Introduction

Overview

Music is an emotional experience, and for many of us, an obsession. Hearing the right song in the right moment can create memories that last a lifetime. For you, it’s the bridge that connects you with your fans. From the initial idea to the recording, mixing, and mastering process — it takes effort to get everything just right. That’s why Apple strives to present your music in its most authentic form.

The Apple Music Style Guide helps you format music, art, and metadata to enhance the listener's experience and increase your discoverability.

To ensure Apple Music and iTunes standards are met, our Quality Assurance team will review your content.

Following these guidelines will make it less likely to receive a ticket and help your music get on Apple Music and the iTunes Store more quickly.

Content Definitions

Term

Definition

Advertisement Track

Full or partial songs that contain additional audio meant to advertise the album, individual songs, or other content.

Album

A collection of tracks.

Collective

A performing group of musicians with shared creative control and, at times, a rotating roster of band members. For example, this may include a supergroup or group of artists all signed to the same label, performing under their unique collective name.

Composer

A composer writes music for instruments to play.

Content

A song, album, music video, or ringtone.

DJ Mix

An album containing multiple tracks overlaid or otherwise mixed together for continuous play.

Featuring/With

Special guest(s) with a significant contribution but not significant enough to warrant the “Primary” role.

Note: The “Featuring” and “With” roles should only be used once per artist for each song/album (that is, an artist shouldn’t have the “Featuring” and “With” roles on the same song).

Genre

Category of music.

Live

An album or music video consisting of non-studio recordings, usually with an audience, particularly for Classical content.

Lyricist

Lyricists only write lyrics.

Musical

Any performance where the actors sing in character. A musical can be a stage show (Hamilton), a motion picture (The Greatest Showman), a television show (High School Musical), or all of the above (The Rocky Horror Picture Show). Musical is a subgenre of soundtracks, but should be a Primary genre when appropriate.

Music Video

A unique video for a song.

Native Field

The native language field for album or track metadata, such as a title or artist name.

Non-Performing

Contributors that are not heard on content, such as Producer, Remixer, Engineer/Master Engineer, Composer, Songwriter, and so on.

Original Release Date

Date when the album, track, or music video was first released.

O.S.T.

Original Soundtrack.

Parental Advisory

Content may be inappropriate for children.

Performer

Any artist, group, or instrumentalist that can be heard on an album, song, or music video.

Primary

The main performing artist/band.

Recording

A recorded performance of a musical composition, either as audio (a song) or music video.

Ringtone

A standalone audio recording to be used as a ringtone for iPhone.

Score

The instrumental music on a soundtrack. A score can have one or more tracks on an album. Score is a subgenre of soundtracks but should be the Primary genre when appropriate.

Snippet

A portion of a longer piece of audio purposely edited into smaller segments.

Soloist

Artist or instrumentalist that performs a featured part of a song (that is, a solo).

Song

An audio recording.

Songwriter

A songwriter can compose the music and/or lyrics.

Soundtrack

Music recorded for another media. It can be used in a motion picture, television show, stage performance, internet stream, or video game. It can even be music made to accompany a book or graphic novel. A soundtrack can be part instrumental score, part songs with vocals, and also a musical (Frozen). Scores and musicals are subgenres of soundtracks.

Title

The name of a song, album, music video, or ringtone as it appears on Apple Music and iTunes Store.

Title Version

Used to differentiate from the original content title or to add information needed to identify the content. Examples: Live, Radio Edit, and Bonus Track Version.

Track

A song or music video.

Track Audio Language

The language of the vocals.

What’s New in This Version

September 2023

Content Definitions

Style Standards and Guidelines

  • Updated

    • Section 1.13. Misleading verbiage in Editorial Hides.

    • Section 1.17. Other Content Not Permitted verbiage in Editorial Hides.

    • Section 2.1. Accuracy, removed reference to production house, label name, or studio as the artist name in Naming Conventions and Rules.

    • Section 2.9. Remixes to include sped up, slowed down, and lo-fi versions of tracks in Primary Artist Roles.

    • Section 2.10. Scores verbiage in Primary Artist Roles.

    • Section 2.13. Special Guests or Featured Artists to include collective in Non-Primary Artist.

    • Section 3.5. Album Version Information, added Live Video Album to examples in Version Information.

    • Section 3.9. Track Version Information, added additional version examples, and Music Video version examples in Version Information.

    • Section 7.2. Quality verbiage in the General Artwork section.

    • Section 8.3. Release Dates or Advertisements to include QR codes in Music Videos.

    • Section 8.5. Non-Standard Music Videos, non-standard music videos that are not directly related to a song/album will not be accepted in Music Videos.

    • Section 9.8. Lyricists for Indian Musicals, removed Bollywood reference in India.

    • Section numbers for 1.16, 1.17, and 2.5-2.17.

  • Added

  • Clarified

    • Section 2.7. Various Artists, one-track singles must credit all Primary artists at the Album level in Primary Artist Roles.

July 2022

Content Definitions

Style Standards and Guidelines

  • Updated

    • Section 1.14. Cultural Sensitivities hide reason in Editorial Hides.

    • Section 1.16. Other Content Not Permitted verbiage updated, additional types of content not permitted added to Editorial Hides.

    • Section 2. Naming Conventions and Rules introduction updated.

    • Section 2.14. Composition and Lyrics section in Non-Primary Artist.

    • Section 2.15. Production and Engineering section in Non-Primary Artist.

    • Section 4.4. Classical Genres section for the Classical Crossover Genre in Genres.

    • Section 7.3. Additional Information in General includes details on QR codes and references to the audio file format, such as Atmos, Dolby Atmos, spatial audio, lossless, high-resolution audio, high resolution, 24-bit, or 192 kHz.

    • Lyrics Guidelines includes details about background vocals in General Formatting.

    • The Classical Guidelines General section has new examples for "Catalog of classical works," "Classical Keys," and "Common Composer Names."

    • Section 11.1. Primary Artists at the Album Level is updated and explains that the "Featuring" and "With" roles should not be used.

    • Section 11.2. Primary Artists at the Track Level excludes the use of the "Featuring" and "With" roles.

    • Section 11.8. Key Information in Titles includes theoretical keys.

    • Section 11.10. Track Formatting information in Titles.

    • Section 11.11. Opera Formatting section and new formatting image diagram in Titles.

    • Section 11.15. Versions, Arrangements, and Transcriptions examples and added image diagram in Titles.

    • Section numbers for 1.17, 3.5-3.22, 8.8-8.9, 9.8-9.10, and 11.5-11.14.

  • Added

    • Section 2.1. Accuracy guidelines for "production house, label name, or studio as the artist name" in Naming Conventions and Rules.

    • Sampled Artists guidelines to section 2.13. Performers in Non-Primary Artist.

    • Additional examples and information, such as Dolby Atmos to section 3.2 in General.

    • Subsections to Artwork section for General and Motion Album Artwork.

    • Guidelines for Composer name formatting in titles to 11.7. Album Formatting in Titles.

    • Section 11.15. Versions, Arrangements, and Transcriptions in Titles has additional examples, clarification, and diagram.

    • New sections 1.17. Snippets and Repetitious Tracks, 7.7. Accuracy, 7.8. Motion Graphics, 7.9. Parental Advisory, 7.10. Typography, 7.11. Looping Motion Artwork, 7.12. Key Element Placement, 7.13. Start Frame, 7.14 Drop Frame, 7.15. Frame Edge, 7.16. Frenetic Flashing, 7.17 Aspect Ratio, 7.18 Multiple Edits, 7.19 Fade to Color, 8.8. Burnt-in Ratings, 8.9. Ratings for Explicit Music Videos in South Korea, 9.8. Lyricists for Bollywood Musicals, 10.6. Anime Artist Names, and 11.5. Composer Name Formatting.

  • Clarified

    • Guidelines for section 2.6. Various Artists are clarified in Primary Artist Roles.

    • Classical Guidelines in the Primary Artists section states Primary Artist guidelines should only be used for the Classical genre and do not apply to Classical Crossover.

  • Moved

    • Section 9.13. Lyrics for Indian music to Lyrics section, updated title to Scripts, and updated content.

Style Standards and Guidelines

1. Essentials

General

The most critical guidelines to consider when preparing your content for delivery are:

The following kinds of content may be rejected:

1.1. Use of Apple Inc. Copyrighted Terms. Content that is not produced by Apple Inc. must not use Apple trademarks (including the Apple logo, Apple Inc., or Apple product names, such as iPhone, Apple Music, or iTunes) in the cover art or metadata in a manner that makes the content appear to be Apple-branded.

1.2. Advertising. Metadata, audio, and cover art must not contain advertising. For example, metadata must not contain references to competitors of Apple Music or iTunes, nor to any URLs, logos, or dates for future product releases. Search terms and keywords must not be included in metadata or cover art.

1.3. Editorial Corrections. Apple Music and iTunes reserve the right to correct any errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

1.4. Complete Albums and Tracks. All tracks that exist on the physical version must be delivered and the track count must match. For example, if the physical version of an album has ten tracks, and the version provided contains eight tracks, the album is incomplete. The album will be marked Partial and the Buy Album button will not be displayed on iTunes.

1.5. Track Count Limit. An album must not have more than 500 tracks.

Language and Localizations

Language-specific guidelines can be found in Europe, Russia, Central Asia, and South Asia Language Guidelines and Asia-Pacific Language Guidelines sections of the guide. Here are some key considerations for languages and localization usage:

  • 1.6. Metadata Language. To ensure that accents and capitalizations appear correctly on Apple Music and iTunes, the appropriate language must be set in the metadata at the album level. Language codes must match the language of the metadata, not the audio.

  • 1.7. Track Audio Language. The appropriate audio language must be set in the metadata at the track level. Language code(s) must match the language spoken or sung in the audio. Nonlinguistic content must be flagged ‘zxx’.

  • 1.8. Localizations. Localizations enhance the discoverability of your content. Provide Artist and Title metadata in the primary language you’ve chosen for your content. Accurate localizations should be provided for all languages you have available, unless you want the metadata to appear in the primary language in all territories.

Here are two examples of localized metadata for Hebrew- and Arabic-language albums:

Field Name

Hebrew

English

Album Title

מרוץ החיים

Merotz Hachaim

Album Artist

שרית חדד

Sarit Hadad

Track Title

הגוֹרל הטוב

Hagoral Hatov

Track Artist

שרית חדד

Sarit Hadad

Track Title

אהבה בתיכי

Ahava Betochi

Track Artist

שרית חדד

Sarit Hadad

Field Name

Arabic

English

Album Title

على فين

Ala Fain

Album Artist

ايمن معروف

Ayman Maarouf

Track Title

حبيبي ارجعلي

Habeebi Ergaali

Track Artist

ايمن معروف

Ayman Maarouf

1.9. Side-by-Side Translations. Do not use side-by-side translations in metadata. Use only one language in each entry or localization.

1.10. Emoji. Do not use emoji in titles, artist names, lyrics, or other metadata.

Editorial Hides

Unlike tickets, editorial hides cannot be fixed by a redelivery or metadata update. For the best possible customer experience, Apple Music and iTunes may hide content from the store for editorial reasons:

  • 1.11. Curated Artist. Content will be hidden using the reason Curated Artist when Apple Music has curated an artist’s page and decided there are sufficient instances of a song or catalog available. If delivering public domain content, send only a version created from the best available source.

  • 1.12. Repeated Submissions. Content will be hidden using the reason Repeated Submissions if multiple copies of the same content and/or audio files are submitted with a slightly different title and/or artist. Do not send duplicate versions of the same content (such as the same album with a rearranged track list, near-identical greatest hits albums, or compilation or holiday albums with similar or identical track lists).

  • 1.13. Misleading. Content will be hidden using the reason Misleading if designed to mislead customers by mimicking popular content, or use of search terms or additional, inaccurate information. This includes but is not limited to trademarked artist names, album titles, or song titles that are similar or identical to popular culture brands or franchises, such as movies, theater, books, podcasts, social media, studios, and TV shows, titles, or characters. This also applies to trademarked imagery, logos, and fonts associated with those pop culture franchises. This also includes deceptive information in the title, such as "Royalty Free" or "Public Domain."

    Sound-alikes, cover versions, or tribute songs that sound very similar to the original, aren't accepted. Recordings that include a similar name, title, or image of a popular artist in the content title or cover art may be hidden for editorial reasons. This content may not violate copyright law, but it can cause customer confusion.

  • 1.14. Cultural Sensitivities. Content will be hidden using the reason Sensitive Material. It is your responsibility to be knowledgable about local regulations and cultural sensitivities. Content must be legal and appropriate for the country or region where cleared.

  • 1.15. Nazi Propaganda. Content will be hidden using the reason Refusal. Content must not depict Nazi symbolism as restricted by the Strafgesetzbuch section 86a if the content is cleared for sale in Germany (DE), Austria (AT), Switzerland (CH), or any other country or region that restricts Nazi propaganda.

    If content violating this rule is submitted, your entire catalog may be subject to suspension in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and any other applicable country or region.

  • 1.16. Snippets and Repetitious Tracks. Content will be hidden using the reason Refusal if snippets or repetitious tracks are used repeatedly across singles or albums.

  • 1.17. Other Content Not Permitted. Content that falls in any of the below categories of music will be hidden:

    • Subliminal content

    • Karaoke music videos and ringtones

    • Karaoke tracks with lead vocals or vocal versions

    • Ringtones delivered as tracks on music albums

    • DJ Mix albums delivered as a single audio file

    • Advertisement tracks

    • Live Albums, Alternate Takes, Rare Recordings, Early Recordings, Radio Broadcasts, Interviews, and other albums commonly referred to as “Bootlegs

    1.18. Apple Music and iTunes Terms and Conditions. All music submitted to Apple Music and iTunes is bound by the Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions. The Apple Music and iTunes Service may offer interactive features that allow you to submit materials (including links to third-party content) on areas of the Apple Music and iTunes Service accessible and viewable by the public. You agree that any use by you of such features, including any materials submitted by you, shall be your sole responsibility, and shall not infringe upon or violate the rights of any other party. You also agree that these materials will not violate any laws, contribute to or encourage infringing or otherwise unlawful conduct, or otherwise be obscene, objectionable, or in poor taste.

2. Names and Credits

Naming Conventions and Rules

We must receive all artist names and credits for your music, audio, or music videos upon delivery.

To ensure consistency, refer to Recommended Contributor Roles in iTunes Package Music Specifications. If an instrument or role is not listed, you can still deliver it.

For standard credits consult the Library of Congress Medium of Performance Thesaurus for Music PDF Files and the American Library Association RDA Toolkit.

2.1. Accuracy. Full, standard name spellings must be used for all artists and other credits on all content. The spelling of names must be correct and remain consistent across the entire recording and all content for that artist. Artist and other names must not include any additional information, such as role, date, instrument, former band, website, and so on.

Artist name format: First name, Last name. For example, Fred Smith.

Examples:

Correct

Incorrect

Reason

Joe Satriani

Joe Satriani (Guitarist)

Includes artist’s instrument

Slash

Slash (Of Guns N’ Roses)

Includes band name

Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Includes birth and death dates

Joey Boy

Joey Boy โจอี้ บอย

Includes translation

Mickey Mouse

Mickey Mouse Bret Iwa

Includes voice actor’s name

2.2. Generic Genres and Names. Generic names, such as White Noise, Yoga, Workout, Meditation, Baby, Christmas, Top Hits, Chorus, Orchestra, or Singer are not accepted. Additionally, generic genre names, such as Rock, Hip Hop, or Smooth Jazz for example, will not be accepted.

Correct

Incorrect

Smooth Jazz All-Stars

Smooth Jazz

White Noise Therapy Group

White Noise

Baby Lullaby Academy

Lullabies

2.3. Compound Artist. Each artist field must only contain one artist name.

Track Title

Correct Artist Name

Incorrect Artist Name

Ebony and Ivory

Paul McCartney (Primary)

Stevie Wonder (Primary)

Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder (Primary)

Bang Bang

Jessie J (Primary)

Ariana Grande (Primary)

Nicki Minaj (Primary)

Jessie J &

Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj (Primary)

2.4. Reverse Compound Artist. Artists who are generally listed together as a band are not considered compound artists and must be listed together.

Examples:

  • Simon & Garfunkel

  • Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe

  • Brooks & Dunn

  • Katrina & The Waves

  • Dizzy Gillespie & His Fab Five

2.5. Studio Musicians. Production house, label name, or studio can be used as the artist name for content, such as video game soundtracks, or contracted musician-style content, such as generic holiday or elevator music.

Examples:

  • MGM Studio Orchestra

  • Hollywood Studio Symphony

  • EA Games Studio Orchestra

  • The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section

Primary Artist Roles

2.6. Primary Performing Artist. The main performing artist must be listed as Primary at the album and track level.

For artists using “Meets” or “vs.,” all artists involved must be listed at the track level and identified as Primary. The terms “Meets” and “vs.” must only appear in the album or track title.

Track Title

In My Dreams (Adrima Meets Vinylshakerz) [Adrima EDM Edit]

Track Artists

Adrima (Primary)

Vinylshakerz (Primary)

Track Title

Brute (Ferry Corsten vs. Armin van Buuren)

Track Artists

Ferry Corsten (Primary)

Armin van Buuren (Primary)

A performing presenting artist must be credited at the track level and identified as Primary.

Track Title

Serious Love (Mind Fair Presents 21st Century Fox) [The Rhythm Odyssey Mix]

Track Artists

Mind Fair (Primary)

21st Century Fox (Primary)

Track Title

Electrify (Fabio XB Rework Edit) [Lange & Fabio XB Present Yves De Lacroix]

Track Artists

Yves De Lacroix (Primary)

Lange (Primary)

Fabio XB (Primary)

When artists are performing in the role of a character, the “Character” name can be used as the Primary artist. Do not use Primary role for both the Character and Performer.

2.7. Various Artists. If there are five or more Primary artists listed on the album, the album-level Primary artist must be Various Artists. Various Artists must not be a track-level artist. Various Artists must be the only Primary artist when it's used. "Various Artists" and "John Smith" are not acceptable together. If crediting a one-track single, all primary artists must be credited at the album level.

Variations or abbreviations of "Various Artists" (for example, “V/A,” “V.A.,” “Various,” “Various Artist,” or “Varios”) must not be used. Translated versions of "Various Artists" are acceptable as long as they are consistent with the content’s language.

Scores and Musicals from stage, screen, or TV must not use Various Artists. Album-level Primary artists must be the composer and lyricist. Principal performers can be listed as primary artists at the album-level. Do not list more than four artists as Primary at the album level.

Language

Translation

Arabic

فنانون متنوعون

Chinese (Simplified)

群星

Chinese (Traditional)

群星

Dutch

Verschillende artiesten

Finnish

Eri esittäjiä

French

Multi-interprètes

German

Verschiedene Interpreten

Greek

Διάφοροι καλλιτέχνες

Hebrew

אמנים שונים

Italian

Artisti Vari

Portuguese

Vários intérpretes

Russian

Разные исполнители

Spanish

Varios Artistas

Swedish

Blandade Artister

Thai

รวมศิลปิน

Turkish

Çeşitli Sanatçılar

2.8. DJ Mixes. Albums that are a collection of different tracks mixed together or separate tracks compiled by a DJ or artist must list the DJ or artist at album level and identify them as primary. Tracks that appear on DJ mixes must list the original artists as primary.

Album Title

A State of Trance 2015

Album Artist

Armin van Buuren (Primary)

Track Title

Pegasus

Track Artist

Protoculture (Primary)

Track Title

Panta Rhei

Track Artist

Armin van Buuren (Primary)

Mark Sixma (Primary)

Album Title

4 To the Floor Presents Nu Groove (DJ Mix)

Album Artist

Luke Solomon (Primary)

Track Title

Tech Trax Inc. (Xplanitory Mix) [Mixed]

Track Artist

Tech Trax Inc. (Primary)

2.9. Remixes. Remix tracks, including sped up, slowed down, and lo-fi versions of tracks must list the original artist as Primary with the remixer assigned the remixer role.

Album Title

MMXX – VIII (feat. Lunice) [Kornél Kovács Remix] - Single

Album Artists

Diplo (Primary)

Lunice (Featuring)

Kornél Kovács (Remixer)

Track Title

MMXX – VIII (feat. Lunice) [Kornél Kovács Remix]

Track Artists

Diplo (Primary)

Lunice (Featuring)

Kornél Kovács (Remixer)

Track Title

ICU (Sped Up Version)

Track Artists

Coco Jones

Track Title

Tokyo (Lo-Fi Version)

Track Artists

Leat’eq

2.10. Scores. Albums that contain instrumental tracks that are originally scored for film must credit film score composers at the album and track level as Primary artists and the Composer role. If there are additional performers (for example, orchestra, soloist, band), then list those performers as primary at the album and track level.

Example: Star Wars: A New Hope (Original Motion Picture Score) [Album Level]

Album Title

Star Wars: A New Hope (Original Motion Picture Score)

Album Artists

John Williams (Primary 1)

John Williams [Non-Primary] (Composer)

London Symphony Orchestra (Primary 2)

Example: Star Wars: A New Hope - “Main Title” [Track Level]

Track Title

Main Title

Track Artists

John Williams (Primary 1)

John Williams (Composer)

London Symphony Orchestra (Primary 2)

2.11. Musicals. The composer and lyricist (or Music Director) must be listed with the Primary artist role at the album level as the first artist. The composer and lyricist must be credited with the composer and lyricist roles at the track level. Vocalists must be credited as Primary Artists at the track level.

Example: Frozen (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Album Level]

Album Title

Frozen (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Album Artist

Robert Lopez (Primary 1)

Robert Lopez [Non-Primary] (Composer)

Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Primary 2)

Kristen Anderson-Lopez [Non-Primary] (Lyricist)

Christophe Beck (Primary 3)

Christophe Beck [Non-Primary] (Composer)

Idina Menzel (Primary 4)

Kristen Bell (Primary 5)

Example: Frozen - “For the First Time in Forever” [Track Level]

Track Title

For the First Time in Forever

Track Artist

Kristen Bell (Primary 1)

Kristen Bell [Non-Primary] (Vocals)

Idina Menzel (Primary 2)

Idina Menzel [Non-Primary] (Vocals)

Robert Lopez [Non-Primary] (Composer)

Kristen Anderson-Lopez [Non-Primary] (Lyricist)

Example: Frozen - “Let It Go (Single Version)” [Track Level]

Track Title

Let It Go (Single Version)

Track Artist

Demi Lovato (Primary)

Robert Lopez [Non-Primary] (Composer)

Kristen Anderson-Lopez [Non-Primary] (Lyricist)

Example: Frozen - “Epilogue” [Track Level]

Track Title

Epilogue

Track Artist

Christophe Beck (Primary)

Christophe Beck [Non-Primary] (Composer)

2.12. Karaoke, Tribute, Japanese Orgel, Parody, Cover Albums, and Ringtones. For these, the name of the original artist must not be displayed in any artist field on the track level or the album level.

Examples:

  • The Billy Joel Tribute Band is not an acceptable artist name.

  • Karaoke must not be used as the artist name unless it is part of the legal entity name, such as The Karaoke Kangaroos or All Star Karaoke.

Non-Primary Artist

2.13. Special Guests or Featured Artists. Special guests or featured artists must be given the Featuring or With role. If the featured artist is the same on every track, the featured artist must also be listed at the album level. Artists with Featuring or With roles must not be marked Primary. If the credited primary artist is a collective, do not credit performing members of the collective with a featuring artist designation.

Formatting of "feat." and "with" in titles must be lowercase, in English, not localized, and in parentheses or brackets. Do not use any other spelling (for example, “featuring,” “Featuring,” “Feat,” “w/,” and so on).

Track Title (feat. Artist)

Dearly Departed (feat. Esmé Patterson)

Track Title (with Artist)

That Old Black Magic (with The Dave Brubeck Trio)

Track Title (feat. Artist 1 & Artist 2)

Body Language (feat. Usher & Tinashe)

Track Title

(feat. Artist 1, Artist 2 & Artist 3)

We Dem Boyz (feat. Rick Ross, ScHoolboy Q & Nas)

Note: If Featuring or With artist roles are used in the initial delivery, the featured artist name will automatically be added by Apple Music or iTunes to the album or track title.

2.14. Performers. Performing artists, as well as individual ensemble or other performance contributors, must be credited accurately at the track level with their specific instruments and/or roles. These artists must not be given the Primary or Featured/With roles at either the album or track level unless they are also Primary or Featured/With artists on the recording.

If a track includes a sample of previously released work by an artist, credit that artist with the Sampled Artist role. Do not credit sampled artists as a Primary or Featured artist unless obligated by the rights holder.

Non-performing presenting artists must only be named in the title and not marked as Primary artists. Credit these artists as Presenting artists.

Example: The Beatles - Rubber Soul [Album Level]

Album Title

Rubber Soul

Album Artist

The Beatles (Primary)

George Martin [Non-Primary] (Producer)

George Martin [Non-Primary] (Mixing Engineer)

Norman Smith [Non-Primary] (Studio Engineer)

Norman Smith [Non-Primary] (Mixing Engineer)

Sean Magee [Non-Primary] (Remastering Engineer)

Robert Freeman [Non-Primary] (Photography)

Example: The Beatles - “In My Life” [Track Level]

Track Title

In My Life

Track Artist

The Beatles (Primary)

John Lennon [Non-Primary] (Lead Vocals)

John Lennon [Non-Primary] (Rhythm Guitar)

John Lennon [Non-Primary] (Songwriter)

Paul McCartney [Non-Primary] (Harmony Vocals)

Paul McCartney [Non-Primary] (Bass Guitar)

George Harrison [Non-Primary] (Harmony Vocals)

George Harrison [Non-Primary] (Lead Guitar)

Ringo Starr [Non-Primary] (Drums)

George Martin [Non-Primary] (Piano)

Unknown [Non-Primary] (Bells)

Example: Johnny Aloha - Lavapalooza (Richard Cheese Presents Johnny Aloha)

Album Title

Lavapalooza (Richard Cheese Presents Johnny Aloha)

Album Artist

Johnny Aloha (Primary)

Track Artist

U.S.D.A. (Primary)

Track Title

Cold Summer (Young Jeezy Presents U.S.D.A.)

2.15. Composition and Lyrics. Roles related to the underlying composition or lyrical content of a recording must have the appropriate roles listed at the track level. If a single artist has written all words or lyrics for all recordings on an album, the appropriate roles must be listed at both the album and track levels. If an artist is also a composer, credit them with the Composer role as well.

If the album contains selections of unknown authorship, such as a folk song or Gregorian chant, use Anonymous or Traditional as the composer. Any delivery found using this role erroneously will be hidden.

2.16. Production and Engineering. Roles such as Producer, Recording Engineer, or Graphic Designer must be credited at the album level if consistent throughout the album. Otherwise, note these contributors at the track level. These artists must not be marked as the Primary artist at either the album or track level.

2.17. Administrative. Contributions to a recording from label, management, and related personnel for example, Product Manager, A&R (Artist and Repertoire), Artist Manager, or Publisher should be delivered if available.

3. Titles

General

3.1. Accuracy. Titles must be accurate and formatted correctly. Do not use generic titles, such as Track 1, Track 2, or Instrumental, unless they are the actual titles of the tracks or ringtones.

3.2. Additional Information. The standard, original version of an album, track, or music video must not include any additional information in the title unless it is needed to identify the content.

For example, titles must not include Exclusive, Limited Edition, Album Version, Original Mix, Tone, Alert Tone, Text Tone, Ringtone, Ringtone Version, E-Release, Digital Only, Digital Download, Digital Single, E-Album, 2 CD Set, With Lyrics, Clips from, Official Music Video, Full Song Video, Full Version, Atmos, Dolby Atmos, lossless, high-resolution audio, high resolution, spatial audio, 24-bit, 192 kHz, 128 kHz, or 96 kHz.

Do not submit any title version information that is already addressed with Apple Music or iTunes badges. Apple Music or iTunes display a badge or blurb for the following, so titles must not include:

  • Clean Version

  • Explicit Version

  • Apple Digital Masters

  • Dolby Atmos

  • Lossless

Correct

Incorrect

Reason

New York Eye & Ear Control

New York Eye & Ear Control (1964)

Includes release date

Dawns Welcome to the Club (feat. Ricky J)

Dawns Welcome to the Club - Album (feat. Ricky J)

Includes “Album”

I'll Be Walking Alone in a Crowd

12. I'll Be Walking Alone in a Crowd

Includes track number

Campus Girl - Single

Campus Girl (Produced By T.J. Douglas) - Single

Includes additional information at the album level

Shadow

Shadow - Rock Top 40 Indie Pop

Includes search terms

Draw the Line

Aerosmith - Draw the Line

Includes artist information

Rumours

Rumours (Dolby Atmos Version)

Includes Dolby Atmos reference

3.3. Singles. An album must be identified as a single if it contains one to three songs that are less than 10 minutes each. “- Single” must appear at the end of the title. If “- Single” is not included in the title, we will add it automatically.

Note: Videos are not counted as songs.

3.4. EPs. An album must be identified as an EP if it has:

  • One to three songs with one song at least 10 minutes long and a total running time of 30 minutes or less

  • Four to six songs with a total running time of 30 minutes or less

“- EP” must appear at the end of the title. If “- EP” is not included in the title, we will add it automatically.

Note: Videos are not counted as songs.

Version Information

3.5. Album Version Information. If multiple versions of an album exist, use the album title version to indicate the correct version.

If an album offers more content than the standard version of the album (for example, extra tracks or a bonus video), indicate the difference in the title. If an audio-only version of a CD+DVD is delivered to Apple Music or iTunes, the album title must include the term “Audio Version.” An album containing only music videos needs to be labeled "Video Album" in the Album title version.

Version

Example

Bonus Track Version

Sadecessary (Bonus Track Version)

Deluxe Edition

The Endless River (Deluxe Edition)

Extended Version

Tear the Roof Up (Extended Version)

Bonus Video Version

Mi Quimera (Bonus Video Version)

Bonus Digital Booklet Version

Fallen Leaves & Dead Sparrows (Bonus Digital Booklet Version)

Audio Version

Celebrate - Live At the SSE Hydro Glasgow (Audio Version)

Live Video Album

Folk. Rock. Spirit. Reclaimed: Tuelo Live (Video Album)

3.6. Multiple Version References. Content that requires multiple explanatory references in the title (for example, live EPs, soundtracks, live albums, and so on), must have the first explanatory reference enclosed in parentheses (”( )”) with any additional references enclosed in brackets (”[ ]”). Note that by delivering content using the title version field, parentheses and brackets will be applied by Apple automatically.

Track Title

All of Me (Tiësto’s Birthday Treatment Remix) [Radio Edit]

Track Title

Numb (feat. B. o. B. & Yo Gotti) [Bonus Track]

Track Title

(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave [In the Style of Martha Reeves]

3.7. Multiple Albums and Medley Tracks. Multiple album or track titles in the title field must be separated by a slash. Note that you must place a space before and after the slash.

Album Title

The Sunset Sleeps / Hometown Gypsy - Single

Album Title

Blonde on Blonde / Blood on the Tracks / Time out of Mind

3.8. Formatting. Title formatting in a series should be consistent. Descriptors like Part and Volume should be abbreviated with “Pt.” and “Vol.” Titles should be formatted as “Title, Vol. x” and “Title, Pt. x,” where x is a number.

Album Title

Dead Presidents, Vol. 1

Track Title

The Payback, Pt. 1

3.9. Track Version Information. All track titles performed by the same artist on an album must be unique, except for different versions of the same track that are differentiated by Parental Advisory tags. To differentiate multiple versions of the same track title, use terms in parentheses or brackets such as:

  • Alternate Take (for example, 1, 2, and so on)

  • Live

  • Instrumental

  • Single Version

  • Radio Edit

  • Special Format Mix (for example, 12“ Mix)

  • Extended

  • Session Date Version (for example, 1947 Version)

  • Incomplete

  • Rehearsal

  • Breakdown

  • Male Version

  • TikTok Version

  • Sped Up

  • Slowed Down

  • Lo-Fi

For Music Videos:

  • Visualizer

  • Live Audio

  • Vertical

  • Lyric Video

Standard spellings with no abbreviations should be used for track title version information.

3.10. Rerecorded Versions. If a track is rerecorded, the track title must include “Rerecorded.” A rerecorded track may be hidden for editorial reasons if the original “hit” version is live in Apple Music or iTunes.

Album Title

In the Still of the Night (Rerecorded Version)

Track Title

In the Still of the Night (Rerecorded)

Album Title

The Legend of the Drifters (Rerecorded Version)

Track Title

Stand by Me (Rerecorded)

3.11. Remastered Versions and New Mixes of Previously Released Recordings. The year of remastering should be included in the title version to properly indicate the version of the master. For example, 2017 Remastered Version. Albums or tracks that are designated as Remastered in the title version must be delivered with the first-known release date of the original version of the recording.

In cases where an entirely new mix has been created for a previously released album, the album must also be delivered with the first-known release date of the original version of the album. The year of the new mix should also be noted. For example, 2013 Mix.

3.12. Soundtrack Version Information. Soundtracks and scores must include version information in the album title, enclosed in parentheses or brackets.

O.S.T. abbreviation should not be used as an album or song title version for scores, movies, TV, musicals, or video games.

If the tracks are compiled from different soundtracks, each track title must indicate the soundtrack (From “Soundtrack Name”).

Singles from the soundtrack should have the same album and track title in the format Track Title (From “Movie Name”).

Soundtrack remixes must not include the movie title if the track is not from the original soundtrack.

Musicals must reference the year and location of the performance or release. Do not use the word “Original” if the performance is not the initial staging or release of the production.

Album Title Version

Example

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Interstellar (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Original Score

Guardians of the Galaxy (Original Score)

Music Inspired By the Film

Dazed & Confused (Music Inspired by the Film)

Original Off-Broadway Cast

The Threepenny Opera (Original Off-Broadway Cast)

Original Game Soundtrack

Dragon Age Inquisition (Original Game Soundtrack)

Music from the Original TV Series

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (Music from the Original TV Series), Vol. 1

Music videos taken from musical films must contain a title version that refers to the film such as (From “Name of Film”).

  • Main Title (From Game of Thrones: Season 7)

  • Main Title (From The Wizard of Oz Soundtrack)

  • Flying Theme (From "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”)

  • Luke and Leia (From "Return of the Jedi”)

For Chinese language content, see Other Asia-Pacific Countries and Regions.

3.13. DJ Mixes Version Information. DJ Mix albums must include a title version of "DJ Mix" in the album-level version information. Mixed tracks appearing on a DJ Mix must include the title version [Mixed] after all other version information.

Album Title

Bargrooves Summer 2018 (DJ Mix)

Album Artist

Jon White (Primary)

Track Title

Can’t Get Enough! (Dr Packer Extended Remix) [Mixed]

Track Artist

Soulsearcher (Primary)

Dr Packer (Remixer)

Eric Mathews (Composer)

Gary Turner (Composer)

Marc Pomeroy (Composer)

Track Title

Caught Up (feat. Yasmeen)

[Kings of Tomorrow Remix] [Mixed]

Track Artist

Sonny Fodera (Primary)

Yasmeen (Featuring)

Kings of Tomorrow (Remixer)

Sonny Fodera (Songwriter)

Yasmeen Sulieman (Songwriter)

3.14. Remixes Collections Version Information. Albums that are a collection of remixes of the same track must indicate this in the album title. To avoid identical track titles, the titles must include enough information about the remixes to differentiate them.

If an artist is featured on the original song, the remix should be formatted as “Title (feat. Artist) [Remix].” If an artist is not featured on the original song, the remix should be formatted as “Title (Remix) [feat. Artist].”

Album Title

Dancing in the Key of Life (Remixes)

Track Title

Dancing in the Key of Life (M.I.K.E. Push Remix)

Dancing in the Key of Life (Michael Gin Remix)

Album Title

Somebody That I Used to Know (feat. Kimbra) [Tiësto Remix]

Track Title

Somebody That I Used to Know (feat. Kimbra) [Tiësto Remix]

Album Title

Alors on danse (Remixes) - EP

Track Title

Alors on danse (feat. Kanye West) [Remix]

Alors on danse (feat. Erik Hassle) [Remix]

Alors on danse (Solo Remix)

3.15. Live Recording Version Information. If the audio is from a live recording, the title version must be indicated as “Live.” Territory-specific versions (”Ao Vivo” in Portuguese, and “En Vivo” or “En Directo” in Spanish) should be used. Do not use “Live” for Standup Comedy albums.

If the version includes time and venue, it should be formatted as Live at Place, Year/Date. For example:

  • One More Saturday Night (Live at Palladium, New York, 1977)

  • One More Saturday Night (Live at Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, CO, 7/8/1978)

For music videos to be considered Live, audio and video must match and be from the same performance. Prerecorded audio set to different performance footage is not considered Live.

3.16. Karaoke, Tribute, Japanese Orgel, Parody, and Ringtones. The album title must not begin with the original artist name.

For example, “Kelly Clarkson: The Bluegrass Tribute” is not an acceptable album title. Instead, format the title as “The Bluegrass Tribute to Kelly Clarkson.”

Album Title

A Tribute to Bob Seger

Album Artists

Bob Hollis (Primary)

South by South (Primary)

Album Title

Here Comes the Sun: A Reggae Tribute to The Beatles

Album Artists

Steel Pulse (Primary)

The Burning Souls (Primary)

Track or ringtone titles for cover, orgel, parody songs, or tributes must not make reference to the original artist. Do not use phrases such as “Originally Performed By,” “In the Style of,” “Tribute to,” or “Cover of.”

Karaoke track titles can make reference to the original artist. You must use clarifying language to ensure that consumers will not think those artists are performing. You should use phrases such as “Originally Performed By... (original artist name).”

Titles of karaoke albums and tracks must indicate that they are an instrumental or karaoke version.

Version

Example

Karaoke Version

Grenade (Karaoke Version)

Instrumental Version

Don’t Stop Believin’ (Instrumental Version)

Version karaoké

Marguerite (Version karaoké)

3.17. Silent, Hidden, and Ghost Tracks. Silent, hidden, and ghost tracks must be clearly labeled in the track title.

Version

Example

Silent Track

Outro (Silent Track)

Hidden Track

A Rockin' Good Way (feat. Maceo Parker) [Hidden Track]

Ghost Track

Open My Eyes (Ghost Track)

3.18. Performance, Backing, and Split Tracks. If a track is a performance track, backing track, or split track, that information must be included in the title.

3.19. Booklet Title. Digital Booklet title should follow the format: Digital Booklet - Album title.

Casing and Accents

3.20. Non-standard Capitalization. Titles should not be in all capitals, all lowercase, or random casing.

3.21. English Title Casing. English titles should be in title case format and follow the casing conventions as outlined below. In addition, for English, words before and after a dash (-), slash (/), or colon (:) must be capitalized.

This section applies to titles in English only. For general cases not addressed in this guide, refer to The Chicago Manual of Style.

The following words must be in lowercase, with a few exceptions:

  • a, an, and, as, but, for, from, nor, of, or, so, the, to, and yet.

  • Prepositions of four letters or fewer (at, by, for, from, in, into, of, off, on, onto, out, over, to, up, and with), 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).

Examples:

  • In the Still of the Night

  • (You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman

  • To Be, or Not to Be

  • The One and Only

  • God Willing & the Creek Don't Rise

  • Some Kind of Trouble

  • Love: And a Million Other Things

  • Journey: Greatest Hits

  • I Need a Doctor

  • Just the Way You Are

  • Waiting for the End

  • The Ballad of Mona Lisa

  • Lost in a Pair of Eyes

  • I Got The - Single

  • The Love I’m Searching For

Exceptions For Lowercase Words

Always capitalize the first and last word in a title. Capitalize the first and last word in parentheses. For example:

  • To Be, or Not to Be

  • What They're Looking For

  • War (What Is It Good For?)

  • (You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman

These rules also apply for purposely misspelled words.

  • In da House

  • Kill 'Em n' Grill 'Em

  • It's fo' Realz

Uppercase Words in Title Case

Are, If, Is, It, Than, That, This

3.22. Accents and Characters. Supported languages must include all accents. For a list of supported languages, see Language Codes in the iTunes Package Music Specification.

Examples:

  • Hôtel d’Angleterre

  • Révérence

  • Kärlek är ett brev skickat tusen gånger

  • Max Gazzè

  • L’uomo più furbo

  • Les plus belles chansons françaises

  • Un monstre à Paris ! (du film « Un monstre à Paris »)

  • Vài Lần Đón Đưa

For German names and titles, all characters common in German orthography must be used (for example, Ä ä, Ö ö, Ü ü, ß). Do not use digraphs.

Correct

Incorrect

Ihre größten Erfolge

Ihre groessten Erfolge

1000 Träume weit

1000 Traeume weit

4. Genres

For a complete list of acceptable genres, see the iTunes Package Music Specification Addendum: Music, Music Video, and Ringtone Genre Codes.

Not every genre has a genre page in iTunes and the list may change at any time. You must only select genres from this list, regardless of what language your content may be in (for example, a French hip hop track should be submitted as Hip Hop/Rap). Genre names are automatically translated for each Apple Music or iTunes territory.

4.1. Accuracy. The first genre listed will be the primary genre and must be the best description for the content. A second genre is not required, but it should be used when applicable. Primary and secondary genres must not be egregiously misclassified (for example, Hip Hop/Rap in place of Children’s Music).

Note: Content will only chart in the first primary genre. Albums with Latin genres or the K-Pop genre will chart in both the primary and secondary genres.

4.2. Genre Specificity. Use the most specific primary genre that applies to your music, such as Pop in Spanish y Tropical, instead of more generic genres such as Latin or Pop.

Soundtracks, or ringtones from a soundtrack, must use Soundtrack as the primary genre.

Music from Anime must use Anime as the primary genre.

Karaoke content must use Karaoke as the primary genre. This includes backing tracks, performance tracks, or any other type of content that could be identified as Karaoke.

Fitness remixes and fitness cover versions of tracks must use the Fitness & Workout genre.

4.3. Indian Genres. Indian music must have at least one Indian genre or Indian subgenre for the album (Primary or Secondary, as applicable). The language-specific genre must be Primary for Indian soundtrack albums.

Apart from Hindi, all other Indian Regional languages have their respective genres that you must list as the Primary genre:

Assamese, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Haryanvi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. Any regional language not found in the aforementioned list can be classified as Primary Genre Regional Indian.

The music-specific genre should be Primary for Indian pop, Indian folk, Indian classical, Devotional and Spiritual, Sufi, and Ghazals albums.

Some languages have respective primary genres that must be credited for their respective content. If a secondary genre is required, it is included in the examples below:

Hindi Movie Albums

Primary Genre

Bollywood

Secondary Genre

Soundtrack

Regional Indian Movie Albums (Tamil, Telugu, Bhojpuri, and so on)

Primary Genre

Tamil

Secondary Genre

Soundtrack

Devotional and Spiritual Albums

Primary Genre

Devotional & Spiritual

Indian Pop Albums

Primary Genre

Indian Pop

Secondary Genre

Tamil

Indian Folk Albums

Primary Genre

Indian Folk

Sufi Albums

Primary Genre

Sufi

Ghazal Albums

Primary Genre

Ghazals

Indian Vocal Classical Albums (Hindustani and Carnatic Classical)

Primary Genre

Carnatic Classical

Secondary Genre

Tamil

Instrumental Classical Albums

Primary Genre

Indian Classical

Secondary Genre

Instrumental

4.4. Classical Genres. Use the Classical genre for all albums that feature Western classical music. This broadly includes music composed between approx. A.D. 800 and today within the Western art music tradition.

For classical albums, use Classical for the primary genre and include additional classical subgenres as secondary genres to provide specificity.

Example: Bach - Cello Suites Album

Primary Genre

Classical

Secondary Genre

Classical > Cello

Classical > Baroque Era

Classical > Solo Instrumental

Use the genre Classical Crossover for the following types of music:

  • Popular music performed in a classical style.

  • Music from the standard classical repertoire performed in a popular style.

  • Music that isn’t part of the standard classical repertoire but is performed by an artist that primarily works in, is best known for, or whose main genre(s) is classical music.

  • Music that broadly follows classical aesthetics but is composed and/or performed by an artist that primarily works in, or is best known for, or whose main genre(s) is nonclassical music.

  • Music that broadly follows classical aesthetics but is marketed toward a nonclassical audience.

  • Music that cannot be ascribed to, and/or does not position itself within the history of Western classical music and its compositional tropes.

  • Compilations featuring both nonclassical songs as well as standard classical works which are marketed toward a nonclassical audience.

Classical and Classical Crossover genres must not be used for albums that fall outside of the Western art music tradition, including new age, soundtracks, folk, meditation, and so on.

5. Original Release Dates

5.1. Accuracy. Albums, tracks, and music videos must be delivered with the release date of their original issue, digitally or physically, regardless of version or country or region of origin. For all albums released after the year 2000, deliver at the level of day, month, and year. For deep catalog albums released before the year 2000, deliver this metadata to the extent it is known whether it be to the day, month, or year.

6. Parental Advisory

6.1. Explicit Content Flagging. Explicit content must be flagged Explicit with a parental advisory tag. Terms like (Explicit), “(Explicit Version),” “(Dirty),” or “(Dirty Version)” must not be used for album, ringtone, or track titles.

6.2. Clean Version Flagging. Clean versions of audio content with an available explicit version must be flagged Clean to prevent customers from accidentally purchasing the clean version. Only flag tracks as Clean if there is a corresponding explicit version of the track.

Note: Terms like “(Clean),” “(Clean Version),” “(Edited),” or “(Edited Version)” must not be used for album, ringtone, or track titles.

6.3. Censoring Words. Album and track titles must be submitted in the original form that was intended by the artist. Explicit words are automatically censored on Apple Music and the iTunes Store (for example, F**k or S**t). Do not insert the asterisks yourself. Submitting titles and artist names with self censoring or asterisks affects listeners’ ability to search for and find the content they’re looking for.

7. Artwork

General

7.1. Accuracy. Deliver the album’s original cover art whenever possible, and do not use generic art templates or art that doesn’t match the album you’re delivering.

The art must not be misleading. For example, prominently depicting or referencing an artist even though the artist does not perform on the album.

7.2. Quality. Images must not be low quality, pixelated, misaligned, rotated, or have other quality issues.

7.3. Additional Information. Art must not contain website addresses, logos, QR codes, or references to competitors of Apple Music and the iTunes Store.

Art must not contain references to the audio file format, such as Atmos, Dolby Atmos, spatial audio, lossless, high-resolution audio, high resolution, 24-bit, or 192 kHz.

The art must not upsell to another product and must not include references to pricing, such as “Reduced Price,” “Low Price,” “Available for $9.99,” or “For Promo Use.”

7.4. References to Physical Packaging, Digital Products, or Retailers. Art must not include references to the physical packaging, such as CD or vinyl, digital product, or any retailers.

7.5. Pornography. Art must not contain pornography or a URL for a website that contains or links to pornography.

7.6. Cultural Sensitivities. Art must not promote hatred based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national/ethnic origin, or other identities.

Motion Album Artwork

7.7. Accuracy. Motion art must be based on the album cover.

7.8. Motion Graphics. The motion art must be motion graphics, no still frames or video footage.

7.9. Parental Advisory. Artwork must not contain parental advisory logos.

7.10. Typography. Text/title are required in the safe area.

7.11. Looping Motion Artwork. Full animation sequence must be in a seamless loop.

7.12. Key Element Placement. The key art element/artist placement is required in the safe area.

7.13. Start Frame. The start frame must begin on the album cover.

7.14. Drop Frame. Motion art must not have a drop frame or hold frame.

7.15. Frame Edge. Motion cover art must not have a frame.

7.16. Frenetic Flashing. Motion cover art must not show frenetic flashing or flickering motion.

7.17. Aspect Ratio. Pixel aspect ratio must be 1:1 (square pixels).

7.18. Multiple Edits. Album motion must not have multiple edits.

7.19. Fade to Color. Fades are not allowed as a looping technique.

For more information, visit our Apple Music Album Motion Partner Guidelines.

8. Music Videos

Assets

8.1. Quality. Music videos with poor quality (such as glitches, blurriness, incomplete video or audio, no audio, out-of-sync audio and video, and so on) will not be accepted.

8.2. Graphic Overlays and Subtitles. Music videos must not contain chyrons, static or scrolling lyrics, lower-third graphics, subtitles, or lyrics displayed as subtitles.

8.3. Release Dates or Advertisements. Music videos must not contain release dates, logos, QR codes, or advertisements.

8.4. Promotional Still Image Videos. Promotional videos (such as videos displaying only the cover art and audio or slide shows) will not be accepted.

8.5. Non-Standard Music Videos. Non-standard music videos that are not directly related to a song or album will not be accepted.

8.6. Teasers, Trailers, and Partial Videos. Music videos which have been shortened or edited into a promotional teaser, trailer, or partial version will not be accepted.

8.7. Medleys. Medleys are not accepted. Music videos, including live videos, must contain only one song.

8.8. Burnt-in Ratings. Music videos originated and cleared in South Korea must have burnt-in ratings information at the beginning of the video. Live performance videos are exempt from displaying ratings.

8.9. Ratings for Explicit Music Videos in South Korea. Explicit music videos cleared for South Korea must contain the appropriate rating graphic stamp burnt into the asset.

Artwork

8.10. Cover Art. Music videos must use a screen capture image from the video for cover art. Other images, such as album cover art, will not be accepted.

8.11. Inactive Pixels in Cover Art. Only the active pixel area may be included in music video cover art. Music video cover art must not contain inactive pixels, black bars, or letterboxing on the outer portions of the video frames. Inactive pixels on the cover art will not be accepted and must be cropped out.

Europe, Russia, Central Asia, and South Asia Language Guidelines

Western Europe

9.1. Spanish and Portuguese Casing. For Spanish and Portuguese titles, you can decide on either title or sentence casing, as long as the casing is consistent throughout a given album. Capitalize the first word in parentheses or brackets.

In addition, words after a dash ( - ) or slash ( / ) should be capitalized. Words after a ( : ) should be lowercase, except for series and medleys.

Examples:

  • Luz da Tua Voz (Ao Vivo)

  • Popurrí: Guitarras de media noche / Ya no me quieres / Paloma querida (En directo)

  • Sevillanas: La vuelta del camino

  • Adiós querida mía: que te vaya bien

The following Spanish words should always be in lowercase (if title casing is used, these are also the only words that should be lowercase):

a

e

las

por

al

el

los

un

de

en

o

una

del

la

para

y

The following Portuguese words should always be in lowercase (if title casing is used, these are also the only words that should be lowercase):

a

das

nas

pela

à

de

no

pelas

ao

do

nos

pelo

aos

dos

o

pelos

as

e

os

por

pra

pro

às

em

ou

um

da

na

para

uma

9.2. Swedish, French, Italian, and Scandinavian Sentence Casing. Titles should follow the casing conventions of the language it is in. Common language locales that should be in sentence-case format are Swedish, French, Italian, and Scandinavian languages.

Note: A space before and after punctuation marks made up of two parts is required for French content.

Album Title

Track Title

L’amour dans la rue

Jonques de pêcheurs au crépuscule

Il mondo che vorrei

Les chants magnétiques

C’è chi dice no

Il mondo che vorrei

Hoppa upp!

E adesso che tocca a me

För sent för edelweiss

Kärlek är ett brev skickat tusen gånger

Swing de Paris

Sur les monts d'Auvergne

9.3. German Casing. German titles should use sentence case, and the first letter of every noun should be capitalized:

Album Title

Track Title

Was ihr wollt

Ich tu dir weh

So ist das Spiel

Dicke Mädchen haben schöne Namen

9.4. Hörspiel Formatting. Hörspiel (a German dramatized performance or reading) titles must be formatted as follows:

Album Title

Folge 103: Der Hexenschatz

Track Titles

Bibi Blocksberg Lied

Kapitel 1: Florian braucht Hilfe

Kapitel 2: Mit Sina zum Palast

Kapitel 3: Im Labyrinth der Steine

Kapitel 4: Braue den Hextrank!

Note: The language for all parts or chapters must be “Teil” or “Kapitel.”

Hörspiel that are not part of a series but may be based on a movie or TV show must be formatted as follows:

Album Title

Cars 2 (Das Original-Hörspiel zum Film)

Track Titles

Cars 2 - Teil 1

Cars 2 - Teil 2

Cars 2 - Teil 3

Cars 2 - Teil 4

Eastern Europe

9.5. Cyrillic Languages. Content in languages that use the Cyrillic alphabet should not be submitted with transliterated titles. Use Cyrillic in the native title field, English in the English localization field, and transliteration in the available phonetic field. Localizations and transliterations are not required.

Field Name

Russian (Native)

English (Localization)

Album Title

О нём

About Him

Album Artist

Ирина Дубцова

Irina Dubtsova

Track Title

Шёлк

Silk

Track Artist

Ирина Дубцова

Irina Dubtsova

Track Title

Перекрёстки

Crossroads

Track Artist

Ирина Дубцова

Irina Dubtsova

Field Name

Ukrainian (Native)

English (Localization)

Album Title

Мiра

Measure

Album Artist

Океан Eльзи

Okean Elzy

Track Title

День у день

Day by Day

Track Artist

Океан Eльзи

Okean Elzy

Track Title

Зеленi очi

Green Eyes

Track Artist

Океан Eльзи

Okean Elzy

9.6. Cyrillic Casing. Titles in Cyrillic alphabet should be submitted in sentence case format.

India

9.7. Music Directors. All music directors must be listed. For soundtrack albums, music directors must be credited with both the Composer and Primary role at the album level. At the track level, music directors must be listed with the Composer role.

For Indian Classical albums, music directors must be listed with the Composer role on tracks. If the album contains selections of unknown authorship, such as folk songs, chants, or devotionals, use Anonymous or Traditional as the composer.

9.8. Lyricists for Indian Musicals. Lyricists must be credited with both the Lyricist and Primary roles at the album level. At the track level, lyricists must be listed with the Lyricist role and can be listed with the Primary role.

9.9. Actors. Actors must be listed in the Actor role and must not be credited as Primary on soundtrack albums. For more information, see Naming Conventions and Rules.

9.10. Classical Artist Roles. For classical albums, the main performers must be listed as Primary at the album and track level. Artist listings include all relevant artists and contributors to a given song or album. For Jugalbandi albums, all the artists must be listed as Primary at the album and track level. Composers must be in the Composer role only.

9.11. Formatting of Classical Track Titles. Track titles for Indian classical music must include the lyrics, raga, tala, and Indian classical genre information (Thumri, Khayal, Tarana, and so on). Variations or abbreviations of Raga and Taal (such as, raaga, raag, rag, tal, and so on) not be used in the album or track title. Generic titles like Bhajan, Dhun, Ragam, or Tanam are not acceptable.

Indian Classical Vocal Album

Field Name

Metadata

Notes

Album Title

Worship by Music: Pandit Jasraj (Live at Indian Night Stuttgart, 1988)

 

Album Artist

Pandit Jasraj (Primary)

Singer

Sabir Khan (Not Primary)

Tabla player

Sultan Khan (Not Primary)

Sarangi player

Genres

Indian Classical

Primary genre

Vocal

Secondary genre

Track Title

Raga Ahir Bhairav: Khayal In Slow Ek Taal Rasiya Mhara/ Khayal In Fast Teen Taal Aaj to Anand (Live)

Track title with lyrics, raga, and taal information.

Track Artist

Pandit Jasraj (Primary)

Singer

Pandit Jasraj (Primary)

Tabla player

Sultan Khan (Primary)

Sarangi player

Indian Classical Instrumental Album

Field Name

Metadata

Notes

Album Title

India's Maestro of Melody: Live Concert, Vol. 7

Playlist marked ‘Live’

Album Artist

Pandit Nikhil Banerjee (Primary)

Sitar player

Anindo Chatterjee (Not Primary)

Tabla player

Genres

Indian Classical

Primary genre

Instrumental

Secondary genre

Track Title

Raga Maru Bihag: Alap, Jod (Live)

Track marked ‘Live’

Track Artist

Pandit Nikhil Banerjee (Primary)

Sitar player

Anindo Chatterjee (Primary)

Tabla player

Indian Classical Jugalbandi Instrumental Album

Field Name

Metadata

Notes

Album Title

Jugal Bandi – Saxophone & Clarinet

 

Album Artist

Kadri Gopalnath (Primary)

Saxophone player

Narasimhalu Vadavati (Primary)

Clarinet player

Genres

Indian Classical

Primary genre

Instrumental

Secondary genre

Track Artist

Kadri Gopalnath (Primary)

Sitar player

Narasimhalu Vadavati (Primary)

Tabla player

Other Asia-Pacific Countries and Regions

10.1. Chinese Artist Localizations. Chinese content must always have the Traditional and Simplified Chinese name of the artist listed: one in the native field, and the other one in the localization field.

10.2. Chinese or Korean Artists Without Western Names. If the artist does not have a Western name, the phonetic artist name may be listed in localizations in the order of “Family Name Given Name.” The phonetic artist name may be listed in English localization:

Field Name

Korean

English

Album Artist

박지윤

Park Ji Yoon

10.3. Chinese Localizations. Chinese language content must be submitted with both Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese metadata, with one language being used in the primary language field and the other in the localization field. Japanese language content should be submitted with both Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese metadata when available.

10.4. Phonetics. Providing phonetics enhances the discoverability of your content. Use phonetics in the phonetic fields. Use Katakana or Hiragana for Japanese, and Roman characters for the other languages. Symbols (stars, hearts, and so on) must not be used in any phonetic fields. Here are a few examples:

Chinese - Roman characters

Japanese - Katakana/Hiragana characters

Thai - Roman characters

10.5. Format of Title Version Information for Chinese Soundtracks and Scores. When indicating the soundtrack in Chinese, the title of movie or TV drama must be enclosed in Chinese guillemets《》, irrespective of the album or track level.

Album Title English Localization

Chinese (Album Level)

Chinese (Track Level)

Dear EX (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

《谁先爱上他的》电影原声带

爱上你 (feat. 万芳) [《谁先爱上他的》电影主题曲]

Speed (Original TV Series)

《極速青春》劇集原聲帶

極速青春 (《極速青春》劇集同名主題曲)

10.6. Anime Artist Names. Anime artist names can include both the character name and voice actor in a single field. “CV” stands for “Character Voice.” For example: 綾瀬陽菜(CV:花澤香菜).

Lyrics Guidelines

For the best possible listener experience, lyrics must be accurate and match the audio. This includes everything that is an integral part of the vocals. Apple may change the formatting of provided lyrics for stylistic reasons.

General Formatting

The structure of a song must dictate a lyric’s format and structure. When transcribing lyrics, it is important to separate the lyrical sections and changes within a song with line and section breaks. All lyric lines must be single-spaced and a double space separate each stanza. All background vocals should be on a separate line following the main vocal line.

If unsure when to input a line or section break, some common identifiers are:

  • A defined chorus, verse, intro, bridge, or hook

  • Changes in the song tempo

  • Changes in how the artist delivers the lyrics (from singing to rapping)

Capitalization

Capitalization in your lyrics should follow traditional grammar rules. Proper nouns should be capitalized. Additionally, all lyric lines should begin with a capital letter.

Here are examples of words that must be capitalized:

  • Divinity and religious intricacies (“God,” “You,” “Him,” “Your” in religious songs)

  • Acronyms (NASA, FBI)

  • Geographical location (East Coast, Southside, etc.)

  • Title casing

  • The first letter of the first word contained in parentheses

  • Brand names

Punctuation

Do not end any lyric line with a period or comma. Exclamation points, question marks, and quotation marks are the only acceptable end-line punctuations and should be included as needed.

Within the line, it is most important to follow traditional grammar rules.

Additional examples of acceptable punctuation:

  • Hyphens for dropped words, spelled out words, and acronyms (L-Y-R-I-C-S)

  • Apostrophe for certain slang and contractual modifications (‘Rari for Ferrari)

Repeated Lines

The lyrics should match the audio. If a line is repeated, it must be written out.

Correct:

Until you respect me and my dogs

I’ll keep barking up the wrong tree

I’ll keep barking up the wrong tree

I’ll keep barking up the wrong tree

I’ll keep barking up the wrong tree

Incorrect:

Until you respect me and my dogs

I’ll keep barking up the wrong tree

(Repeat x3)

Spoken Word Content

Currently, spoken word/conversational content within a song should not be transcribed.

Non-Word Vocal Sounds

Non-word vocals should be transcribed sparingly and only if they add to the content of the song, either narratively or stylistically.

Improvised scatting is considered instrumental content and must not be transcribed.

Non-lyrical, or “harmonious non-word vocal sounds,” should be transcribed.

For example: “ooh,” “ah,” “whoa,” as well as onomatopoeia such as “burr” or “skrrt.”

Do not include computer-generated sound effects in lyrics (door slamming, car horn, phone ringing, etc.)

Clean and Explicit Lyrics

The term “clean” must only be used if there is an available corresponding explicit version of the track. In clean lyrics, dropped and edited content must be represented with asterisks.

If the track is explicit, all explicit language must be transcribed as it is heard in the audio.

Audio: “I'm the motherfucking man”

Lyrics: I'm the motherfucking man

Partially or fully censored words must be completely starred out with asterisks.

Audio: “I'm the mother(bleeped out) man”

Lyrics: I'm the **** man

Audio: “I'm the (bleeped out) man”

Lyrics: I'm the **** man

Scripts

For Indian languages, delivery of a Romanized copy is requested as the primary lyric. The original Brahmic script can be shared as an optional separate attachment.

Time-Sync

Time-sync must be applied to the exact audio version you are providing to Apple Music. Different versions of the same songs will have different time-sync. To learn more about the spec, see TTML File Format.

Classical Guidelines

General

For standard composer names, album titles, song titles, catalog numbers, and other information for Western classical music content, consult Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, or the International Music Score Library Project website.

The table below lists all accepted abbreviations for catalogs of classical works on Apple Music and the iTunes Store.

Catalog

Abbreviation

Example

Catalog of the works of Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach by Alfred Wotquenne

Wq.

Hamburger Sonata in G Major for Flute and Continuo, Wq. 133

Catalog of the works of Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach by E. Eugene Helm

H.

Piano Sonata in E Minor, H. 6

Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis catalog of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach by Wolfgang Schmieder (sometimes designated by “S.”)

BWV

Partita for Solo Flute in A Minor, BWV 1013

Catalog of the works of Béla Bartók by András Szöllösy

Sz.

Concerto for Orchestra, Sz. 116

Catalog of the works of Luigi Boccherini by Yves Gérard

G.

Concerto for Cello and Orchestra No. 6 in D Major, G. 479

Buxtehude-Werke-Verzeichnis catalog of the works of Dietrich Buxtehude by Georg Karstadt

BuxWV

Toccata in F Major, BuxWV 156

Catalog of the works of Marc-Antoine Charpentier by Wiley Hitchcock

H.

Messe de minuit, H. 9

Catalog of the works of Claude Debussy by François Lesuré

L.

La mer, L. 109

Catalog of the works of Claude Debussy by François Lesuré with new formatting and numbering

CD

La mer, CD 111

Catalog of the works of John Dowland by Diana Poulton

P.

Galliard in G Minor, P. 30

Catalog of the works of Antonín Dvořák by Jarmil Burghauser

B.

Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 98, B. 178 “From the New World”

Catalog of the works of Giovanni Gabrieli by Richard Charteris

C.

Canzon Noni Toni a 12, C. 183

Catalog of the works of Louis Moreau Gottschalk by Robert Offergeld

RO

Grande tarantelle for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 67, RO 259

Catalog of the works of Louis Moreau Gottschalk by John Doyle

D

Ardennes, Mazurka, D 143

Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis catalog of the works of George Frideric Händel by Bernd Baselt

HWV

Messiah, HWV 56

Catalog of the works of Franz Joseph Haydn by Anthony van Hoboken

Hob.

Symphony No. 101 in D Major, Hob. I:101 “The Clock”

Catalog of the works of Johann Michael Haydn by Lother Perger

P.

Symphony in B-Flat Major, P. 18

Catalog of the works of Johann Michael Haydn by Charles H. Sherman and T. Donley Thomas

MH

Crucem Sanctam, MH 201

Catalog of the works of Franz Liszt by Humphrey Searle

S.

Liebestraum in A-Flat Major, S. 541 No. 3

Lully-Werke-Verzeichnis catalog of the works of Jean-Baptiste Lully by Max Schneider

LWV

Le bourgeois gentilhomme, LWV 43: Overture

Catalog of the works of Felix Mendelssohn Ralf Wehner

MWV

Double Concerto for Piano, Violin, and Orchestra in D Minor, MWV 04: I. Allegro

Catalog of the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by Ludwig Ritter von Köchel

K. or KV

Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 or Requiem in D Minor, KV 626

Catalog of the works of Henry Purcell by Franklin B. Zimmerman

Z.

Abdelazer Suite, Z. 570: II. Third Act Tune - Rondo

Catalog for the works of Maurice Ravel by Marcel Marnat

M.

Boléro, M. 81

Catalog of the works of Ottorino Respighi by Potito Pedarra

P.

Pini di Roma (The Pines of Rome), P. 141

Catalog of the works of Giovanni Battista Sammartini by Newell Jenkins and Bathia Churgin

J-C-

L’addolorata Divina Madre, J-C- 123

Catalog of the keyboard works of Domenico Scarlatti by Ralph Kirkpatrick

Kk.

Keyboard Sonata in D Minor, Kk. 9

Catalog of the keyboard works of Domenico Scarlatti by Alessandro Longo

L.

Sonata in B Minor, L. 147

Catalog of the keyboard works of Domenico Scarlatti by Giorgio Pestelli

P.

Sonata in D Minor, P. 65

Catalog of the works of Franz Schubert by Otto Erich Deutsch

D.

Die Winterreise, D. 911

Schütz-Werke-Verzeichnis catalog of the works of Heinrich Schütz by Werner Bittinger

SWV

Saul, Saul, was verfolgst du mich, SWV 415

Catalog of the violin sonatas of Giuseppe Tartini by Paul Brainard

B.

Violin Sonata in A Major, B.A14

Catalog of the violin concertos of Giuseppe Tartini by Minos Dounias

D.

Violin Concerto No. 4 in D Major, D. 15

Catalog (partial) of the works of Giuseppe Tartini by Guido Viverit, Alba Luksich, Simone Olivari

GT

Flute Concerto in E Major, GT 1.E05a

Telemann-Werke-Verzeichnis catalog of the works of Georg Phillipp Telemann by Werner Menke and Martin Ruhnke

TWV

Fantasia for Solo Violin No. 1 in B-Flat Major, TWV 40:14

Catalog of the works of Giuseppe Torelli by Franz Giegling

G.

Trumpet Sonata in D Major, G. 1

Catalog of the works of Giuseppe Torelli by Francesco Passadore

P.

Trio Sonata in D Major, P.A.3.3.10

Catalog of the works of Heitor Villa-Lobos by David P. Appleby

W

Douze études pour guitare, W 235

Ryom-Verzeichnis catalog of the works of Antonio Vivaldi by Peter Ryom

RV

The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in E Major, RV 269 “Spring”

Catalog of the works of Carl Maria von Weber by Friedrich Wilhelm Jähns

J.

Rondo brilliante, Op. 62, J. 252 “La gaite”

Derived from the Latin “deesse” meaning to be absent. This may follow the catalog abbreviation to designate a work which does not appear in that particular catalog (ex. K. deest). Plural is “desunt.”

deest

Larghetto and Allegro for 2 Pianos in E-Flat Major, K. deest

“Werk ohne Opuszahl” or “Work without opus number,” typically unpublished works or works that were not assigned an opus number by the composer

WoO

Bagatelle in A Minor, WoO 59 “Für Elise”

“Opus number,” generally a chronological publication or composition number that may have been assigned by either the publisher or composer. Includes works from Ludwig van Beethoven, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Op.

Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A Minor, Op. 53

Classical Keys

Regional and language differences may affect the way that musical terms are notated. Apple Music and the iTunes Store uses English as the standard language. When submitting metadata, refer to the following table for the list of acceptable keys.

Keys

C Major / C Minor

C-Sharp Major / C-Sharp Minor

D Major / D Minor

D-Sharp Major / D-Sharp Minor

D-Flat Major / D-Flat Minor

E Major / E Minor

E-Flat Major / E-Flat Minor

F Major / F Minor

F-Sharp Major / F-Sharp Minor

G Major / G Minor

G-Flat Major / G-Flat Minor

G-Sharp Major / G-Sharp Minor

A Major / A Minor

A-Sharp Major / A-Sharp Minor

A-Flat Major / A-Flat Minor

B Major / B Minor

B-Flat Major / B-Flat Minor

Common Composer Names

For composers who already have content available on Apple Music and the iTunes Store, use the existing spelling found there. For questions regarding the spelling of composer names, consult Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians or The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. The following table lists a few well-known composers.

Composer Names

Thomas Adès

Edvard Grieg

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Isaac Albéniz

Sofia Gubaidulina

Gioacchino Rossini

Johann Sebastian Bach

George Frideric Handel

Camille Saint-Saëns

Mily Balakirev

Joseph Haydn

Domenico Scarlatti

Béla Bartók

Vincent d’Indy

Arnold Schoenberg

Ludwig van Beethoven

Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov

Franz Schreker

Vincenzo Bellini

Charles Ives

Franz Schubert

Alban Berg

Leoš Janáček

Clara Schumann

Luciano Berio

Aram Khachaturian

Robert Schumann

George Bizet

Elena Kats-Chernin

Alexander Scriabin

Alexander Borodin

Zoltán Kodály

Dmitri Shostakovich

Lili Boulanger

Édouard Lalo

Jean Sibelius

Johannes Brahms

Orlando di Lasso

Bedřich Smetana

Benjamin Britten

György Ligeti

Karlheinz Stockhausen

Ferruccio Busoni

Franz Liszt

Richard Strauss

Dietrich Buxtehude

Gustav Mahler

Johann Strauss I

Frédéric Chopin

Pietro Mascagni

Johann Strauss II

Francesco Cilea

Fanny Mendelssohn

Igor Stravinsky

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

Felix Mendelssohn

Morton Subotnick

César Cui

Olivier Messiaen

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Claude Debussy

Claudio Monteverdi

Georg Philipp Telemann

Léo Delibes

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Edgard Varèse

Frederick Delius

Modest Mussorgsky

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Josquin Des Prez

Michael Nyman

Antonio Vivaldi

Gaetano Donizetti

Niccolò Paganini

Giuseppe Verdi

Antonín Dvořák

Arvo Pärt

Tomás Luis de Victoria

Sir Edward Elgar

Krzysztof Penderecki

Richard Wagner

Manuel de Falla

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Carl Maria von Weber

Gabriel Fauré

Amilcare Ponchielli

Anton Webern

César Franck

Florence Price

Eric Whitacre

Giovanni Gabrieli

Sergei Prokofiev

John Williams

Carlo Gesualdo

Giacomo Puccini

Hugo Wolf

Alexander Glazunov

Johann Joachim Quantz

Iannis Xenakis

Mikhail Glinka

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Alexander von Zemlinsky

Christoph Willibald Gluck

Maurice Ravel

Charles Gounod

Wolfgang Rihm

Common Orchestra and Conductor Names

For questions regarding the spelling of orchestra and conductor names, consult Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians or The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. The following table lists a few well-known orchestras and conductors.

Orchestras

Conductors

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields

Claudio Abbado

Berliner Philharmoniker

Marin Alsop

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Sir Thomas Beecham

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Leonard Bernstein

Gewandhausorchester Leipzig

Karl Böhm

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Sir Colin Davis

London Symphony Orchestra

Wilhelm Furtwängler

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Valery Gergiev

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Herbert von Karajan

Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia

James Levine

Orchestre de l'Opéra de Paris

Kurt Masur

Philadelphia Orchestra

Sir Neville Marriner

Philharmonia Orchestra

Riccardo Muti

Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra

Seiji Ozawa

San Francisco Symphony

Sir Georg Solti

Wiener Philharmoniker

Bruno Walter

Primary Artists

Classical Primary Artist guidelines should only be used for the Classical genre. These guidelines do not apply for the Classical Crossover genre.

11.1. Primary Artists at the Album Level. The main artists for Western classical music must be marked as Primary at the album level. Do not use the roles Featuring or With. For example, for a recording of:

  • Beethoven symphonies performed by a single orchestra and conductor, mark both the orchestra and conductor as Primary.

  • Beethoven symphonies performed by several orchestras but with the same conductor, mark only the conductor as Primary.

  • Beethoven symphonies performed by several orchestras and several conductors, mark Various Artists as Primary.

  • Concertos performed by the same orchestra and conductor but featuring several soloists, mark the orchestra and the conductor as Primary.

  • A collection of Schubert Art Songs (Lieder) performed by several vocalists and pianists, mark Various Artists as Primary.

  • A complete opera, mark the conductor, orchestra, and principal vocal soloists, including all those listed on the cover art, as Primary.

11.2. Primary Artists at the Track Level. All artists performing on a track must be marked as Primary. Do not enter Various Artists as an artist name at the track level. Do not use the roles Featuring or With. For example, if a track features:

  • A violin sonata with piano accompaniment, mark both the violinist and the pianist as Primary.

  • A concerto, mark the soloists, the orchestra, and the conductor all as Primary.

  • An orchestra but a prominent solo appears during the track, mark the orchestra, the soloists, and the conductor all as Primary.

  • A choir accompanied by piano or orchestra, mark the choir, the accompanists or orchestra, and the conductor all as Primary.

  • An artist whose complete information isn’t available, as may occur with vintage recordings, provide as much artist information as possible.

  • An ensemble, do not mark individual members as Primary.

Only use Unknown Artist at the track level and with the Performer role. Do not mark Unknown Artist as Primary.

For an opera, mark all artists present on that track as Primary.

Composers

11.3. Use of Composer Role. At least one composer must be provided at the track level. When a complete work is present on the album or the entire album is from the same composer, list that composer at album level.

11.4. Composer as Primary. Composers may never be marked as Primary unless they are also performing as the Soloist, Accompanist, or Conductor.

11.5. Composer Name Formatting. Composer names must be accurate and formatted as: First Name Last Name. For example, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

11.6. Composer for Ringtones. Ringtones of classical music must include the composer in the title. Standard nicknames for classical pieces are accepted.

Examples:

  • Beethoven: Symphony No. 1

  • Beethoven: Moonlight Sonata

Titles

11.7. Album Formatting. The album title must include the composers, followed by a colon, followed by the work titles, catalog numbers, or type of works such as Sonatas or Preludes.

Follow these guidelines for composer name formatting for album titles only:

  • Last name only. Use this format when there is only one famous composer with a surname that is immediately recognizable. For example, Beethoven, Zemlinsky, or Ligeti.

  • First name initial(s) and last name. Use this format when multiple famous composers share the same last name. For example, members of the Bach family, including J. S. Bach, C. P. E. Bach, and W. F. Bach.

  • First name(s) and last name(s). Use this format when multiple famous composers share the same initials and the same last name. For example, Paul Viardot and Pauline Viardot. Felix Mendelssohn and Fanny Mendelssohn.

Examples:

  • Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Vergine, SV 206

  • J. S. Bach: Jesu, meine Freude, BWV 227 – Vivaldi: Gloria in D Major, RV 589

  • Haydn: Complete Symphonies, Vol. 1

  • W. A. Mozart: Requiem in D Minor, K. 626

  • Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 – Brahms: Symphony No. 1, Op. 68

  • Schubert & R. Schumann: Piano Sonatas

  • Chopin: Preludes & Nocturnes

  • Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker & Swan Lake (Highlights)

  • Stravinsky: Le sacre du printemps

  • Britten: Choral Works

If an album is composed and performed entirely by the same artist, the composer does not need to be included in the album title.

Do not use side-by-side translations in metadata. Use only one language in each entry or localization. If an album has an exact release title, such as The Most Beloved Classical Masterworks, that title may be used.

11.8. Key Information. A work must be described in the key it was composed in. Formatting should look like: C-Sharp Major.

11.9. Classical Abbreviations. For accepted abbreviations of catalogs of classical works, see Standard Classical Abbreviations.

11.10. Track Formatting. Track titles must be complete, correctly formatted, and consistent.

If a track features a movement or selection from a larger work like a symphony or concerto, begin the track title with the name of the larger work. This applies even if a track contains a portion of a movement, selection, or excerpt. In this case, “Selection” or “Excerpt” must be stated between parentheses at the end of the work title.

If a work has an assigned catalog number, include the catalog number in the title. Catalog numbers can be found through the International Music Score Library Project.

For works comprising movements, such as Symphonies, Concertos, and Sonatas, use Roman numerals. For example, I. Allegro, and II. Adagio. For works comprising numbers, such as Songs and Oratorios, and numbered sets of pieces, such as 6 Lieder or 3 Morceaux, use Arabic numbers. For example, No. 1, Wiegenlied and No. 2, In der Campagna.

Example: Movement Formatting

Example of how to format movement titles of classical works.

Example: Extended Movement Formatting

Example of how to format extended movement titles of classical works.

Example: Song Cycle Formatting

Example of song cycle formatting for classical works.

Example: Set Formatting

Example of set formatting for any numbered sets of classical works.

Example: Accommodating Multiple Numbering Systems

Where works are numbered chronologically and by individual Opus groups, they should be formatted as follows:

  • Nocturne No. 17 in B Major, Op. 62 No. 1. Andante

The example above shows the first of Chopin’s 2 Nocturnes, Op. 62, which is also listed as Chopin’s Nocturne No. 17.

Example: Multi-level works

Example of multi-level classical work with colons used to divide tiers of track hierarchy.
Example of multi-level classical work with colons used to divide tiers of track hierarchy.
Example of multi-level classical work with colons used to divide tiers of track hierarchy.

Examples:

  • Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F Minor, BWV 1056: III. Presto

  • Serenade in G Major, K. 525 “Eine kleine Nachtmusik”: I. Allegro (Excerpt)

  • Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: I. Allegro con brio

  • Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 “Moonlight”: I. Adagio sostenuto

  • Die Winterreise, D. 911: No. 24, Der Leiermann

  • 1812 Overture, Op. 49 (Excerpt: Finale)

  • Three Lyric Pieces, Op. 47: No. 1, Summer Song

  • L'isle joyeuse, L. 106

Use hyphen ( - ) to indicate multiple sections or movements within one track, for example:

  • String Quartet No. 1 in G Major, K. 80: III. Minuet - Trio

  • Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade - The Gnome

Use colon ( : ) to separate the title of a work from the title of a movement or selection, for example:

  • Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prelude

  • Requiem, Op. 48: In paradisum

Use full stop ( . ) to separate the name of a movement from its tempo indication, for example:

  • Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36: III. Scherzo. Allegro

  • Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 55 "Eroica": II. Marcia funebre. Adagio assai

Use quotation marks ( " " ) to indicate the common nickname of a work, such as:

  • Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 “Enigma”: Var. IX. Nimrod

The following group of tracks are consistently formatted:

  • Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83: I. Allegramente

  • Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83: II. Adagio

  • Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83: III. Presto

The following group of tracks are not consistently formatted:

  • Piano Concerto in G, M. 83: I. Allegramente

  • Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G Major, M. 83: 2. Adagio

  • Concerto in G, M. 83: Presto

The following group of tracks are consistently formatted:

  • Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C Major, BWV 1066

  • Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B Minor, BWV 1067

  • Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068

The following group of tracks are not consistently formatted:

  • Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C Major, BWV 1066

  • Suite for Orchestra in B Minor, BWV 1067

  • Suite pour orchestre n°3 en Ré Majeur, bwv 1068

11.11. Opera Formatting. The track title for a selection from an opera must be consistent and start with the name of the opera, followed by a colon, followed by the selection title. For recordings of a complete opera, include act and scene information after the opera title but before the colon and selection title. Exemptions to this rule include operas that have one scene per act, such as Tosca, operas that are divided into scenes but not acts, such as Das Rheingold, or one-act operas that are through-composed, such as Salome. For example:

Opera Selection Titles:

  • Don Giovanni, K. 527: Il mio tesoro

  • La traviata: Libiamo, libiamo… (“Brindisi”)

  • Tosca: Vissi d’arte

Complete Opera Titles:

  • Falstaff, Act III Scene 2: Un poco di pausa

  • Falstaff, Act III Scene 2: Ogni sorta di gente dozzinale

  • Falstaff, Act III Scene 2: Tutto nel mondo è burla

If an album of opera selections includes character information for one title, the information must be included for all other titles. For example:

  • La bohème, Act II: Quando m'en vo (Musetta)

  • Turandot, Act III: Nessun dorma (Calaf)

  • The Magic Flute, K. 620, Act II: O Isis und Osiris (Sarastro und Chor)

  • A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 64: Now until the Break of Day (Oberon, Tytania, Puck, Fairies)

Example: Opera Formatting

Example of opera title formatting.

11.12. Classical Crossover Formatting. Track titles for Classical Crossover genre content can start with the selection, movement, or popular title of a work. Major work titles and catalog numbers must still be included but may be presented at the end of the title within parentheses. Only use this relaxed formatting on classical-crossover albums.

Examples:

  • Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (From “The Nutcracker”, Op. 71)

  • Eine kleine Nachtmusik (First movement from Serenade in G Major, K. 525)

  • Nessun dorma (From the Opera “Turandot”)

  • Flight of the Bumblebee (From the Opera “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”)

  • Moonlight Sonata (First Movement from Piano Sonata No. 14, Op. 27 No. 2)

11.13. Works. If grouping songs together as a work, such as a concerto or symphony, at least two songs must be included in the work. Do not group incomplete selections from a larger piece of music together as a work.

11.14. Recording Dates. If the album or track title contains the recording date, use the following format: title, followed by the word “Recorded” and the year recorded in parentheses.

Example:

  • Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, K. 620 (Recorded 1954)

11.15. Versions, Arrangements, and Transcriptions. If a work has been altered from the original composition, the instrumentation must be noted and the Arranger credited at the end of the title.

Examples:

Gianni Schicchi: O mio babbino caro (Arr. for Piano by Arthur Smith)

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565 (Transcr. for Orchestra by Leopold Stokowski)

If all movements of a work have been altered to the same instrumentation by the same arranger(s), place the information in the title after the work name before the colon and movement information.

Examples:

Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22 (Arr. for Piano by Georges Bizet): I. Andante sostenuto

Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22 (Arr. for Piano by Georges Bizet): II. Allegro scherzando

Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22 (Arr. for Piano by Georges Bizet): III. Presto

Example of formatting for versions, arragements, and transcriptions.

Example: Versions, Arrangements, and Transcriptions Formatting

Example: Versions

Example for revisions:

  • Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 1 (1965 Version): III. Allegro scherzando – Maestoso

Example for alternative instrumentation by the original composer:

  • Orchestral Suite in D Minor (Version for Piano): IV. Allegro

For transcriptions which are commonly attributed to the transcriber, list the transcriber in the Composer role. This only applies to pieces which are generally attributed to the transcriber in common usage.

For example, most Liszt transcriptions are commonly associated with Liszt rather than the original composer. For these works, Liszt must be credited in the Composer role with original composer listed in the track title.

Examples:

  • Lohengrin: Elsas Brautzug zum Münster (After Richard Wagner), S. 445 - credit Franz Liszt as Composer

  • Il Trovatore: Miserere (After Giuseppe Verdi), S. 433 - credit Franz Liszt as Composer