Spotify has launched a new feature called Artist Profile Protection (APP) to change how certain artists’ releases are processed and approved. Artist Profile Protection is an optional, opt-in feature in Spotify for Artists that gives artists more control over which releases appear on their profile, contribute to their stats, and show up in recommendations. APP is currently an invite-only, beta feature available to a limited number of artists. As the feature roles out, access will expand over time, and artists who have not received an invite will not be impacted.
The feature is designed to prevent content-mismatch issues — instances where music is incorrectly mapped to the wrong artist profile due to metadata errors, impersonation attempts, or ingestion oversights. Artist keys are unique to their artists and allows trusted distributors to deliver pre-approved releases to your artist profile.
When an artist opts in, they receive:
- An Approvals Tab in Spotify for Artists where teams can approve or decline new releases before they appear on their profile
- A unique Artist Key that can be included in delivery metadata for automatic pre-approval
- Email notifications any time a release listing them as an artist is delivered to Spotify
Delivering with an Artist Key
If you have an artist that has opted in to Artist Profile Protection, they must share their Artist Key with you, so that you can include it in your delivery metadata. This will ensure releases are pre-approved and avoid any delays. Artists can find their key on the Artist Profile Protection page in Spotify for Artists. When a distributor includes the artist key in the metadata for delivery:
- The release is pre-approved
- You don’t need to review it manually
- The release goes live automatically
Releases delivered without the artist key will show as Needs Approval in Spotify for Artists. Artists and their team have up to 28 days after the release date to take action. If no action is taken on a release that needs approval, the artist will not be listed on the release. For artists not opted in to Artist Profile Protection, there will be no changes to release delivery.
Artist Profile Protection will only apply to new releases delivered after opting-in to this feature. The artist’s existing catalog is unaffected. For releases featuring your artist as a secondary/featured artist, the primary artist must approve or provide their artist key, unless their key is included in the delivery metadata.
If your artist’s key is ever compromised or shared in error, please contact support@label-engine.com for assistance.
Who should use Artist Profile Protection?
This feature may be useful for artists who:
- Experience repeated incorrect releases
- Have a common artist name
- Are not actively releasing music
Artists may not want to opt in if:
- They release music frequently and want a streamlined process
- They frequently collaborate with other artists and don’t want to add friction to the release process
- They don’t want to manage approvals
- They haven’t experienced content matching issues
For more information on Artist Profile Protection, click here.
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Label Engine Team