The artist or band name associated with a recording or release. This can be a band, solo artist, or featured performer. Think of an artist as the person(s) that would be featured on the spine of a CD, Vinyl Record or Cassette. For example, a bass player would normally be a Contributor instead of an artist (sorry, bass players), unless their name was on the spine of the record. David Bowie on “Heroes” is the artist.
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Manager
This is someone appointed by a performing artist or songwriter to develop their career and to help manage their business and administrative needs. A manager is usually contracted by the artist and is paid a percentage of their income
Arranger
A person who takes an existing work and arranges it in a new way to suit a different performing artist or style.
Distributor
This is a company that sells recorded works (digital products, CDs, vinyl, etc) on behalf of a record label or artist, to online retailers, DSPS or record stores. They will usually charge the label or artist a fee upfront and/or collect a percentage ...
Cover
A recording or performance of a musical work by an artist who is not the original copyright owner(s). It is still essentially the same work, even though it may differ from the original song in terms of structure, feel, tempo, style, key signature or ...
Record Label
Record labels sign artists so they can produce and sell their sound recordings, either digitally or through physical means such as CDs or vinyl. Depending on the deal, the label could be involved in the recording, mixing, mastering, distribution, ...