The difference between a primary and a featured artist
You need to understand the difference between a “primary artist” and a “featured artist” for your music to be displayed correctly on streaming platforms. Let's explain what it means and how to set it up correctly.
What are a primary and a featured artist?
Primary Artist
A primary artist is the main artist under whose name the song or album is released. It is the person or group primarily responsible for the work and under whose profile the recording appears.
Featured Artist
A featured artist is a guest artist who takes part in the recording but is not there as the main person. Their name usually appears after the abbreviation “feat.” or “ft.” in the track title, often in brackets.
How is it displayed on the platforms?
Primary artist
The release/recording appears on the profile of every primary artist in the section for their main releases. All primary artists are equal, and the release/track appears for each of them as their own work.
Featured artist
For a featured artist, the release/recording appears only in the “Appears On” section (or a similarly named section, depending on the platform). It is not their main release, but an appearance on someone else's recording.
An important note on terminology
Performing artists vs. artists in general
Watch out for a common mistake! When we talk about primary and featured artists, we mean the final performing artists – paradoxically, not “artists” in general.
Performing artist = the person or group under whose name the song is released and who performs it.
Artist in general = anyone who contributed to the work (musicians, producers, lyricists, etc.).
The terminology used worldwide is not entirely precise and can be misleading. When you enter a primary or featured “artist”, you mean the final performing artist under whose name the music is released – not all the performers who took part in the recording (you can list those in the extended credits, which we enable on request – see All options for entering artists and their roles on a recording).
When NOT to fill in a featured artist
Empty fields = no feat
If there is no guest artist on the track, the “Featured artist” fields must stay empty.
Never enter yourself! If you are the primary artist, you do not belong among the featured artists. (As the sole primary artist, you are of course filled in automatically.)
What you need to fill in for each featured artist
In the Additional featuring artist section, you enter three mandatory details for each guest artist (so that the profiles are matched correctly):
- Artist name – as it is displayed on the platforms.
- Spotify URI – the identifier of their profile on Spotify.
- Apple Music ID – the identifier of their profile on Apple Music.
If the artist does not yet have a profile on one of the platforms, write NEW instead of the identifier – we will create a profile for them during distribution. Only use NEW if the profile really does not exist (more in the article How to enter another artist who does not have profiles on the platforms yet).
Where do you find the Spotify URI and Apple Music ID? Read our guide:
Guide: Spotify URI, Apple Music ID and Amazon Music ASIN
Example of a filled-in form
Example of correct entries
Setting up primary artists in the system
You add another primary artist directly in the form
You set up an additional primary artist yourself – in the Additional primary artist section, directly in both the release form and the recording form. You fill in their artist name, Spotify URI and Apple Music ID. More in the article Additional primary artist.
Primary artists at release level vs. track level
An important rule:
If someone is listed as an additional primary artist at release level (album/EP/single), they must also be listed as an additional primary artist on at least one recording on that release.
It also works the other way round: Anyone who is an additional primary artist on all recordings on a release must also be listed at release level, and on a single, the artists on the release and on the recording must be the same. The same rules apply to featured artists. If they are not met, the release cannot be sent to distribution – the app will show you which artist is missing where. How to fix a mismatch is described in the article Artists on the release and on the recordings don't match.
Tagging someone requires their consent
You may only add an additional primary artist with their consent. In addition, Spotify has introduced Artist Profile Protection – in the default Review releases mode, the release goes out and the person concerned can remove themselves from it; in Block releases mode, they must approve the release, otherwise it will not appear on their profile. For each additional primary artist, you need their artist name, Spotify URI and Apple Music ID (a guide on where to find them).
A common question: Does the second primary artist also have to be with Bez Labelu?
No, they do not!
If you (client A) want to add person B as an additional primary artist, person B does not have to be registered with Bez Labelu.
All that matters is that you correctly enter this person's name, Spotify URI and Apple Music ID (if they do not yet have a profile on one of the platforms, write NEW instead of the identifier). Once an identifier has been saved, the form will not overwrite it – support handles any corrections.
WARNING: Misuse and consent
You must always have the consent of the person you are tagging as a primary or featured artist!
Using other artists' names without their consent is unethical at the very least, but it may also amount to, for example, an infringement of copyright or related rights, which can have legal consequences.
Recommendation:
If you or any of the artists involved contact us about primary artists or any changes, copy in everyone involved. We do not want to, and will not, deal with these matters by talking “about someone behind their back” – transparency has its place here.