Featured artist (guest artist)
A featured artist (guest artist) is an artist who takes part in a recording as a guest. They are not the main face of the project, but their presence is artistically essential – and it must be credited correctly. Their name is shown after the abbreviation feat. or ft., usually in brackets after the recording title.
What exactly does “featured artist” mean?
A featured artist (guest artist) is a performer who contributes their artistic performance to a specific recording – vocals, rap, playing an instrument – but is not the primary artist of the release. It is a specific artistic role, not a general label for “anyone who worked on the recording”.
If someone recorded a guitar riff, sang a chorus or added a rap verse as a guest – that is a featured artist. If someone was turning knobs at the mixing desk or played violin for you as a friend – that is not a featured artist.
Who IS and who is NOT a featured artist?
| IS a featured artist | IS NOT a featured artist |
|---|---|
| A guest singer or rapper who added a verse or chorus | A friend who recorded violin or guitar for you as a session player |
| An instrumentalist whose solo performance is a key part of the track and who is credited as a guest | A producer who made the beat or ran the recording session |
| An artist from another project who takes part in the track as a guest | Regular band members – they are the primary artist |
|
An artist whose name you want to show after “feat.” in the recording title (do not abuse this!) |
Authors, lyricists, sound engineers, companies, associations – they have other roles |
| An artist who has their own artist profile on streaming platforms | The primary artist – entered elsewhere and with a different status |
The most common mistake: The recording’s line-up
The featured artist field is not a list of everyone who worked on the recording. This field is exclusively for guest artists – artists who appear on the track as a guest and whose name you want to see after “feat.” If you enter a friend who recorded guitar for you, a sound engineer or a producer, the recording may be rejected or the metadata will be wrong on every platform. You can credit session players, vocalists or backing band members in the extended credits (the Additional performer roles block in the recording form) – we enable them on request, just ask support.
Never put featured artists in the recording or album title!
The recording title (or the album title) must not contain the featured artist’s name – not as “feat. Name”, “ft. Name” or in brackets. You enter this information exclusively in the dedicated featured artist field.
Why? Platforms such as Spotify or Apple Music add “feat.” automatically based on the data we deliver to them. If you also write the name in the title, it will appear there twice – or the recording will be rejected as invalid. That is why the Artists Bez Labelu form will not even save a title containing “feat.”, “ft.” or “featuring”.
✗ Wrong: My Song (feat. John Smith)
✓ Right: My Song → with John Smith entered in the featured artist field
Performer roles in the Bez Labelu system
Our system distinguishes two basic artist roles on a recording:
Primary artist
The main artist of the release – your artistic project or band. The release is shown under this name on Spotify, Apple Music and other platforms. It is your “brand” under which you release music. You enter it when you register, and it can only be changed in exceptional cases.
Featured artist (feat.)
A guest artist on a specific recording. Their name is shown after “feat.” next to the track title. They have their own profile on the platforms, and their presence is artistically essential – they are not just a technical contributor. You enter them each time it is needed.
The difference between a primary and a featured artist
Not sure when to use an additional primary artist and when “just” a featured artist? Read the detailed article: Primary vs. featured artist →
How is a featured artist shown on the platforms?
A correctly entered featured artist benefits both sides:
Recording title
The featured artist’s name is automatically shown after the abbreviation feat. or ft. in the track title – usually in brackets. The exact format depends on the platform.
Linked profiles
The track is linked to the featured artist’s profile on the platform. The recording may appear in their discography or in the “Appears On” section – so the featured artist’s fans find it more easily.
Visibility for both
Correct linking increases the recording’s reach for both artists. That is why simply writing the name is not enough – the platforms identify artists by unique identifiers (Spotify URI, Apple Music ID).
Platforms and role names
Different platforms use different terminology and sometimes mix up terms such as “artist”, “performer” or “contributor”. This can be confusing. Here is a separate article on the topic: How platforms misname people’s roles →
What you must fill in for each featured artist
In the Additional featuring artist section of the release or recording form, you fill in three mandatory details for each guest artist (so that the profiles are matched correctly):
- Artist name – as it is shown publicly.
- Spotify URI – the identifier of the profile on Spotify.
- Apple Music ID – the identifier of the profile on Apple Music.
If the guest artist does not yet have a profile on one of the platforms, write NEW instead of the identifier – we will create the profile for them during distribution. Only use NEW if the profile really does not exist, not as a substitute for looking it up (more in the article How to enter another artist who does not have profiles on the platforms yet).
How do you find the Spotify URI and Apple Music ID? Read our guide:
Guide: Spotify URI, Apple Music ID and Amazon Music ASIN
An example of a correctly completed form
Example of correct completion
The counts must match
If you enter 2 featured artists, you must enter 2 Spotify URIs and 2 Apple Music IDs – in the same order. If you leave the name field empty, the identifier fields must be empty too.
Also keep an eye on consistency between the release and its recordings: A featured artist listed on the release must feature on at least one recording, anyone who features on all the recordings must also be listed on the release, and on a single the artists on the release and on the recording must be the same. Otherwise the release cannot be submitted for distribution.
More about performers
A featured artist is a specific type of performer. Want to know more about what a performer is in general, what rights they have and how they work in the Bez Labelu system?