Spotify Metadata Style Guide (MSG)

Music Metadata Style Guide v2.2

Overview

This document details metadata standards and conventions for all content delivered to Spotify. Adhering to these guidelines is necessary to ensure that content is easily discovered and presented accurately to help eliminate user confusion and complaints. Following this style guide will help ensure that content goes live on the Spotify service and will reduce the effort and time needed for corrections. Spotify will request metadata updates through xml delivery, or edit the received metadata, for any content that does not conform to these standards. Content owners will be notified of any errors, compliance failure or deceptive metadata. Repeat instances will result in delivery delays and, possibly, termination of delivery rights. Please also refer to our Spotify Content and Infringement Guidelines where necessary. The following kinds of content may be rejected:

• Content intended to mislead users

• Sound-a-like artists

• Content that is in the public domain, per our Spotify Content Infringement

• Guidelines v2

• Content with legal or rights issues

Information contained in this document is not tied to a specific XML syntax. For general XML requirements, see the Spotify Delivery Specification and the DDEX ERN Standard.

Note: main section of this style guide applies to non-classical music, while exceptions and specific rules for western classical music can be found in corresponding appendix.

Change Log

Added Appendix 4: Spoken Word Audio

Added Appendix 5: General Content Guidelines

1. Artists and Artist Names

1.1. The standard, full artist name and proper spelling are required.

1.2. Artist’s name must be listed in the fashion dictated by the artist, or in the most widely known form.

1.3. Spelling of an artist’s name must be consistently applied to all content related to that artist.

1.4. Do not include an alias or translation in the same artist field. Translations must be submitted separately.

1.5. No additional information other than the artist’s name should be listed. This includes any dates, instruments played, other affiliations, and so on.

1.6. Artists using personal names must not be inverted and should always be listed in the native name order. For instance, English names use the western order, which is given- name family-name, while Chinese and Japanese names use the eastern order, which is family-name given-name. Translated names should follow the custom of the translated language.

1.7. Generic names such as Singer, Actor, Various Composers, etc., must not be used, except for Various Artists. See Section 3 for more information.

1.8. SEO terms such as Christmas Hits, Sleep Music, Music for Concentration, etc., must not be used. Products with artist names that appear to be intended to mislead or confuse users may be removed from Spotify. Violation of this rule could result in a strike or block in accordance to the Spotify Content and Infringement Guidelines.

1.9. Multiple artist names must not be used solely to increase the visibility of products on Spotify. Any products found doing so will be removed from Spotify. Violation of this rule could result in a strike or block in accordance to the Spotify Content and Infringement Guidelines.

1.10. Only artists shall be listed as such. No other entities such as record labels or production houses shall be listed as artists of any role.

Examples:

2. Main Artists

2.1. The main performing artists must be credited as main artist on all content.

2.2. At least one main artist must be submitted for all content except for Mixes and Remixes. Please see section 14 for more information.

2.3. Do not list more than 3 main artists at Product level.

3. Various Artists

3.1. If there are four or more Main Artists and Remixers individually identified on the product, the Main Artist on product level should be “Various Artists”. The exceptions are:

a) Mixing/remixing products compiled by fewer than four remixers. The remix artist(s) must be listed as the product level remixer(s).

b) Non-classical products in which fewer than four main artists appear on all tracks. The artist(s) which appear on all tracks should be listed as product level main artist(s).

3.2. Various Artists must not be listed as a track-level artist. All main artists must be listed at track level.

3.3. If there are less than four main artists on product level, those artists must be listed individually and not listed as “Various Artists” on the product level.

3.4. Do not use any variation or abbreviated version of the term “Various Artists” (such as “V/A”, “V.A.”, “Various”, “Various Artist”, and “Varios”).

Examples:

4. Artist Roles

4.1. All applicable artists, both performing and non-performing, must be entered with proper roles, which includes composer/writer information. Except for soundtracks and musicals, non-performing artists such as composers must not be listed as Main Artist or Featured Artist, unless they are also performers of the content. In that case, they should be credited with both performing and non-performing role(s).

Examples:

4.2. For non-classical content, only main artists, featured artists, and remixers will be visible on the service. However, additional artist roles such as composer and lyricist will be stored for other uses.

5. Featured Artists

5.1. If a track contains one or more featured artists, each artist must be listed separately.

5.2. Artists featured on every track on a product must also be listed as a featured artist at product level.

5.3. Featured or collaborating artist’s names must not be referenced in product/track titles or product/track version fields.

5.4. For jazz content, important sidemen can be listed as featured artists at track level. This only applies to members that are not part of the group credited as main artist. For example, Wayne Shorter can be listed as featured artist on Miles Davis – Bitches Brew, but should not be listed that way in recordings in which he served as a member of Miles Davis Quintet. In DDEX, always list the instrument as user defined artist role for all artists, in addition to the main and featured artist roles.

Examples:

6. Compound Artists

6.1. If more than one artist of any role performed on the content, each artist must be listed individually. The exception is products by Various Artists.

6.2. Each artist field must contain only one artist name. If two or more artists (individuals or groups) are listed in one artist field, it is called a compound artist. In such cases, individual artists will not be identified, and content will not appear on the correct artist pages.

6.3. When individual artists are not considered separate entities, but rather exist as the name of a group or the group’s name consists of two or more individuals’ names, then they must appear together and will not be seen as compound artists. For example:

Ike & Tina Turner

Peter Bjorn and John

Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe

6.4. For short-term collaborations between artists, such as Bill Evans & Jim Hall, Billy Bragg & Wilco, and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, they must be credited separately at product and track level, and must not be credited as an entity.

6.5. For artists that are sometime, or always, credited together with their longtime backing bands, the full name of the collaboration, e.g. Neil Young & Crazy Horse, and Prince & The Revolution, must be entered as the only main artist at product level. Do not enter them separately.

Examples:

7. Product Titles and Versions

7.1. Product title must match the original title upon its initial release.

7.2. Additional information, such as physical release format or translation, must not be included in the version field. Information such as Commentary or Deluxe may be included if it is needed to identify the content.

7.3. Supplementary information, such as Remaster, 40th Anniversary Edition, Bonus Tracks Edition etc., must be entered in Product Version field, and must not be included in the Product Title field.

7.4. Titles must not contain terms like “Exclusive” or “Limited Edition,” as titles should be permanent and these claims may only apply temporarily.

7.5. If an entire product has been rerecorded the product version must be listed as “Rerecorded”.

7.6. If the majority of tracks of a product are recorded live, it must have Live as the first product version. If the version title include time and venue, it should be formatted as Live at Place, Year (or date when applicable). Territory specific versions (”Ao Vivo” in Portuguese, and “En Vivo” or “En Directo” in Spanish”) should be used. The exceptions are:

a) Live is already part of product title, e.g. The Who - Live At Hull

b) Singles with a studio recording as the A-side (title track).

c) Re-issued studio products with live content as bonus tracks. d) Classical content.

7.7. When applicable, remaster should be entered as the last product version, and always use the format Year Remaster, e.g. 2008 Remaster. Do not use Digital Remaster, Digitally Remastered, etc.

7.8. Version titles must be entered without formatting, e.g. 2011 Remaster, instead of (2011 Remaster). To enter multiple version titles, put each version title in a separate field, instead of listing multiple versions in one field.

7.9. We do not accept version titles that contain references to competitors of Spotify, or any of these words: CD, digital, digitally, album, EP, single.

7.10. SEO terms such as Sleep Music, Music for Concentration, Chill, Chillout, etc., must not be used as product titles or product versions. Products with titles that appear to be intended to mislead or confuse users may be removed from Spotify. Violation of this rule could result in a strike or block in accordance to the Spotify Content Infringement Guideline.

8. Track Titles and Versions

8.1. Each track title in a product must be unique, the exception is different versions of the same track, such as Clean/Explicit.

8.2. The version field can be used to differentiate between different versions of tracks that contain terms like “Live”, “Radio Edit” or “Extended Version” but must not list featured or collaborating artists.

8.3. If a track has been rerecorded the track version must be listed as “Rerecorded”.

8.4. The standard, original version of a track must not include any additional information in the track title or version field. For example, track title/version must not include: Album Version, Original Version or Original Mix.

8.5. If a non-classical track is recorded live, it must have Live (with or without specific time and venue) as the first track version.

8.6. Where applicable, remaster should be entered as the last track version, and always use the format Year Remaster, e.g. 2008 Remaster. Do not use Digital Remaster, Digitally Remastered, etc.

8.7. Version titles must be entered without formatting, e.g. 2011 Remaster, instead of (2011 Remaster). To enter multiple version titles, put each version title in a separate field, instead of listing multiple versions in one field.

8.8. Additional information, such as product title, translation, or other information, must not be included in the version title, unless that information is needed to identify the content.

8.9. SEO terms such as Sleep Music, Music for Concentration, Chill, Chillout, etc., must not be used as track titles or track versions. Products with track titles that appear to be intended to mislead or confuse users may be removed from Spotify. Violation of this rule could result in a strike or block in accordance to the Spotify Content Infringement Guideline.

Examples:

9. Singles and EPs

9.1. One track products must have matching product and track titles.

9.2. If a product contains 3 tracks or less, and has a total duration of 30 minutes or less, must be specified as product type Single, unless the artist or label intend to release it as an EP, in which case it must be specified as EP.

9.3. If a product contains 4 to 6 tracks, and has a total duration of 30 minutes or less, must be specified as product type EP, unless the artist or label intend to release it as a Single, in which case it must be specified as Single.

9.4. If a product contains the same track with different track versions must be specified as Single, unless the artist or label explicitly call it an EP, in which case it should be specified as EP.

9.5. If a product meets the criteria above, but are not set as product type Single or EP, Spotify may choose to display the product as Single or EP.

9.6. If a product contains more than 6 tracks, or has a duration of more than 30 minutes, it can also be specified as Single or EP, following the label or artist’s wish.

9.7. Singles and EPs must not have Single or EP in product title or version, unless it was part of the original product title, such as Elastica - 6 Track EP.

Examples:

10. Split Artist Products

10.1. Split artist products containing three or fewer Main Artists must list each as a separate Main Artist on the product. Products with four or more main artists are considered a Compilation by Various Artists.

10.2. Split artist products must only list the correct main artists on track level. For instance, the split product Leviathan / Xasthur must only list Xasthur as the main artist on tracks 1-7, and Leviathan as the main artist on tracks 8-10

11. Compilations

Products consisting of tracks from various artists, or consisting of mainly tracks from various previously released products by one or more artists, must be specified as Compilation (see Appendix 3 for details if delivering DDEX).

Examples:

12. Karaoke and Tribute Content

Below rules apply to all karaoke and tribute content except for those authorized by rights owners.

12.1. Karaoke products must be specified as subtype Karaoke (in the case of DDEX set ReleaseType to KaraokeRelease); tribute products must be specified as subtype Tribute.

12.2. The name of the original artist can only be entered in composer and lyricist fields where applicable, and must not be entered in any other artist field on product level or track level.

Examples:

12.3. Product and track titles must not begin with the original artist name.

Examples:

12.4. Karaoke products and track titles must make clear that they are karaoke or instrumental versions. Karaoke content can reference the original artist in the track version but must add “Originally Performed By” before the original artist name.

Examples:

12.5. Tribute or karaoke products must not use deceptive or misleading artist names or titles that may confuse users.

Any violation of above rules could result in a strike or block in accordance to the Spotify Content Infringement Guideline.

13. Covers

13.1. Product or track titles for cover songs must not make reference to the original artist. Do not use phrases such as “Made Famous By”, “Originally Performed By,” “In the Style of,” “Tribute to,” or “Cover of” in the track title or version field.

Examples:

13.2. Cover products must not use deceptive or misleading artist names, product titles or versions, or track titles or versions that may confuse users.

Any violation of above rules could result in a strike or block in accordance to the Spotify Content Infringement Guideline.

14. Mixes and Remixes

14.1. Products that are a collection of tracks by different original artists mixed together or compiled by a single remixing artist, must list the remixing artist at product level as a remixer. Do not use Various Artists as the artist name.

14.2. Products that are a collection of tracks by a single original artist remixed by different artists, must list the original artist at product level as main artist.

14.3. Products that are a collection of tracks by a single original artist remixed by a single artist, must list the original artist at product and track level as main artist and the remixing artist at product and track level as a remixer.

14.4. Tracks that are remixed or compiled must list the original artist at track level as main artist. The original artist must not be listed as main or featured artist at the product level.

Examples:

15. Titles with “Meets”, “vs.”, or “x”

15.1. For artists using “Meets”, “vs.”, or “x”, all artists involved must be listed at the track level and identified as main artist. The terms “Meets”, “vs.”, or “x”, must only appear in the product version title or track version title, if it is necessary.

Examples:

1. 15.2. When “Meets”, “vs.”, or “x”, is used to describe a product on which two artists perform separate songs, both artists must be listed at the product level and identified as main artist. At the track level, each song must be listed with only the main artist who performs it.

2. 15.3. When “Meets”, “vs.”, or “x”, is used to describe a product that is a collection of different songs remixed by a single DJ, the mixing DJ must be listed at the product level and identified with the Remixer role. The original artists (whose songs are being remixed) must be listed at the track level and identified as main artist. The original artists must not be listed at the product level.

16. Presenting Artists

16.1. A nonperforming, presenting artist must only be named in the title or version title and not credited as an artist on the product. If the nonperforming presenting artist applies to all tracks, the presenting reference must not be duplicated on all tracks.

Examples:

If the presenting relationship does not apply to every track, the nonperforming presenting artist must be only named in the track title or track version fields.

Examples:

16.2. A performing presenting artist must be credited at the track level and identified as a main artist.

Examples:

17. Public Domain Recordings

17.1. For the definition of public domain recordings, see the Spotify Content Infringement Guideline.

17.2. If the majority of tracks in a product are public domain recordings, the product must be specified as subtype public domain.

17.3. Tracks that are remixed from public domain recordings should credit the remixer as the sole main artist; the original sampled one should not be listed as main or featured artist unless it is an authorized remix.

18. Soundtracks and Scores

18.1. Soundtracks and scores for movies, TV and musicals must be specified as subtype soundtrack.

18.2. Soundtracks and scores for movies, TV and musicals must include reference to the version of the soundtrack or score in question as a track version.

18.3. The abbreviation for Original Soundtrack (O.S.T.) should not be used as a product or track version for scores, movies, TV, musicals, or video games. Products on which all tracks are from the same soundtrack, must also include reference to the version of the soundtrack or score in question as a product version.

18.4. Soundtrack, film score and musical products must list the composer(s) as main artist(s) and composer at product level. To further distinguish the content, main performing artist(s) can also be listed at product and track level. Composers can be credited main artists at track level for any appropriate track.

18.5. Do not use generic names such as Original Soundtrack or 1984 London Cast in main artist field. They should be entered as part of product title or version title, in additional to the name of the film or musical.

18.6. For products on which all tracks are not from the same soundtrack, the track version must indicate from which soundtrack it is from: Track Title - From “title of movie, TV show, or musical, etc”.

Acceptable Product Examples:

Acceptable Track Examples:

19. Products in a Series

19.1. Products that are released as part of a series should be listed as: Series Title (Volume Number): Volume Title.

19.2. Products that are part of a series and do not have unique volume titles should be listed as: Series Title (Volume Number): Artist Name.

19.3. Product title formatting in a series must be consistent.

Examples:

20. Original Release Dates

20.1. The original release date can differ from the sales start date. The sales start date is the date when content becomes available for streaming in a given territory on Spotify.

20.2. The original release date must be the earliest date that the original product was first released regardless of the releasing label, or format type (for example, LP, CD, or digital-only release). The original release date for remasters must be the first date the original recording was available, and not the release date of the remastered recording.

20.3. The remastering year, when applicable, should be provided in the product version field, followed by the word “Remaster”.

20.4. For deluxe / premium / anniversary edition products that contain tracks previously unreleased on the original recordings, the original release date can be the date that the new edition was first released.

Examples:

21. Complete and Partial Products

21.1. All tracks that exist on an original version must be delivered and the track numbering must match. Track restrictions can be applied when necessary.

21.2. The sequence of tracks and numbering must be the same as the original release.

22. Medleys

For medleys, each listed song in the medley must be spaced and separated by a forward slash. If the word medley or a title for the medley itself is included, it should follow one of the two formats below:

a) Follow the songs and be contained in parentheses.

b) List before the songs and follow it with a colon.

Examples:

If the medley contains a track with version information it should be formatted as follows:

23. ParentalAdvisory

23.1. An explicit track must be tagged as Explicit.

23.2. Clean versions of explicit tracks must be tagged as Clean. Tracks should only be flagged Clean if there is an explicit version of the track.

23.3. Explicit and Clean must be entered using the proper tag, which is a separate field in metadata format, and not part of the track title. Terms like “(Clean),” “(Clean Version),” “(Explicit),” and “(Explicit Version)” must not be used for track or product titles/versions.

24. Language

For content with multi-language metadata, the appropriate language codes must be provided for both the original and the translated metadata. Language code should match the language of the metadata, not the audio. For more information, see http://www.w3.org/International/articles/language-tags/

25. Genre

Spotify does not currently use genre information from providers, although it may be ingested and used in the future. If the provider wishes to submit genre information the following rules apply.

25.1. This list of genres on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_music_genres_and_styles can be used as a reference. Keep in mind that the genre list could change at any time.

25.2. The first genre must be the best description for the content. A second genre is not always required, but it should be used when applicable.

25.3. Genres must be listed separately. Do not list more than one genre in the same field, such as “Dance/Electronic”.

25.4. Genres must be listed in English and must not list a translation of the genre.

26. Abbreviations, Accents, Capitalization and Casings

Titles should be capitalized according to the capitalization rules of the language. For titles written in English, the following rules apply.

26.1. Abbreviations need to be consistent in all content.

26.2. Accents and casings formats must be delivered accurately in the xml, or the title will create or appear on a wrong artist page (ie: always enter “Beyoncé, not Beyonce).

26.3. Unless specified by artists, titles must not be in all capitals, all lowercase, or random casing.

26.4. Unless specified by artists, “The” must be capitalized when it is the start of an Artist’s name.

26.5. The following words must be lowercase: a, an, and, as, but, for, from, nor, of, or, so, the, to, yet.

26.6. Prepositions of four letters or fewer (at, by, for, from, in, into, of, off, on, onto, out, over, to, up, and with) must be lowercase, except when the word is part of a verb phrase or is used as another part of speech (such as an adverb, adjective, noun, or verb).

26.7. The first and last words in a title must be capitalized unless the official title is spelled otherwise. Capitalize the first and last word in parentheses.

27. Special Characters in XML

27.1. There are a number of characters that are considered part of the code in XML files. For example, all elements are enclosed in angled brackets (i.e.<name>), so if you would like to use the less than or greater than signs in values included in your XML file, you must use the entity name instead. For example, the artist name Echo & the Bunnymen must be entered as <name>Echo & the Bunnymen</name>

27.2. Complete list of special characters that need to be entered as entity code:

Appendix 1: Spotify Sessions and Commentary Products

28.1 Spotify Session releases should follow below format: Product title: Spotify Session(s) Track title: Name of Track Track version title: Live from Spotify [Location]

28.2 Commentary tracks can be delivered as a standalone release, alongside the original release it accompanies; or delivered as additional tracks within the main release. For the latter, commentary tracks must be put at the end of tracklist; do not mix them up with tracks from the main product, e.g. track 1, track 1 commentary, track 2, unless the original product is also delivered as a standalone release.

28.3 Commentary content must include commentary as part of product and track titles or version titles, or use other ways to clearly differentiate it from the main release.

28.4 For official commentary releases that accompany a product, the product level main artist should be the artist of that product, even if said artist did not contribute to the commentary tracks. For example, Santana IV - Track by Track Commentary should list Santana as product level main artist.

28.5 At track level, only the program host and main interviewees should be listed as main artist. For example, on track “Episode 1, Giorgio Moroder” from the commentary product that accompanies Daft Punk’s Random Access Memory, track level main artist should be Giorgio Moroder.

Appendix 2: Western Classical Music

Composer

29.1 Classical content must list at least one composer at track level. For works with unknown authorship, use Traditional or Anonymous as composer.

29.2 Classical products should not list a product level composer. If this information is included it will be disregarded and a product level composer will be calculated by Spotify, which uses any composers that are present on 80% or more of the tracks on the product as the product level composer(s).

29.3 Librettists, lyricists or arrangers must not be listed as composer.

29.4 Composers must not be listed as main artist, unless they also performed on the content.

Main Artists

30.1. Classical content must list at least one main artist, in addition to the composer, at track level. If the composer is also the main performer, list him/her as both composer and main artist.

30.3 All soloists, ensembles, and conductors should be listed as main artists at track level. Do not list individual members of the ensemble, unless they serve as soloists or conductor.

30.4 At product level, only list conductor, ensemble and soloists that appear on all tracks (except for non-musical tracks like audience applause) as main artists for orchestral or chamber music products. For opera and other vocal music, top-billing singers can be listed as main artists at product level as well.

Genre

31.1 Classical products must have classical as genre. Sub-genres such as Baroque or Choral can be added as well, but classical must be included as a genre.

Appendix 3: User-defined Values in DDEX

This section only applies to DDEX XML. For content owners using Spotify XML, see the latest Spotify Delivery Specification.

32.1 For product types and subtypes not predefined in DDEX value sets, such as EP, compilation, audiobook, live, KaraokeRelease, tribute, public domain and soundtrack, enter them as user defined ReleaseType.

32.2 For artist roles not predefined in DDEX value sets, such as remixer, enter as user- defined artist role.

32.3 For artist roles already predefined in DDEX value sets, do not enter as different user- defined values. For example, use pre-defined Composer, Lyricist or ComposerLyricist for songwriters; do not use user-defined roles such as Writer or Author.

Appendix 4: Spoken Word Audio

33.1 Spoken word audio (e.g. audiobooks, audio-stories, audio-plays, audio-dramas, comedy, poetry etc.) must be delivered with the ReleaseType set to “AudioBookRelease”.

33.2 Spoken word audio must have a minimum track length no less than 3 minutes in duration, excluding introductions and epilogues. Spoken word audio which has a legitimate creative reason for a track length less than 3 minutes is allowable.

Acceptable use cases can be found in genres including (but not limited to):

a) album commentry

b) poetry

c) comedy

d) education

Spoken word audio in these genres should be sent with the relevant genre information. Please see section 25 of our Metadata Style Guide for advice on sending Genre information, and Appendix 1 of our Metadata Style Guide for advice on how to send album commentary releases.

33.3 Spoken word audio should use the Main Artist role for authors, and narrators where appropriate, to identify those involved in the product.

33.4 In cases where content is primarily associated with a series rather than a specific author, the series title may be submitted as the Main Artist instead. You should deliver the series title as the Main Artist on product level if:

a) The product has 4 or more main artists (Authors or Narrators) that would convert the product to various artists.

b) The series is more known and widely searched than the Author.

c) The series is an Audio Drama with the series title and character as the main focus.

d) The series is about a very popular character or topic with stories written from many different authors from many different providers. In this scenario you may also deliver the character as a Main Artist.

33.5 When delivering the series title as a Main Artist at product level, Authors and Narrators must be delivered as Main Artists on track level. If you deliver the series title as a Main Artist on product level you may also deliver the Author and Narrator as Main Artists on product level as well.

For Audiobooks:

33.6 The original release date of the content must be the date the book was first published, regardless of format (Book, eBook, Audiobook, etc.)

33.7 The title of an audiobook must be set as the title of the product with no additional information included.

33.8 Abridgement or subtitle information must be set using the product version field.

33.9 Chapter titles should be set as the title of each track. If the chapters do not have titles the track titles should be formatted as “Chapter 1 - [Book Title]”, “Chapter 2 - [Book Title]”, etc. For example: “Chapter 1 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”, “Chapter 2 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”

Appendix 5: General Content Guidelines

Content Abuse

Content designed to game the Spotify service - including the royalty system - is prohibited. Such content includes, but is not limited to, that which exhibits unnatural or manipulative creation, design, formatting, or metadata. When content of this nature is identified, action will be taken as deemed appropriate by Spotify.

Repeated Submissions

Content may be rejected, or hidden, if multiple copies of the same content, or repackages of the content, are repeatedly submitted. Content may also be rejected, or hidden, if the same audio files are repeatedly submitted with different metadata (see MSG sections 1.9 and 8.9). Do not repeatedly send duplicate versions of the same content, such as the same audio file with different metadata, or repackaged compilations with the same track list as other products, merely shuffled, with the intent to capitalize on different search terms.

Noise Content Minimum Track Length

For purposes of this policy, "Noise Content" is defined as all non-music, non-spoken-word audio including, but not limited to, white noise (and all colours of noise e.g. white, pink, brown, etc.), nature sounds, ambient sounds (e.g. background noise, coffee shop sounds, traffic sounds), machine noises, sound effects, non-spoken ASMR, silence, and related subgenres. Noise Content should have a track length of more than 2 minutes in duration. At Spotify's discretion, Noise Content with a track length of 2 minutes or less will be ineligible for royalties (subject to applicable license terms) and could be removed from the platform.

Glossary

Artist: The performing entity (for example, an individual musician, a band or an ensemble).

Content: A product or track.

Composer: Someone composing a track.

Featured Artist: Someone that is featured on a product or a track, as opposed to the main artist(s). Usually, a featured artist only performs a small part.

Karaoke: An instrumental soundalike version of a known song, where the lyrics have been removed so that the user can perform the lyrics with the backing track.

Main Artist: Someone that is the main artist on a product or track. There may be several main artists on the same product or a track.

Product: A collection of one or more tracks. A product can have the type Album, Single, EP, or Compilation

Score: Original music written specifically to accompany a film, TV show or musical.

Song: An audio recording.

Soundtrack: Content that incorporates music directly recorded or derived from the soundtrack of a particular feature film, television show or other visual media (such as computer games).

Title: A track or product title as it appears on Spotify.

Track: A song.

Version Title: The version of a track or product title as it appears on Spotify.