Spotlighting the people, connections, and stories behind your music

Behind every song is a team: artists, songwriters, producers, engineers, musicians, creative influences, and the collaborators who bring ideas to life. Now, more than ever, we believe it’s critical to spotlight the humans, creative process, and stories behind the music, so we’re building new ways for fans to see and celebrate the people and musical connections behind the tracks they love. The more fans understand the careful craft that underpins the music they love, the deeper their fandom grows and the more invested they become in the people who create it.

Expanded Song Credits

Starting today, we’re expanding the Song Credits you see on Spotify to highlight all of the contributors who make each song possible, from producers and engineers to songwriters and featured artists. (Previously, our Song Credits only featured topline performance, songwriting, and production credits.) The rollout will start on mobile and continue to desktop over the coming months. These credits come directly from labels and artist distributors, so keeping them up to date through your label or distributor is the best way to make sure everyone is recognized.

SongDNA

Song Credits are just the start. We’ll also be rolling out SongDNA, an interactive view that maps out connections between songs, showing collaborators, samples, and covers all in one place. Spotify Premium listeners will see it in the ‘Now Playing’ view as a new way to explore, dig deeper into how tracks are connected, and trace a song’s creative roots. Samples and covers in SongDNA are powered by WhoSampled, which is now part of Spotify. With WhoSampled’s community-built knowledge, fans can dive into the influences behind the music they love, while giving sampled and covered artists fresh ways to get discovered and celebrated.

About the Song

We’re also soon launching About the song to help listeners better understand your creative process. Spotify Premium listeners will be able to explore swipeable cards in the ‘Now Playing’ view that share a deeper look at your music: what inspired it, the stories behind the songs, and your cultural impact. These stories are sourced from third parties to highlight interesting details and behind-the-scenes moments.

What’s next

These features are all about bringing your music and your artistry to life for fans. We want artists and their teams to experience them first, before they launch to listeners. Early next year, we’ll launch a Spotify for Artists Preview of SongDNA and About the song, so you’ll have a chance to check out the features first, redeliver your credits if there are inaccuracies, and give us feedback. We believe the people who make the music should get the first chance to preview new tools and share feedback. It’s how we make sure what we’re building works for you.

Be sure to follow us on our social channels, as we’ll be sharing details about when these features are available to the Spotify for Artists community. In the meantime, take a moment to review your Song Credits to make sure your team is fully represented.

Industry Perspectives

Mike Dean, Producer: “Back in the record and CD era, people read liner notes and it was a big thing to do while you listened. We used to listen, read, and dream of being listed one day. Later in my life, when my career started, people discovered me through the credits long before the internet was popular. A lot of information gets lost in metadata when labels deliver, and credits for assistant engineers, additional producers, mastering engineers, and others often get left off. So I think expanding Song Credits and SongDNA are great steps forward in modernizing credits.”

Manny Marroquin, Mix Engineer: “So many incredible creatives contribute to a track, and recognizing them publicly can be life-changing. Accurate credits open doors, whether it’s new work, new relationships, or simply being seen. Spotlighting the full team behind each song makes our industry stronger and more inclusive.”

Jacqueline Ankner, Spotify’s Head of Songwriter & Publisher Partnerships: “Every song is a collaboration, and every contributor should be seen. With expanded Song Credits, SongDNA, and About the song, we’re giving fans a deeper look at the people and creative threads behind the music they love and giving creators the recognition they deserve. It’s another step in Spotify’s work to champion the people, connections, and stories that bring every track to life.”