Style/Artist Credits

Status: This is an official style guideline.

Artist credits should generally follow the actual credit used on the release / track, including the join phrases.

• The Fat of the Land is credited to "Prodigy" (rather than the main artist name "The Prodigy").
• Ferrari Boyz is credited to "Gucci Mane & Waka Flocka Flame"
• Cendre is credited to "Fennesz + Sakamoto" (as on the spine). Note that we use Sakamoto in Latin script (as printed) and not just the main artist name.

Artist credits are not considered titles, so the join phrases should be capitalized as normally written in the language they're in.

• The Chesterfield Broadcasts, Volume 1 is credited to "The Andrews Sisters with the Glenn Miller Orchestra" (not "With the").
• Mitten in Deutschland is credited to "Bianca Graf im Duett mit Ulli Schwinge" (since "Duett" is always capitalized in German).

Special cases

Featured artists

Featured artists should always be entered in the artist credit, not in the titles. You should generally enter the credit as it appears on the release, omitting any separators (like parentheses) that are intended to separate it from the track title. For example, if the tracklist has "Artist 1 - Song Name (featuring Artist 2)", enter "Song Name", by "Artist 1 featuring Artist 2".

• Umbrella is credited to "Rihanna feat. Jay‐Z".
• Game Over is credited to "Tinchy Stryder featuring Giggs, Professor Green, Tinie Tempah, Devlin, Example, Chipmunk" (all commas, as on the CD tracklist).
• Inflation is credited to "Promoe med Afasi".

Definite articles

If an artist name does not start with a definite article, but is credited with one, include the definite article in the artist credit. If the article can be seen as part of the join phrase ("and the", "with the", "y los") then include the article in the join phrase instead.

• In the Nutcracker Mood is credited to "The Glenn Miller Orchestra".
• The Chesterfield Broadcasts, Volume 1 is credited to "The Andrews Sisters with the Glenn Miller Orchestra".
• Les Fleurs du Mal is credited to "Gripper / The Destructors", since "/ the" isn't a logical join phrase.

Multiple artists / Splits

The artist credit for tracks and recordings containing multiple songs by different artists, and for split releases and release groups, should be "Artist 1 / Artist 2" (space, slash, space).

• Outsider / 14:31 / 110 Mistakes by "Burufunk / Global Communication / MOT" (track with 3 songs)
• The Faith / Void by "The Faith / Void" (split release)

Various Artist releases

Sometimes the cover of a various artists compilation will list some of the most well known artists that appear on it, often with a wording such as “X, Y, Z and many others”. This is a promotional exercise rather than a proper release credit, so such releases should still be credited to “Various Artists”.

• Now That’s What I Call Music is credited to Various Artists, although it lists artists on the cover.

Remixes, mashups, and bootlegs

A recording that is a remix of another recording should typically be credited to the original recording’s artist, not to the remixer. The remixer may be credited instead if the tracklist explicitly credits the song to the remixer rather than to the original artist.

The artist who remixed the song should be linked via a remixer relationship. The remixed song’s title (including any parenthetical information like the remixer’s name) should be preserved.

• Daft Punk Is Playing at My House (Soulwax Shibuya mix) is credited to LCD Soundsystem and contains a remixer relationship linking Soulwax.
• Yeke Yeke (Hardfloor mix) is credited to Mory Kanté and contains a remixer relationship linking Hardfloor.
• Human Behavior (Underworld dub mix) is credited to Björk and contains a remixer relationship linking Underworld.

A release that was created without any participation from the credited artist (e.g. a remix or mashup album that was created without the knowledge of the original artist(s)) should be credited to the artist who created and released it (the remix or mashup artist) instead of to the original artist.

Bootleg releases that just repackage the original artist’s work should be credited to the original artist and given the “bootleg” status.

• The Grey Album, an unsanctioned mashup album of Jay-Z and The Beatles recordings, is credited to the mashup artist, Danger Mouse.
• Secret Chiefs 3: The Kid MarsCat Remixes, an unsanctioned remix album of Secret Chiefs 3 recordings, is credited to the remix artist, Kid MarsCat. This is done even though “Secret Chiefs 3” is credited on the album's Bandcamp page.
• The Remix, an official remix album released by Lady Gaga, is credited to the original artist, Lady Gaga.
• Golden Eggs, an unlicensed bootleg album of The Yardbirds recordings, is credited to the original artist, The Yardbirds.

No printed join phrase

If the release has no join phrase for multiple collaborating artists, but just lists them all separated by whitespace, use the default join phrases (an ampersand between the last two artists, and a comma between the others).

Specific types of releases

Some types of releases, like classical, theatre or audiobook releases, have their own, more specific guidelines for artist credits. Check our list of types of releases with their own guidelines. Those guidelines override this one.