Managing Artists

Artists are the creative identities behind your music. Every release needs at least one primary artist, and managing your artist profiles properly ensures your music appears correctly across all streaming platforms.

Artists list page

Why Artist Management Matters

Streaming profiles - Proper artist setup enables linking to Spotify, Apple Music, and other platforms
Discovery - Consistent artist names help fans find all your music
Analytics - Linked profiles give you access to streaming analytics
Professional appearance - Complete profiles with bios and images look professional

Creating an Artist

To create a new artist in LabelGrid:

Navigate to Catalogue → My Artists in the main menu
Click Add Artist

Add Artist form

The artist form opens with four tabs: General, Bio, Band Members, and Web Presence
On the General tab, fill in the artist’s name under Artist Name. A new artist starts with one row, set to English:
- Language - The language the name is written in
- Name - The official artist name as it should appear on releases
- Phonetic spelling - Appears only for languages that need a Latin-script reading, such as Japanese. Enter how the name is pronounced, written in Latin letters
- If the artist’s name is also written in other languages or scripts, click the round + button to add a row for each one (see “Artist names in other languages” below)
Complete optional fields as needed:
- Location - City, country, or region
- Artist email - Contact email
- Artist ISNI - International Standard Name Identifier (if available)
Click Finish to save the artist profile

Artist Name Guidelines

Do	Don’t
Use the official artist name	Add descriptors like “[Official]“
Be consistent across releases	Use different spellings
Include proper capitalization	USE ALL CAPS
Use accents and special characters	Replace with ASCII equivalents

Prohibited Artist Names

Streaming platforms prohibit generic artist names. These cannot be used:

Category	Prohibited Examples
Sleep/Relaxation	Sleep Music, Rain Sounds, White Noise, Nature Sounds
Fitness	Workout Music, Gym Beats
Mood	Meditation, Relaxation, Chill, Lo-Fi Beats
Seasonal	Christmas Hits, Holiday Music
SEO Terms	Top Hits, Best Songs, Popular Music

Artist Profile Information

A complete artist profile includes fields organized across four tabs:

General Tab (Required)

Field	Required	Description
Language	Yes	The language of the name in this row. Add one row per language with the round + button, and remove a row with Delete (the last row can’t be deleted)
Name	Yes	The artist name in that language. The primary name must be 2-64 characters
Phonetic spelling	Yes, when shown	Appears on a row whose language needs a Latin-script reading, such as Japanese. Enter how the name is pronounced, written in Latin letters
Default Language	When there are 2+ names	Appears once the artist has names in two or more languages. The name in this language becomes the artist’s primary name
Location	No	City, country, or region
Artist email	No	Contact email for the artist
Artist ISNI	No	International Standard Name Identifier (16 characters)

Bio Tab

Field	Description
Affiliations	Labels, radio programs, crews, and other affiliations
Bio short	Brief biography (1-3 sentences) for quick display
Bio long	Extended biography for promotional use

Band Members Tab

For groups, you can add individual band member information here.

Web Presence Tab

Required social profile verification for major platforms:

Platform	Options
Facebook	Provide link or confirm “No, I am not on Facebook”
Instagram	Provide link or confirm “No, I am not on Instagram”
Spotify	Provide link or confirm “No, I am not on Spotify”
Apple Music	Provide link or confirm “No, I am not on Apple Music”

Platform URL Fields

Link your artist profile to streaming and social platforms:

Platform	URL Format
Website	Your official website
Spotify	Must contain “spotify.com”
Apple Music	Must contain “music.apple.com” or “itunes.apple.com”
YouTube	YouTube channel URL
SoundCloud	SoundCloud profile URL
Beatport	Beatport artist URL
Juno	Juno Download artist URL
Bandcamp	Bandcamp artist URL
Facebook	Facebook page URL
Instagram	Instagram profile URL
X (formerly Twitter)	X profile URL

Artist Bio Tips

Keep it concise (150-300 words)
Write in third person
Include notable achievements
Update regularly with new releases
Avoid excessive promotional language

Artist names in other languages

If an artist’s name is written differently in other languages or scripts, for example in Japanese or Bengali script alongside a Latin-script spelling, add each version to the same artist profile. You don’t need a separate artist for each language.

Adding a name in another language

Open the artist and stay on the General tab
Under Artist Name, click the round + button
Select the Language and enter the Name as it’s written in that language. If a Phonetic spelling field appears, as it does for Japanese, fill it in too
Repeat for each language you want to add
Choose the Default Language (see below)
Click Finish

To remove a name, click Delete on its row. The last remaining name can’t be deleted.

The Language dropdown lists every language LabelGrid supports, and you can type to search it.

Choosing the default language

Once an artist has names in two or more languages, a required Default Language field appears above the names. The name in your default language becomes the artist’s primary name, whichever row it’s in.

What stores receive

Stores that accept several languages receive every name you’ve added.
Stores that accept only one language receive the artist name in the same language as the release’s or track’s Preferred Title Language, which is English unless you change it. If the artist has no name in that language, the store receives one of the artist’s other names.

The artist’s Default Language doesn’t decide which name a single-language store receives.

When artist names are locked

While a release that credits this artist is in review or being distributed, the artist’s primary name and its platform links are locked. Switching Default Language changes the primary name, so it’s locked too.

During a review you can still add a name in another language. Once a release is approved and waiting to be delivered, you can’t add one until delivery has happened.

Linking to Streaming Profiles

Linking your LabelGrid artist to streaming platform profiles enables:

Automatic profile updates with new releases
Access to platform-specific features
Claiming artist profiles for analytics access

Supported Platforms

Platform	Link Type
Spotify	Spotify Artist URI
Apple Music	Apple Music Artist ID
YouTube Music	YouTube Channel ID
Deezer	Deezer Artist ID
Amazon Music	Amazon Music Artist ID

How to Link Profiles

Open the artist profile in LabelGrid
Find the Platform Links or External IDs section
Enter the artist ID from each platform
Save your changes

Finding Your Platform IDs

Spotify:

Open Spotify and go to your artist page
Click the three dots > Share > Copy Spotify URI
The URI looks like: spotify:artist:1234abcd

Apple Music:

Open Apple Music artist page in a browser
Copy the artist ID from the URL
Format: https://music.apple.com/.../artist/name/123456789

Artist Types

Primary Artist

The main credited artist on a release. Every release needs at least one primary artist.

Featured Artist

A collaborating artist credited on specific tracks, not the entire release. Featured artists appear as “feat.” in track listings.

Remixer

An artist who created a remix version of a track. Credited on remix tracks only.

Composer/Producer

Behind-the-scenes credits that appear in detailed credits, not the main artist listing.

Various Artists

“Various Artists” is a system-generated designation — you should never add it as an artist name manually. LabelGrid decides whether to display “Various Artists” at the release level by counting the different Primary Artists on the release itself.

How compilations work:

Add each artist on the compilation to the Primary Artists field on the release’s Artists tab
With 5 or more different primary artists on the release, LabelGrid shows “Various Artists” as the release artist automatically, so never type it yourself
Each track keeps its own main artist(s), which you set on the track
Artists you add only to tracks aren’t copied to the release, so they don’t count toward the 5

Multiple Artist Names

Some artists have multiple identities:

Aliases and Side Projects

If you release music under different names:

Create separate artist profiles for each name
Link each to their respective streaming profiles
Each can build its own following

Artist Name Changes

If you’re changing your artist name:

Create a new artist profile with the new name
Use the new profile for future releases
Keep the old profile for legacy releases
Consider adding “formerly known as” to bio

Names in other languages

A translated or transliterated name is not a separate identity. Add it to the existing artist profile instead of creating a new artist (see “Artist names in other languages” above).

Groups vs Solo

If you’re both a solo artist and part of a group:

Create separate profiles for each
Each gets its own streaming profile link
Releases credited appropriately to each

Artist Images

Image Requirements

Specification	Requirement
Dimensions	Minimum 1000 × 1000 pixels
Format	JPG or PNG
Aspect ratio	Square (1:1) recommended
File size	Under 10 MB

Image Guidelines

Use high-quality, professional images
Ensure the artist is clearly visible
Avoid excessive text or graphics
Update images periodically to stay current
Maintain consistency across platforms

Managing Multiple Artists

If you manage multiple artists (as a label or manager):

Organization Tips

Use consistent naming conventions
Keep artist information up to date
Link all profiles to streaming platforms
Maintain image assets for each artist

Permissions

Different account types may have different artist management capabilities:

Artist accounts typically manage one primary artist
Label accounts can manage multiple artists
Verify your permissions if you can’t create artists

Troubleshooting

Artist doesn’t appear on streaming platform

Verify the release has been delivered successfully
Check that the artist name matches exactly
Allow processing time (varies by platform)
If linking to existing profile, ensure ID is correct

Duplicate artists on platforms

This happens when artist names don’t match exactly:

Ensure consistent spelling across all releases
Contact platform support to merge duplicates
See Claiming Your Artist Profiles for help

Can’t link to streaming profile

Verify you have the correct platform ID
Check that the profile belongs to you
Some platforms require verification before linking
Contact support if issues persist

Best Practices

Create profiles before releasing - Set up artist profiles before your first release
Be consistent - Use identical spelling across all releases
Complete your profile - Fill in bio, image, and all available fields
Link platforms early - Connect streaming profiles as soon as possible
Keep information current - Update bios and images regularly
Claim your profiles - Verify ownership on streaming platforms for analytics access

Claiming Your Artist Profiles - Verify and manage your streaming profiles
Creating a Release - Add artists to your releases
Metadata Style Guide - Artist name formatting rules

Need Help?

If you have questions about artist management or need help linking profiles, contact our support team.

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