Spotify is expanding its Song Credits on the platform along with the introduction of new features – SongDNA and About The Song.
The new features highlight the people, connections and stories behind every track, in order to provide a richer context and greater recognition for music creators.
Jacqueline Ankner, Spotify’s head of songwriter & publisher partnerships, said: “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.”
SongDNA and About The Song will be previewed via Spotify For Artists early next year, to gather feedback ahead of the full roll-out.
In a blog post, Spotify outlined the evolution of their credits for songwriters:
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 roll-out 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 recognised.
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.
Mike Dean, producer, said: “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 modernising credits.”
Manny Marroquin, mix engineer, said: “So many incredible creatives contribute to a track, and recognising 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.”
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‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.musicweek.com ’
