Managing Spotify Artist Keys in the FUGA Interface

This article explains how to configure and deliver Spotify Artist Keys within the FUGA Interface. Users will learn how Spotify’s Artist Profile Protection workflow operates, how to securely collect and store these keys on Artist or Person records, and how to manage delivery pre-approvals to bypass manual review queues for upcoming releases.

Understanding Artist Profile Protection

Spotify launched Artist Profile Protection in 2026. When an artist opts in, every new release submitted under their profile lands in a manual review queue on Spotify before it appears on the artist page. The artist must approve each release in Spotify for Artists.

Without an Artist Key, a Profile-Protection-enabled release waits in the artist's manual review queue on Spotify. The release does not appear on the artist's profile until the artist opens Spotify for Artists and approves it. The artist has up to 28 days after the release date to act; if they take no action, the release will not list them as an artist and will not appear on their profile.

Labels and distributors can bypass the manual review queue by delivering a Spotify Artist Key with the release. The artist generates the Artist Key in Spotify for Artists and shares it with the people who deliver their music. FUGA passes the Key through to Spotify alongside the existing Spotify Artist URI. Spotify treats matching deliveries as pre-approved, and the release appears on the profile on the release date with no manual review step. With an Artist Key set on the FUGA Interface, the release is pre-approved at delivery time and appears on the profile on the release date, with no manual step required.

The Artist Key applies to Artist and Person records on FUGA. Spotify does not have an equivalent entity for Labels, so the Key does not apply to Label records.

Artists who have not opted into Profile Protection are unaffected. Clients without an Artist Key continue to deliver to Spotify exactly as before.

Configuration Specifications

The Artist Key is a per-record field under Custom Identifiers on the Artist and Person detail pages in the FUGA Interface.

• Validation. The FUGA Interface validates the Artist Key format upon saving. A malformed value is rejected before it is saved.

• Storage. FUGA stores Artist Keys encrypted and never includes the value in delivery logs or reports. After saving, the FUGA Interface shows only a hint of the value, never the full key. Treat the Artist Key as a password-equivalent secret.

• Scope. Spotify-only. The Artist Key is communicated on deliveries to Spotify alongside the Spotify Artist URI. It does not affect deliveries to Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon, or any other DSP.

Supported Contributor Roles

The outcome of the Artist Key delivery varies depending on the specific role assigned to the contributor on the release.

The outcome differs by role. For Main Artist approvals, the release appears on the artist's profile and contributes to stats and recommendations. For Featured Artist approvals, the release shows up in the artist's "Appears on" section and in recommendations, not as a main entry on the profile.

Key Collection Methods

The Artist Key is generated on Spotify for Artists. The artist, or an individual with access to the artist's Spotify for Artists account, must retrieve the key and store it within the FUGA Interface. This can be accomplished through two distinct paths.

Path A: The artist shares the key with you.

1. Ask the artist to copy the key from Spotify for Artists. Direct the artist to Spotify for Artists > Settings > Profile Protection and have them copy the Artist Key from that page. Reference: Spotify's Artist Profile Protection article.

2. Receive the key over a secure channel. The artist sends the key over a channel appropriate for a password-equivalent secret. Examples: a credential-manager share, encrypted email. Avoid plain chat messages and unencrypted email.

3. Store the key against the artist record on FUGA. Open the Artist (or Person) detail page on FUGA. Go to Custom Identifiers > Add identifier. Pick the Spotify Artist Key field and paste the value. Save.

The key will apply to every subsequent delivery for that artist on Spotify without requiring per-release re-entry.

Path B: Direct retrieval from Spotify for Artists.

This path skips the secure-channel handoff. It works when you already have Spotify for Artists access to the artist.

For large rosters managed under a label relationship, set up a Label Team in Spotify for Artists, or get Editor / Admin access on each artist team. Retrieving keys directly is faster and removes the secure-handoff step.

References: Label teams in Spotify for Artists, Access levels in Spotify for Artists.

Scaling Collection for Large Rosters

When managing a large roster, approach collection in waves rather than attempting to backfill the entire catalog simultaneously. Prioritize artists who have enabled Profile Protection and have imminent upcoming releases. The artist record can be updated at any time prior to the next scheduled delivery. There is no requirement to rush collection for historical catalog or low-cadence artists.

Setup Instructions

The Artist Key sits inside the Custom Identifiers flow on the Artist and Person detail pages. Identifier entry is decoupled from artist creation, so you create the artist first and add identifiers as an optional follow-up step.

To add an Artist Key:

1. Open the Artist or Person detail page.
2. Go to Custom Identifiers > Add identifier. 

3. Select the Spotify Artist Key field and enter the value.

4. Save.

Each identifier saves individually.

Subaccount behavior

The Artist Key is shared bidirectionally between a Primary Account and its subaccounts on the same artist record. Setting the key on either side makes it visible on the other. Updates and removals propagate the same way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to re-enter the key for every release?

No. Set the Artist Key once on the artist record under Custom Identifiers. It rides every subsequent delivery to Spotify for that artist.

What happens if an artist has not enabled Profile Protection?

Their releases go live on Spotify normally with no key, no review queue, no manual step. Profile Protection is an artist-side opt-in. The Artist Key field can stay empty on FUGA for those artists with no impact.

What happens if Profile Protection is enabled but no Artist Key is set on FUGA?

The delivery goes through Spotify's normal ingestion path and lands in the manual review queue tied to the artist's Spotify for Artists account. The artist must manually approve or decline the release. The artist has up to 28 days after the release date to act; if no action is taken, the release will not list them as an artist and will not appear on their profile. To resolve this, collect the Artist Key from the artist ahead of the release date and store it on the artist record. 

What happens if I set an Artist Key but Spotify rejects it?

The delivery falls through to the manual review queue exactly as if no key were set. The delivery itself succeeds, and the release remains available for manual approval by the artist within Spotify for Artists. 

Does the Artist Key affect deliveries to other DSPs?

No. The Artist Key is Spotify-only. FUGA does not communicate it on deliveries to Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon, or any other DSP.

Can my label or distribution team retrieve the Artist Key from Spotify for Artists directly?

Yes, when your team has Spotify for Artists access to the artist. See Path B above for the access matrix and references to Spotify's own documentation on Label Teams and Access Levels.

Can I set an Artist Key on a Label?

No. Spotify does not have a corresponding entity for FUGA's Label scope. Spotify's profile model covers artists and contributors, not labels. The Artist Key applies to Artist and Person records only.

Can I set an Artist Key for a Composer, Conductor, or Orchestra role?

Yes, on classical releases. Spotify supports the Artist Key on Composer, Conductor, and Orchestra roles for classical releases. For non-classical releases, only Main Artist, Featured Artist, Remixer, and Actor roles are eligible.

What if an Artist Key is leaked or compromised?

The rotation has two halves.

Spotify side. The artist contacts Spotify support to refresh the key. There is no self-service rotation in Spotify for Artists today.

FUGA side. Delete the old key from the FUGA Artist or Person record and add the new value. There is no in-place rotate flow.

Releases delivered under the old key before rotation are unaffected. Spotify reads the Artist Key once at ingestion, so the old value was already consumed when Spotify received the delivery. A release that landed in the manual review queue under the now-revoked key remains there until the artist approves it via Spotify for Artists; the new key does not retroactively pre-approve already-delivered content. Redelivery is not required and will not retrigger pre-approval.

Can I bulk-import Artist Keys for a label with hundreds of artists?

Not today. Add each Artist Key individually on the Artist or Person detail page under Custom Identifiers.

How does the Artist Key interact with subaccounts?

The Artist Key is shared bidirectionally between a Primary Account and its subaccounts on the same artist record. Setting it on either side makes it visible on the other; updates and removals propagate the same way.

Does FUGA show me which of my artists have Profile Protection enabled?

No. The FUGA Interface has no visibility into Spotify's internal opt-in status. You must confirm directly with each artist whether they have enabled this feature.

Does Spotify accept the Artist Key without the Spotify Artist URI being present?

No. The Spotify Artist URI must be present on the same artist record. Spotify uses the URI to match the delivery to the correct profile; the Artist Key only serves to pre-approve a delivery that has already been accurately matched. Ensure you set the URI first before adding the Artist Key.