Extended credits for a recording – Instruments, vocals and other contributors
Who played, sang, co-wrote or engineered the recording? With extended credits, you can also list musicians, vocalists, other songwriters and the production team for a recording – from a choice of 953 roles.
The basic recording form has fields for the main roles: Composer, lyricist, arranger, producer, mixing, mastering and remix. Extended credits add three blocks to these, in which you can list specific instruments, voices, co-writers and the technical team. They are not switched on by default – we switch them on on request, for clients who reliably fill in the basic details as well.
Why extended credits are useful
Credits on the platforms
Platforms that show credits (such as Spotify, Apple Music or TIDAL) will also display musicians and other contributors. Each in its own way, and not always all roles.
Recognition for collaborators
The session guitarist, the vocalist, the sound engineer or the cover designer are credited on the recording for exactly what they did.
Everyone in the right place
Musicians do not belong among the featured artists or in the title. Extended credits are there precisely for them.
In Czech and English
You can find a role by its Czech or English name – kytara or guitar, sbor or choir.
How to get extended credits switched on
Write to us. Send an email to info@bezlabelu.cz from the address you have on your Artists Bez Labelu account, for example with the subject “Extended credits [your artist name]”. We decide individually whether to switch them on – based on how reliably you fill in the basic details of your releases.
Once switched on, you have them for your whole account. From then on, you will see them in the form of every recording – both new and already released.
Fill in the roles. In the release detail, open Add track or Edit track and add the roles as described below.
Why not every account has extended credits switched on straight away is explained in the article Why we do not make all features available. In short: The more detailed the data, the more a mistake matters – and correcting it after release takes a long time.
Three blocks in the recording form
| Block | Where to find it | Example roles |
|---|---|---|
| Additional performer roles | A separate section right after the featured artist | Vocals, Background vocals, Guitar, Electric guitar, Bass guitar, Drums, Keyboards, Saxophone, Choir, DJ, Programming |
| Additional writing roles | In the Authors section below the composer, lyricist and arranger | Co-composer, Translation, Adapter, Librettist, Orchestrator, String arranger |
| Additional production roles | In the Production section below the producer, mixing and mastering | Co-producer, Vocal producer, Recording engineer, Executive producer, Cover art, Cover photography |
There are 953 roles to choose from: 811 performer, 38 writing and 104 production roles. Roles that have their own field in the form (composer, lyricist, arranger, producer, mixing, mastering, remixer, primary and featured artist) are not in the list. You can browse the full list in the article All options for entering artists and their roles on a recording.
How to add a role
Find the role. In the search field of the block, type part of the role name in Czech or English – for example “guitar”, “saxophone” or “choir” – and pick it from the list.
Click Add role. The role is added as a new row. If you type a name that is not in the list, the form says “We do not know a role with this name – pick one from the list.”
Add the name. Type the name or pseudonym into the row. Separate several people in the same role with a comma and a space, for example “Jan Novák, Petr Malý”. You remove a role you do not want with the cross at the end of the row.
Save the recording. Click Save track. The roles are sent to the platforms together with the other recording details when you send the release to distribution.
- You can add each role to a recording only once – several people in the same role belong in one row.
- You can add up to 30 roles to one recording.
- A row without a name is not saved.
What goes in the basic fields and what goes in extended credits
| Who | Where they belong |
|---|---|
| The composer of the music, even if there are several | The Composer field – all composers separated by commas |
| The author of the lyrics | The Lyricist field |
| The main producer of the recording | The Producer field |
| Whoever mixed and mastered the recording | The Mixing and Mastering fields |
| An equal performer or guest under whose name the recording is released | Additional primary artist or Additional featuring artist |
| Session players, band members, vocalists, choir, orchestra | Additional performer roles |
| Translator of the lyrics, adapter, librettist, orchestrator | Additional writing roles |
| Co-producer, vocal producer, sound engineers, cover designer or photographer | Additional production roles |
Always fill in the basic fields – extended credits complement them, they do not replace them. Do not list the same contribution by the same person twice: Whoever produced the recording belongs in the Producer field, not again as Additional producer. How to enter a translation or adaptation of someone else’s lyrics is described in the article Setting other people’s texts to music.
First name and surname, or a pseudonym?
- Performers and production roles: The name the person performs under is enough – a legal name or a pseudonym, just as with the producer.
- Writing roles: The form accepts a pseudonym, but just as with the composer and lyricist, we recommend the legal first name and surname, or an officially registered pseudonym. Authorship is registered with collecting societies (such as OSA), and real names apply there (The Author field: Dos and don'ts).
- Ensembles: For roles such as Choir, Orchestra or String quartet, enter the name of the ensemble.
- Consistent spelling: Always write a name the same way – the same capital and lower-case letters, diacritics and spaces (why it matters).
- Names only: Do not write “(guitar)”, “feat.” or links in the row. The role is determined by your choice from the list.
The system automatically adds the basic performer role for the primary artists of the release – you do not need to add it. If you want to specify what you play or sing on the recording yourself, add a specific role, such as Vocals or Guitar.
Extended credits on a released recording
You can also add or correct roles on a recording whose release is already in distribution. After saving, however, you must send the release again – in the release detail, confirm the Declaration before distribution, tick the platforms and click Distribute Selected. Saving alone has no effect on the platforms (Saving a change does not mean republishing), and processing on the platforms takes several days. Every change should be an exception, though – it is best to have the roles right before you send the release for the first time.
Platforms display credits in their own way and name some roles differently. More in the article Roles that platforms commonly misname.
Frequently asked questions
I cannot see the role blocks in the form.
You do not have extended credits switched on yet. Write to us at info@bezlabelu.cz to have them switched on.
Why can’t I find the composer or producer in the list?
These roles have their own fields in the form, which is why they are not among the extended credits. Fill them in in the Authors and Production sections.
Do I have to fill in extended credits for every recording?
No, they are optional. Fill them in wherever you want to credit other contributors.
A guitarist recorded a solo for me. Can I add him as a featured artist?
No. A featured artist is an artist whose name appears on the platforms after “feat.” on the recording. List the guitarist in the Additional performer roles block in the Guitar or Lead electric guitar role.
Will you switch extended credits on for everyone?
We decide individually. Extended credits are for clients who fill in the basic fields – artists, songwriters and producer – without problems. If mistakes keep appearing in the basic details of your releases, we will fine-tune those first and come back to extended credits later.
Will the roles appear on all platforms?
Not necessarily. The roles are sent to the platforms with the other recording details, but each platform decides for itself which of them it shows to listeners and how.