Deliver credits to Apple Music
Some of music’s greatest collaborations are hidden within the album liner notes. Give your most dedicated fans a glimpse of the details by adding robust and complete credits to your releases. These details, such as specific performer, composition, production, and engineering roles are critical to ensuring that everyone involved in the creative process is properly credited.
Types of credits and best practices
Credits appear on Apple Music at the track level and allow users to appreciate the work of everyone involved in the roles of Performers, Composition and Lyrics, and Production and Engineering. When delivering credits, you can use an artist identifier, such as an Apple Artist ID or ISNI, should one already exist for a contributor. Be sure to review our Apple Music Style Guide for detailed information about how different types of artists and roles should be credited.
Roles will display on Apple Music based on our complete list of Extended Contributor Roles, which can be found in the Recommended Contributor Roles section of the Apple Music Specification. However, we accept the delivery of any credits you may have, even if not yet represented on our list. Should you deliver a role not yet in our repertoire, we will attempt to match it to the most similar credit on Apple Music.
Performers
Artists appear in this category if they performed on a recording as a solo artist/contributor or member of a band/group. Examples include Vocals, Ensemble, and individual instruments, such as Guitar, Synth Bass, and Drum Machine.
Best practices
- Performer as a generic role is not recommended. The goal is to include as much detail as possible, and specific performer credits, such as vocals or played instruments create a more detailed experience for Apple Music users.
- Each individual member of a band/group should be credited accordingly with the respective instrument/role performed on each specific song. Note that the same individual can have multiple credits. For example, the frontperson of a band can be credited with both Vocals and Lead Guitar.
- An entire band/group should not be credited with Performer, Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Drums, etc. Use these credits to specify who within the group is credited with each role.
Composition & Lyrics
These roles credit those who were involved in the creation of the musical composition, including written content such as lyrics and text. Examples include Arranger, Composer, and Lyrics.
Best practices
- Composition & Lyrics roles should be given to the artist(s) that created the original written work — both the music and the lyrics/text if applicable.
- The role Composer is generally used to refer to the artist who wrote the music while Lyrics is generally used to refer to the artist who wrote the lyrics. The role Songwriter is commonly used when the artist wrote both the music and lyrics, or when there is ambiguity for which part they contributed.
Production & Engineering
These roles are reserved for the technical minds behind the recording. Examples include Producer, Recording Engineer, Mixing Engineer, Mastering Engineer, and Immersive Engineer.
Best practices
- Production & Engineering roles should be comprehensive and include all staff involved in the final recording.
- If a release is delivered with Dolby Atmos audio, also credit the Immersive Engineer.
Update credits on your release
You can easily add this metadata to previously delivered music in iTunes Connect or via Transporter. If you need to update previously delivered credits, please allow up to five business days for updated credits to reflect in Apple Music, even if the credits are reflecting in iTunes Connect. There may be instances when credits have been reviewed by Apple, which requires assistance from our team.