Spotify Adds Songwriter, Producer Credits To iOS App, Promises Corrections, More Data

After adding songwriter and producer credits to its desktop app in February, Spotify has finally added them to its iOS app, amid increasing pressure to improve the accuracy of its metadata and add additional credits.

There is no word on when credits will be added to the Spotify Android app.

The iOS app upgrade comes at a time when the streamer is coming under pressure to improve the accuracy of the credits that it displays, as well.   “We realize some of the label-provided credits are incomplete or may contain inaccuracies,” Spotify said in a statement back in February, “but this is just the first step in displaying songwriter credits on Spotify. The feature will continually evolve to become more efficient, provide better functionality, and incorporate more information from industry partners over time.”

An Instagram post (below) from Alfons Karabuda, composer and  Chairman of the European Composer & Songwriter Alliance (ECSA) from Spotify HQ says that plans to improve and expand credits are well underway.  Key to that initiative is to draw data from music publishers and PROs, and not just record labels.

 

Today Spotify is rolling out songwriter and producer credits on iOS. This means Spotify users are now able to view songwriter and producer info for tracks on both iOS and desktop. Credits are accessed via the three dots next to each song, and then scrolling down to ‘song credits’. The information is still powered by label provided metadata, so some information may be incomplete or incorrect. We will be working together for data to come directly from publishers, songwriters and societies, in the near future. Plans are also on the way for additional ways to correct or provide more details for additional credits. On the picture together with Jules Parker, Head of Publishing Relations & Services, Spotify. Good job @julesgparker ! @spotify #Credits #Moralrights #Spotify #Authorsrights #Streaming #Musicbusiness #Metadata

A post shared by Alfons Karabuda (@content_is_king) on Aug 13, 2018 at 9:31am PDT

Currently, song and producer credits can only be corrected via the record label or distributor. An informal review of credits for independent artists found many credits were incomplete or missing entirely.