A collaboration can be written in several ways, and streaming services read each of them differently. Whether you type "feat.", "&" or "x" decides whose profile the song lands on, how it shows up in search, and sometimes whether the release gets through review at all.
Stores think in only a few roles. Once you know them, the rest is consistency.
Primary artist or featured artist
A primary artist owns the track. The song appears in their discography as their own release. When two artists are both primary, it is an equal duet, and the release shows up as a main release on both profiles.
A featured artist is a guest. The song usually appears on the guest's profile in a separate section for appearances, and the store adds "(feat. Name)" to the title when it displays it.
Say Lalə Nova releases a single called "Yay gecəsi" and Elvin Rza raps one verse. If Elvin is featured, listeners see "Yay gecəsi (feat. Elvin Rza)" by Lalə Nova. If both are primary, the song is credited to Lalə Nova and Elvin Rza together, joined with a comma or an ampersand depending on the store.
Decide this with your collaborator before you submit. The role affects whose release it is, whose followers get notified and where the song sits in each discography.
Why "x" and "&" in a single field cause trouble
Stores match the artist field to an artist profile. If you type "Lalə Nova x Elvin Rza" into one artist field, many systems treat that whole string as a new artist. The result is a third profile with that exact name, no followers and no connection to either of you.
Fixing it later means support requests to each store. The safer rule is simple: one name per artist field. Add every artist separately and pick a role for each. The store decides how to join the names on screen.
The "x" style looks good on a poster or an Instagram post, so keep it there. In metadata it is not a role. The same goes for "with", "vs." and "and" inside a name. Remixers have their own role too, so "Elvin Rza Remix" belongs in the version field or remixer role your distributor offers, not in the artist name.
One exception: if two people perform permanently as a duo called, say, "Nova & Rza", that is the act's name. Then it is one artist, written the same way on every release.
Where "feat." goes, and where it doesn't
Never put "feat." in the artist name field. Featured artists go into the featured role, and the store builds the title display from that.
Some distribution forms ask you to put the featured artist in the title in a fixed format instead. Follow the form you are using, but do it in one place only. Filling in the featured role and also writing "(feat. Elvin Rza)" in the title can produce "Yay gecəsi (feat. Elvin Rza) (feat. Elvin Rza)", or a rejection.
Producer tags do not belong in the title either. "Yay gecəsi (prod. by Kamran)" will usually be sent back. The producer goes into the credits.
Credits behind the scenes
The names on screen are only half of it. Most releases also carry a list of contributors: composer, lyricist, producer, mixing and mastering engineer. Several platforms show these in the song credits, and they matter later when rights and royalties are sorted out.
A few habits help:
- Use stage names for performers, and real full names for songwriters where the form asks for them. Many stores and rights organisations expect legal names in songwriter fields.
- List everyone who actually wrote or produced the song, and agree on it with them in writing.
- Do not add famous names to attract searches. Credits that do not match reality are a common reason for removal.
In the CULT portal, artist details and credits are filled in before you submit, and the team checks them during review. If something needs changing, the request shows up in the portal.
Keep the spelling identical everywhere
"Elvin Rza", "Elvin Rıza" and "ELVIN RZA" can become three different profiles. Pick one spelling and use it on every release, including capital letters and special characters.
Keep a note with each artist's exact name and, if they have one, a link or ID for their existing profile on the main stores. Distributors often ask for these so the release attaches to the right page. It also protects you when another artist has the same name: without the right ID, your song can land on a stranger's profile.
If the cover shows names, they must match the metadata. A cover that says "Lalə Nova x Elvin Rza" while the metadata lists only Lalə Nova is a typical reason for a release to be returned.
Before you press submit
- Every artist is in their own field with the right role.
- No "feat.", "x", "&" or "with" inside a name, unless it is a real group name.
- The featured artist is mentioned once, either in the role or in the title.
- Spelling matches earlier releases and the cover.
- Producers and writers are in the credits, not in the title.
- Your collaborator has agreed to the roles.
Ten minutes on this list beats weeks of support tickets about a split profile.