Licensing Basics
How to Enter Songwriter and Publisher Info When You Release a Licensed Song
By the Starchild Music team · October 20, 2026 · 5 min read
The short answer
Enter the songwriters named on your license certificate as the composer and lyricist, spelled the same way every time, and list yourself as the performing artist. Do not list yourself as the songwriter or publisher of a song you did not write. Credits on Spotify come from the metadata your distributor sends, so fix mistakes by asking your distributor to resend.
The upload form is where licensing becomes real. Somewhere between the cover art and the release date, your distributor asks who wrote the song.
If you licensed the song, the answer is on your certificate. Here is how to carry it into the form without mistakes.
Start with the certificate
Every Starchild license certificate names the writers, along with their PRO and IPI. Keep it open while you fill out the form.
Copy the names exactly as written. A song with the wrong spelling in one place and the right one in another is harder for royalty systems to match.
Songwriter is not you, unless it is
Your distributor will ask for songwriter or composer information. For a song you licensed, enter the writers from the certificate, not yourself.
You are the performing artist. DistroKid's agreement requires that you own or have the legal right to distribute the musical compositions you upload. A license gives you that right to release your recording, but it does not make you the author.
If you rewrote lyrics or melody and the license allowed it, ask the writers how they want it credited. See our guide on changing a licensed song.
Roles and spelling matter
Spotify's metadata guidelines say roles decide who is credited on a song and how it appears on a profile. Roles include main artist, featured artist, composer and lyricist, and must be set at both the track and release level.
The same page asks you to keep the spelling and formatting of names consistent from one release to the next, including punctuation and abbreviations. If a writer uses a middle initial on the certificate, use it every time.
Publisher fields
Many forms have a publisher box. Leave publisher administration to the writers and their publishers. You are not the publisher of a song you licensed.
The MLC says anyone entitled to digital audio mechanical royalties should register as a member and register their songs. That is the writer or publisher's job, not yours as the artist. If the writer has not yet registered a song, your release is a good prompt to tell them.
How credits reach listeners
Spotify's support pages say song credits are powered by the metadata your label or distributor provides. If a credit is missing or wrong, you contact your distributor and ask it to resend the metadata with the correct credits.
Once Spotify receives the update, credits usually appear within seven days. Some distributors do not support credits yet, so check yours first.
A short check before you submit
- Writers match the certificate, character for character.
- You are listed as the main artist, not as songwriter.
- Roles are set on every track.
- The song title and writer names are the same on all stores.
- You saved the certificate and a screenshot of the form.
Common mistakes to avoid
The first mistake is listing yourself as songwriter because the form seems to expect it. It can cause royalty confusion later, and it misstates who wrote the song.
The second is using a different name spelling on each release. Systems that match royalties rely on consistent names, and Spotify's guidelines ask for consistency across releases.
The third is skipping the credits fields because the release is only a single. A single is the easiest time to get it right, since you only enter the data once.
If you changed the arrangement
Your arrangement, voice and production are yours as the artist. They do not usually change who wrote the underlying song. Keep the writers on the certificate as the composition credits.
If you worked with a producer or a mixer, add them in the production roles your distributor offers. That keeps the writer fields clean and the contributor fields complete.
Keep a record
Take a screenshot of the finished form before you submit. If a store ever shows different credits, you can compare them against what you entered.
Save it next to the certificate. Together they tell the whole story in under a minute.
When the form asks for IPI or PRO
Some forms ask for the writer's PRO and IPI. The certificate lists both, so copy them over rather than guessing. If the form has no such field, you do not need to add them in the title or notes.
If your distributor offers a publishing service, it is for your own compositions. It is not meant for songs you licensed from someone else.
A worked example
Say you license a song written by two writers and release it as a single. On the form, you enter your artist name as main artist, the two writers as composer and lyricist exactly as the certificate spells them, and any producer in a production role.
A week after release, you open Spotify, tap the credits, and see both writers. If one is missing, you contact your distributor and ask it to resend the metadata. That is the entire workflow.
What if the writer is also your friend?
Sometimes the songwriter is someone you know. The rule is the same: enter what the certificate says, and keep any personal deals separate from the metadata.
If you agreed to credit the writer in a special way, such as in the release notes or a social post, do that in addition to the metadata. Our guide to crediting the songwriter has simple wording you can copy.
Good credits are free to give. They help the writer get found and paid, and they show listeners you took care of the details.