In the last few years, there has been a growing trend of non-performers, ranging from labels, producers, DJs, and even film production companies, appearing in the artist section of releases.

The latest of which is Empire’s “Where We Come From” and Mavins’ “Chapter X”, two albums on which a distribution company (Empire) and a record label (Mavins) appear as ‘Artists’ in the track’s metadata. With labels, distribution companies, and producers, appearing on records without performing, it begs the question, who is an artist and who can appear as one? And what does this mean for crediting and payment of royalties?

With the advent of music streaming, music crediting has become trickier and easier to forget. While traditional roles are still properly defined, we have seen an astronomical increase in the maladministration of royalty payments because of incorrect or unavailable metadata.

Most music listeners are familiar with the more popular representation of an artist as an individual or a band that performs (sings) on a record.

For most labels, DJs, and producers, branding and revenue are the primary factors driving this increasing trend. Music has consistently remained the product, and whoever’s name appears in the artist section of a release stands to benefit the most in the public’s eye; from endorsements to capitalizing on a name as a brand to grow the income of creatives has been a driving factor in this trend, especially for artists and producers.

For labels, appearing as artists on a release is a great way to build on the star power of their biggest acts and showcase newer acts on the label’s roster. For producers who only recently were relegated to the background, albums are a great way to ensure they get recognition for their work, explore a sound, and earn more royalties for their work. For DJs, albums help them transcend…

While the motivations behind non-performers releasing an album are understandable, crediting and royalty sharing are critical discussions to be had in house, as each contributor to a record exists for a reason.

The complexities around the release of music and ensuring proper crediting led to the creation of the Digital Data Exchange (DDEX) to develop a single set of standard message formats (called the DDEX standards) for the business-to-business communication of information between organizations operating in the digital music value chain.

The DDEX standards provide an international means of communicating data around music to record labels, studios, publishing houses, DSPs, and every other organization involved in the music industry.

The DDEX standard defines artists: “Artists are the parties labels grant the primary creative credit to. It may reflect a combination of the actual role they played, their contractual relationship with the label with respect to the content, and branding/marketing concerns.”

Giving credit when its due is an important part of every creative work, especially in music, where various people are involved in creating a record. Ensuring everyone involved in a song or project's creative and recording process gets their due credit prevents exploitation and helps creators gain respect, appreciation, and, most importantly, royalties for their contribution to a record.

While labels and the right owners of a masters own the power to determine who appears as an artist on a record, it is important that performers are not deprived of their dues for their creative works, especially as more non-performers seek to increase their revenues and grow their brands.

To prevent exploitation, performers must ensure they are aware of their rights, understand the stipulations of contracts, and ensure recordings contain proper metadata.