streaming services show them on the song itself, so a listener, an artist or a label can see who made the music they love and find that person's other work.
Clear credits also guide the income from songwriting to the right people, because songwriting royalties are paid by the shares the writers agreed on.
The credits a release carries
| Role | Who it names |
|---|---|
| Primary artist | The artist the release belongs to |
| Featured artist | Another artist who performs on the song, shown next to the primary artist |
| Songwriter | Everyone who wrote the words or the music, often listed as composer and lyricist |
| Producer | The person who shaped the recording and its sound |
| Mixing engineer | The person who balanced the recording into its final sound |
| Mastering engineer | The person who prepared the final file for every service |
| Performers | The musicians and singers who played on the recording |
The artist credits appear on the stores as artist names. The others appear in the song's credits on the services that show them.
Agree on every credit before the release
The calmest moment to agree on credits is before the release, while the session is still fresh in everyone's memory. A short shared list works well: every name, every role, and for the songwriters, every share.
For the songwriting shares, many teams use a split sheet: a one-page document that lists each writer and the share of the song they hold, signed by all of them. It takes a few minutes in the studio and keeps the song clear for its whole life.
One name, spelled one way
Each person's name should be written exactly the same way on every release. The same spelling, the same capital letters and the same stage name. That way every service connects the new song to the same person, and their credits build into one body of work.
For a featured artist, there is one more step: match them to the artist page they already have on each service. The song then appears on their page too, and their listeners find it right away.
How names reach the stores
- The team agrees on the final list of credits and shares.
- The manager or the artist enters them with the release, together with the audio and the cover art.
- The distributor delivers the release and its credits to every store.
- The stores show the artists on the release, and the wider credits on the song where they display them.
Credits are easiest to set right when the release is first delivered. Building the list early keeps release day simple for everyone.
Registering the songwriting
Songwriting income is collected by organizations in each country. Each writer registers the song, with the agreed shares, with their performing rights organization, such as ASCAP and BMI in the US, PRS for Music in the UK, GEMA in Germany and SACEM in France, SACM in Mexico and UBC in Brazil, or JASRAC in Japan and KOMCA in South Korea. Songs also earn a royalty each time they are copied or streamed, and a publisher or a collection service collects it for the writers.
When the shares on the split sheet and the shares in every registration match, the songwriting income reaches each writer as agreed.
One shared view for the whole team
SoundEX.ai gives managers, producers and partners one shared view of the releases, audiences and results they build together. The artist stays at the center, and every person who worked on the song sees the release they helped create.
Questions and answers
Who should be credited on a song?
Everyone who shaped it: the artists, the songwriters, the producer, the mixing and mastering engineers, and the musicians who played on it.
What is a split sheet?
A one-page document listing every songwriter and the share of the song each one holds, signed by all of them, ideally before the release.
What is the difference between a featured artist and a songwriter?
A featured artist performs on the song and is shown as an artist on the release. A songwriter wrote the words or the music and appears in the song's credits.
Why does the spelling of a name matter?
Services connect songs to people by their names. One spelling everywhere keeps every credit in one body of work.