Changing artist names & re-branding (Partner accounts)

There may be a time in your musical career where you would like to re-brand or change your artist name. While this is possible, there are several factors to consider; most importantly, many DSPs do not facilitate artist name changes. 

If you plan to re-brand, we recommend that all the artists' content be located under one distributor. This will allow for a smoother transition, but we know that this may not always be the case. If the content is delivered using multiple distributors, you'll have to work with each distributor to move the content to the new artist page.

Most DSPs, such as Spotify, will require you to change the artist's name via your distributor. With that being said, if you're planning on changing your artist name, try to make your new artist name as unique as possible. You're likely to run into some trouble using a more generic artist name, like 'Josh W'. You may experience instances where there are multiple 'Josh W' artist names and pages on DSPs, and sometimes their content may, inadvertently, align with your artist page. Additionally, some DSPs, like Beatport and Traxsource, cannot create multiple artist pages with the same name, resulting in several different releases that may not be yours grouped to one artist page. 

Please note: Apple cannot facilitate artist name changes. All content that was previously released under the old artist's name must remain under that name. Any new (unreleased) content distributed can be attributed to the new artist name. 

We've listed a few common FAQs below to review before starting this process. 

Will I lose my followers/monthly listeners?

When we submit metadata updates for your pre-existing singles and albums, Spotify will move the followers across to the new profile, and your monthly listeners (a 28 day rolling average count) will recover with time. 

Will I lose my play counts/streams?

When we submit metadata updates for your pre-existing singles and albums, Spotify play counts and streams will be retained.

Can DSPs edit my artist name?

Yes and no. The DSPs can edit your artist name if you're changing the casing or accents on the existing name. Examples of this: hagrid to HAGRID or Hagrid to Hágrid

If you're completely changing the name, the DSPs will require a metadata update with the new artist name.

On Spotify, if you need to update your artist name casing or accents, you may do so directly through Spotify for Artists.

How do I change my artist name?

The releases need to be edited in the SymphonicMS with the artist's new name. Any changes to the release in the SymphonicMS will be applied to all DSPs selected on the release. Additionally, we can only send the metadata updates for releases delivered via Symphonic. Please follow parts 1-3 to ensure a smooth transition. 

Part 1:  Edit your artist name in the SymphonicMS (Start with one release if you have multiple)

1. Start by creating the new artist in the SymphonicMS. To do so, navigate to Distribute ► Artists and click Create Artist. 
2. Type in the new artist name and corresponding artist information.
3. Select "I'm not on Spotify" and "I'm not on Apple Music" so a new artist page is created on DSPs. Once all the information is filled out, save.
4. Then go to Distribute ► Releases. Click on one release with the old artist name and select Edit Release. The release will show under the 'Edits' status so that you can make changes. (More information on how to do this, here)
5. Under Release Details, remove the old artist name from the release and add the new name. 
6. Under Songs & Audio/Tracks, for each applicable track, remove the old artist name from the release and add the new name. 
7. Review the release to ensure that all artist name fields are changed and submit! Note: please be sure to submit the release again for approval. If the release has not been re-submitted, the artist name will not be changed on DSPs.
8. Please wait for the release to be approved by us and obtain the new artist page URL from Spotify. For any previously released content, Apple will not update the artist name. 

Part 2: Add the new artist page URLs to the SymphonicMS.

Once the new artist page is created on DSPs, you'll want to add the URLs to your artist profile under Distribute ► Artists. This will allow for the remaining releases to be mapped correctly. Follow the steps listed in this guide on how to do this. Please do not move on to Part 3 until this is completed. 

Part 3: Aligning all content to the new artist page

Now that your new artist page is created and the artist URLs are in the SymphonicMS go ahead and edit the remaining releases. To do so, follow the same steps #3-6 from Part 1.

• If you need a complete list of your artists' inventory, navigate to Distribute ► Artists and search your old artist name. Click the artist and then select Export Inventory.
• If the release edit button is greyed out, please open a request with us, and we can send the release back to you for editing. 

Once all parts are completed, the releases should be showing on your new artist page! 

Transferring content from another distributor?

Please transfer all releases with the current artist name. Once releases have been approved by Symphonic and taken down from your previous distributor, refer to steps 1-3 above.