Release title: Dos and don'ts
The release title is the first thing platforms display for your album or single. This article shows you what belongs in the release title – and what definitely does not.
What is a release title?
The release title is the official title of your album, EP or single – as it appears on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and other platforms. It is not the title of a particular song (that is the track title), but the title of the release as a whole.
A single has the same title as the only song on it. An album or EP has its own title, which does not have to match any of the songs.
What belongs in a release title
This is fine
- The title itself – e.g. Night City, Debut, June.
- A number or year as part of the title – if it really is part of the title, e.g. 1999, Vol. 2.
- Deluxe, Special Edition, Deluxe Edition, Tour Edition, Live and similar release-type labels – these terms describe what kind of release it is and do belong in the title, e.g. Night City (Deluxe Edition), Debut (Live).
- A title in another language – the title can be in any language.
- Punctuation that is part of the title – e.g. Where Are You, My Friend?.
What does not belong in a release title
These are the most common mistakes that get releases rejected or removed from the platforms:
- Prod. by / Produced by [name] – the producer's name belongs in the Producer field in the metadata, not in the release title.
- Explicit in the release title – explicit content is marked for each recording using the Explicit field, not in the title. However, for a single with a clean version or another version of the recording (Radio Edit…), the release title matches the track title including the version label, e.g. Summer Storm (Clean Version).
- The featured artist's name – this belongs in the “Additional featuring artist” section, not in the release title.
- Genre, mood or description – e.g. Night City (Chill Vibes), Debut (Hip-Hop Album).
- The release year as an add-on – e.g. Night City (2024) – the year is entered separately.
- The artist's name – the primary artist is added to the release automatically from your account, and you enter other artists in the “Additional primary artist” and “Additional featuring artist” sections.
- Special characters as decoration – e.g. ★ Night City ★, ••• Debut •••.
- Emoji – the release form will not save a title with emoji at all (the same goes for “feat.”, “ft.”, “prod.”, “produced by”, “featuring” or “remix by”).
- The whole title in capitals just for effect – e.g. NIGHT CITY (unless it is an intentional artistic style).
Deluxe, Live, Tour Edition and the like – when do they belong in the title?
These labels describe the type of release – and that does belong in the title. If you are releasing an expanded version of an album with bonus tracks, live recordings from a tour or a special edition, state it directly in the title: Night City (Deluxe Edition), Debut (Live), June (Tour Edition).
But watch out for one thing: If it is a new release of an existing album (e.g. you are adding songs), the recordings must have the correct ISRC codes and the release must be entered as a new one – simply renaming the existing one is not enough (see new releases of already released content – deluxe editions, remasters). This means the album will have a different UPC/EAN, the already released recordings will keep the same ISRC and the new (added) recordings will get a new ISRC.
Prod. by in the release title
Even though in hip-hop it is customary to put the producer in the title – e.g. Night City (Prod. by DJ Krém) – it does not belong in the release title. The producer's name has its own field in the metadata, so enter it there.
The release title should be a clean title – without metadata information that the platforms process separately.
Quick overview
| What | Belongs in the release title? | Where else? |
|---|---|---|
| The album / single title itself | Yes | – |
| Vol. 2, Part II etc. as part of the title | Yes | – |
| Deluxe / Deluxe Edition | Yes | – |
| Remastered / Remaster | Yes | – |
| Featured artist's name | No | Additional featuring artist section |
| Primary artist's name | No | – |
| Prod. by [name] as part of the title | No | Producer field |
| Release year as an add-on | No | Release date field |
| Genre or description in brackets | No | Genre field |
| Explicit in the title | No | Explicit field for each recording |
| Special characters as decoration, emoji | No | Nowhere – don't use them |
A simple rule
If you are not sure whether something belongs in the release title, ask yourself: “Is this really part of the title of my album or single, or is it just additional information?” If it is additional information, it belongs in another field, not in the title. Every piece of information has its place in the metadata.
→ Track title: Dos and don'ts – the same rules for the title of an individual song
→ Metadata in the digital distribution of music recordings – an overview of all metadata fields and what goes in them
→ What is an ISRC code – why every recording has its own unique identifier