Artists in Velveteen
Updated June 11, 2026
The Artists section covers every aspect of managing performing identities in Velveteen: setting up a profile, linking DSP pages, crediting releases, passing the approval review, and completing the fraud declaration required before first delivery. Each spoke below goes deep on one part of that process.
Artist profiles are the backbone of your catalog. Every release, track, and pitch is associated with an artist. This section covers everything from creating a profile to the approval and trust processes required before a release can be delivered.
In Velveteen, an artist is a performing identity separate from your user account. Each artist belongs to a label (the rights holder) and carries its own approval status. Only artists in the approved state can be used for release delivery. The fraud declaration is a one-time step per artist, required by DSP distribution agreements before first delivery. Both of these gates are tracked on the artist profile, not on your account.
What this section covers
What is an artist?
The performing identity concept: how artists relate to your account, labels, and DSP pages.
Artist metadata
Every field on an artist profile and what each one does, including which fields sync to DSPs.
DSP identifiers
How Velveteen links your artist to Spotify, Apple Music, and other platform profiles.
Credits
How artists are attached to releases and tracks as primary or featured performers.
Approval
The approval lifecycle every artist must pass through before releases can be delivered.
Trust & fraud declaration
The one-time fraud declaration required by DSP distribution agreements before first delivery.
Quick start
The fastest path from a new account to a delivered release: create a label, create an artist under that label, complete the artist profile and fraud declaration, wait for approval, then create and submit a release. The approval step is the only one that requires waiting. Everything else is under your control.
Frequently asked questions
How many artists can I have on one account?+
There is no hard limit. You can create as many artist profiles as you need. Solo projects, bands, aliases, and side projects can all live under the same account. You manage releases, pitches, and royalties independently per artist.
Do I need a label to create an artist?+
Yes. Every artist in Velveteen belongs to a label, which is the owner-of-record for releases. For most independent artists, this means creating a label first (often your own name or a business entity) and then creating the artist under it.
What's the difference between an artist and a person?+
An artist is a performing identity that goes on DSP pages and release credits. A Person is a credits metadata record for contributors, composers, and performers. People have no login and don't appear on DSP artist pages. See the People section for more.
Can I use an artist for releases while approval is pending?+
You can create and edit draft releases while approval is pending. You cannot submit a release for delivery until all primary artists on that release are in the approved state. Preparing drafts ahead of time is a good way to avoid delays once approval comes through.
Related articles
What is an artist?
The performing identity: separate from your account, owned by a label, and the name listeners find on DSPs.
Artist metadata
Every field on an artist profile: what it does, whether it syncs to DSPs, and when you need it.
DSP identifiers
The identifiers array that links your artist to Spotify, Apple Music, and every other DSP profile.
Artists on releases & tracks
Primary vs. featured credits, how release_artists and track_artists work, and how to add a feature.