Writer Contributor requirements (composer, lyricist, or songwriter)

Effective August 3rd, 2021, Symphonic will require every track to have at least one Writer Contributor role (composer, lyricist, or songwriter).

This requirement aligns us with future industry content standards to give credit to these individuals. These fields are required to be filled out during the release creation process. Please provide this information when submitting new releases or updating existing content. 

Note: You will not be required to edit all back-catalog with these contributors. However, if you choose to edit a release using the "Edit" feature, you will be prompted to add either a composer, songwriter, or lyricist. 

The composer, lyricist, and songwriter roles can be provided at the track level when creating or editing your release.

The legal first and last name of these contributors is required when submitting these roles. These roles should not associate with aliases or alternate performer names (aka Artist names). If not provided correctly, the release may be rejected.  

For example:

Correct: Austin Post
Incorrect: Post Malone

For a track by the artist Post Malone, the composer/lyricist/songwriter would instead be Austin Post because although he is a performer and goes by Post Malone, his legal name is Austin Post and this is the name that is used in the composer, lyricist, and songwriter fields.

To add a composer/songwriter:

Under your track details, you'll see a section called Contributors. You'll be able to add your composer's first and last name and select Composer/Songwriter from the drop-down menu. Once all the information is entered, click on + Add.

Note: If the album contains selections of unknown authorship, such as a folk song or Gregorian chant, use Anonymous or Traditional as the composer.

To add a lyricist:
If the track has vocals, you’ll be able to enter the lyricists after changing “Does this track contain vocals” to Yes.

Note: If your track does not contain lyrics, change "Does this song contain vocals" to No. You will not be required to add a lyricist to tracks that do not contain vocals.