On streaming platforms a band is a single artist. The platforms do not know there are four of you unless the credits say so, and the decisions you make on your first release tend to follow the band for years. A little thought before you release music as a band can save you from split profiles, missing credits and arguments later.
The band name is the primary artist
Enter the band name as the primary artist, spelled exactly the same way on every release. Not "Band Name ft. Singer", not the members' names, and not a version with "The" on one single and without it on the next. Platforms match releases to profiles by name, so every variation risks a new, empty profile or a release on the wrong page.
Before your first release, search the platforms for your band name. If another act already uses it, especially in your genre or region, your songs can end up on their profile. A small change now, such as adding a word, is much easier than untangling two artists later.
Once the band profile exists, claim it in the artist tools of the main platforms. Most of them let several people access one profile, so more than one member can update photos and the bio. Agree who is in charge of it.
Where the members' names go
Members belong in the credits, not in the artist field. A typical band release lists:
- performers: who sings and who plays guitar, bass, drums or keys;
- songwriters and composers: who wrote the music and lyrics of each song;
- producers, mixing and mastering engineers.
Writer credits matter more than they look. They connect to publishing and to collecting societies, where songwriters are paid for the composition. If the whole band writes together, decide the songwriting splits for each song and write them down.
Duos face a special choice. "Aras & Defne" can be one artist name with one profile, or two separate primary artists, Aras and Defne, each with a profile of their own. The first builds one shared audience. The second links every release to two solo profiles, which only makes sense if both people also release music on their own. Choose once and stay consistent.
Side projects and solo releases
Solo music by a band member goes on that member's own profile, under their own name, never on the band profile. If the band plays on the song, it can be credited as a featured artist, and the same works the other way round when the singer guests on a band track.
Keep the visual identity separate too. Solo covers that look exactly like band covers leave listeners unsure what they are hearing.
If the band and the members' solo projects are run from one distribution account, check how many artist profiles your plan covers. In CULT this depends on the plan, and the plans page on cult.az lists the details.
Agree on the important things up front
Bands rarely fall apart over music. They fall apart over money, names and passwords. A simple written agreement, signed while everyone still gets along, should answer:
- Who owns the band name if the band splits or someone leaves.
- How income is shared: recording income, songwriting income, live fees.
- Whose name the distribution account, social accounts and artist profiles are registered in, and who holds the passwords.
- How decisions are made about releases, spending and collaborations.
- What a departing member keeps from the songs recorded while they were in the band.
It does not need to be long or drafted by a lawyer at first, although a lawyer's review is worth it once real money appears.
When a member leaves
Released songs stay on the band profile, and their credits stay as they were. The person who played on an old recording is still its performer. Removing them from past releases is not honest, and it usually is not possible without redelivering the release anyway.
What changes is the future: new releases credit the new line-up, and money from the old songs follows whatever you agreed. If the band breaks up completely, the catalogue does not disappear on its own. Keeping it up, taking it down or moving it should be a joint decision, ideally one you already made on paper.
The Low Lanterns, a made-up four-piece, put their agreement on two pages before their first EP. When the drummer moved abroad a year later, there was nothing to argue about: he kept his share of the EP, the band kept the name, and the next single credited the new drummer.
Before your first band release
- One fixed spelling of the band name, checked on the platforms.
- Every member's role, and the songwriting split for each song, written down.
- A clear answer on who owns and can access each account.
- A short band agreement that everyone has signed.