FUGA works closely with DSPs to enable new features on their platforms and to provide new ways for listeners to discover and engage with music. Crediting contributors not only enriches the listening experience by fostering a deeper connection to the song or album's creation but also ensures performers, engineers, and every party involved receives the recognition they deserve.
In order to meet the delivery requirements announced by Apple Music in October, FUGA has made a number of additional contributor roles mandatory for clients where the Original Release Date is on or after the date you approve and deliver the product.
Each track asset you deliver will need at least one contributor role across each of the following categories:
- Composition / Lyrics
- Performing Artists (Vocal, Drums, Guitar etc.)
- Production / Engineering
*Please note that Primary and Featuring artists do not count towards the ‘Performer’ credit.
When creating a product in FUGA you will now see notifications alerting you to the fields which require your attention. You will not be able to have your product approved until you have cleared all warnings :
The roles available on FUGA that do fall within these categories are detailed below:
What counts as a ‘Performer’ credit?
Roles
- Actor
- Assistant Conductor
- Assistant Director
- Band
- Choir
- Choir Conductor
- Chorus
- Conductor
- Dancer
- DJ
- Ensemble
- MC
- Narrator
- Orchestra
- Rap
- Remixer
- Sampled Artist
- Sound Effects
- Spoken Word
- Tape
- Vocal Effects
Instruments
All instruments that are available in the list of supported instruments, qualify for this type of performer credit.
Which roles fall under ‘Production & Engineering’ credit?
- Assistant Mastering Engineer
- Assistant Mixing Engineer
- Assistant Producer
- Assistant Recording Engineer
- Camera Operator
- Co-Producer
- Creative Director
- Engineer
- Executive Producer
- Mastering Engineer
- Mixing Engineer
- Producer
- Recording Engineer
- Set Designer
- Special Effects
- Studio Personnel
- Tonmeister
- Video Director
- Video Producer
- Vocal Producer
Which roles fall under ‘Composition & Lyrics’ credit?
- Adapter
- Arranger
- Composer
- Librettist
- Lyricist (Lyrics)
- Orchestrator
- Writer (Songwriter)
Please ensure that products where the Original Release Date is on or after the date you approve and deliver the product meet this requirement.
FAQs:
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What does this mean for my back catalogue?: Releases with an Original Release Date that comes before the date of approval and delivery are exempt from this requirement and will not be affected.
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What does this mean for delivering Compilations?: For Compilations that feature older tracks, the product must be tagged as a compilation in FUGA Next.
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If I have a product in draft status now do I have to update it to meet requirements? If the product will be delivered after the date added in the Original Release Date field, you will need to update it to meet the requirements. However, we recommend adopting these new requirements and applying them to releases already to ensure a smooth transition.
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If I want to make updates to a product which already has a status of Approved/Delivered will I need to meet these requirements? Yes, These requirements will be mandatory, so be sure to include time to make these changes.
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Will this affect my bulk delivering via the MISS tool?: This will not affect your bulk uploads via the MISS tool, however, you will still be required to make the requested credit updates via FUGA Next before being able to deliver products. For more details please see your MISS guideline doc.
- Do these requirements apply to ingestions via API or XML? : Yes, releases ingested via API or XML will also need to meet these requirements. Not providing the detailed contributor information will lead to an error when trying to approve or deliver a release.
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Can one contributor meet all the required roles?: Absolutely!
- Can a compiler be credited as the sole Primary Artist on the product level if they are only a Compiler and not a Performer on any of the assets? Yes!
Please visit this page for a detailed explanation on what contributors are.
To learn more about these Apple-specific contributor role requirements, please read Apple’s guidelines here
Please contact our support team on support@fuga.com if you have any questions or concerns.