Your master is finished, the artwork is approved, and your release date is approaching. Then a collaborator spots a misspelled credit—or the track appears under the wrong artist profile.
A music metadata checklist helps you catch those problems before delivery. Metadata is the information attached to your music, including names, titles, roles, and release details. Spotify explains that these details determine how your release appears and are supplied by your label or distributor. Spotify’s metadata guidelines
The practical starting point is simple: create one approved release sheet, collect missing information from your collaborators, and compare that sheet against your upload before submitting.
Start with one shared release sheet
Use a spreadsheet or document that everyone involved can review. Put release-wide information at the top, then give each track its own section. Add an approval date so an older draft cannot easily be mistaken for the final version.
Here is a working checklist to adapt to your distributor’s form:
Information to prepare | Your final check |
|---|---|
Release and track titles | Compare the approved wording with the upload. |
Artist names and roles | Confirm spelling, order, and each contributor’s role. |
Existing artist profiles | Save the exact profile links for reference. |
Songwriter and production credits | Ask collaborators to approve their entries. |
Recording identifiers | Match each available ISRC to the intended audio file. |
Version information | Distinguish the original, clean edit, remix, or other version. |
Explicit-content status | Review the specific recording being uploaded. |
Schedule and territories | Check the intended date and availability settings. |
Delivery records | Save a copy of the final submitted information. |
Assign one person to maintain the approved sheet. Collaborators can suggest corrections, but last-minute changes should be recorded in one place.
1. Confirm artist names and roles
Spotify asks for each artist in a separate field, consistent name formatting across releases, and appropriate roles at both track and release level. It also advises against putting artist names into track or release titles. Mark explicit tracks using the relevant setting rather than adding an explicit label to the title. Review Spotify’s formatting rules
For example, imagine a fictional single called “After the Rain,” led by Maya Vale with a guest performance by Leon North. Prepare the track title, Maya’s artist entry, Leon’s artist entry, and their respective roles separately. Follow the distributor’s dedicated fields instead of manually combining everything into one title.
For an album, check every track. A guest on one recording should not accidentally inherit the same role across the whole project.
2. Collect credits while collaborators are available
Spotify displays credits from the metadata it receives, including contributors such as producers, engineers, and songwriters. To correct missing or inaccurate credits, ask your distributor or label to resend the track metadata with the right information. Spotify’s song-credit guidance
Ask each collaborator to confirm their credit name and contribution before upload day. A short message can make the request concrete:
Please check your credit name and role for this track. Let me know about any spelling changes or missing contributions before we approve the release information.
Keep the responses with your release records. Maintain a separate folder for agreements and payment instructions, and ask your distributor which contributor fields its current workflow supports. This is particularly useful when several people worked on the recording in different capacities.
3. Match identifiers to the actual recording
An ISRC identifies a sound recording or music video. IFPI explains that it does not identify the composition, performer, or release product. It provides a persistent reference for a recording across services and licensing arrangements. IFPI’s official ISRC guidance
Build your file list around that distinction. Instead of a folder full of ambiguous names such as “final,” “final-new,” and “final-final,” keep a clear record of which approved audio file belongs to each entry.
If you are moving an existing recording, retrieve its identifiers from your previous release records. If you have changed the audio and are unsure how to identify the new version, resolve that question before submitting. Avoid guessing based on the title alone.
4. Verify artist profiles separately from spelling
A correctly spelled name is only one part of your review. Open the existing artist-profile links and check that they refer to the intended artist, especially when a name is shared by several musicians.
If your release appears on another artist’s Spotify profile, or your catalog is split between profiles, Spotify provides a content mismatch form in Spotify for Artists. You can also report a mismatch before the release goes live. Spotify’s profile-mismatch guidance
Save the affected release link and the correct profile link together. That gives you a precise reference when reporting the issue.
5. Run a final review before submitting
Have someone who did not enter the data compare the upload against the approved sheet. Ask them to check one category at a time: names first, then titles, credits, identifiers, and scheduling.
Listen to the selected files during this review. Confirm that the file attached to a clean-version entry is the intended clean recording, and that an album’s track order matches your plan.
Keep a dated copy of the submission. If a question comes up later, you can compare the published result with what was actually approved and sent.
For a broader view of the release process, use DistroVibe’s first Spotify release checklist alongside this metadata review.
What if a metadata mistake is already live?
For errors involving titles, artwork, dates, track order, territories, explicit tags, roles, or credits, Spotify directs artists to their label or distributor. The distributor must send an update; Spotify does not manually replace those details through that support workflow. How metadata corrections work
Prepare a correction request with the release link, affected track, current value, and exact replacement. For example: “The producer surname currently reads ‘Miler’; the approved spelling is ‘Miller.’”
Ask which correction route applies before starting a new upload. Record the request date and check the relevant store after the update is processed.
Prepare your next DistroVibe release
DistroVibe’s published release workflow includes release details, audio, track details, scheduling, and review. Bring your approved release sheet into that process so you can make each decision with the necessary information at hand. Explore DistroVibe’s distribution workflow
Before you upload, finish the credits, organize the files, and resolve unanswered questions. Then use DistroVibe’s distribution page to review the available plans and prepare your next release.