Choosing the right title for your track or album is a crucial step in defining your music’s identity and appeal. However, to ensure your title is both creative and compliant with industry standards, there are important guidelines you need to follow. Here’s what you need to know about the track and album title guidelines:
Avoid Generic Words for SEO Purposes
When naming your track or album, it's important to avoid using generic words solely to boost search engine optimization (SEO). Words like "White Noise," "Rain," "Sounds," "Yoga," "Workout," "Meditation," "Baby," "Christmas," "Top Hits," "Karaoke," "Chorus," "Orchestra," or "Singer" should not be used unless they add specific value to your title. Using these terms for the purpose of being better found is not allowed.
Similarly, avoid using broad genre names such as "Rock," "Hip Hop," or "Smooth Jazz" as your title. These terms are too general and do not provide a unique or meaningful context to your release. The goal is to create a title that is distinctive and truly representative of your music, rather than relying on overused, generic terms.
Generic words are permissible if they add specific value or context to the title.
Avoid SEO Spam
Titles should be meaningful and relevant to your music, not simply a collection of keywords designed to manipulate search results. If certain words are used solely to improve discoverability through SEO, they are not allowed. Your titles should reflect the essence of your track or album, not just aim to attract attention.
Examples of Allowed and Disallowed Titles
Allowed: "Rain in Amsterdam" – This title is creative and paints a picture or sets a scene that aligns with the music. It’s not overly focused on SEO.
Not Allowed: "Rain Sounds for a Good Sleep" – This title would be disallowed because it’s primarily composed of generic keywords intended for easy searchability. It lacks originality and focus on the music’s essence.
Title Version Guidelines
The track or album title should always be clean and clear, without any additional descriptors.
The following elements should not be included in your title:
Slowed, Sped up, Radio Edit, Extended, Lo-Fi, TikTok Version, Remix, Remastered, New, Year (e.g., 2024), Version Number, From “Name”, Original, Game Soundtrack, Artist Names, anything in parentheses ‘( )’, Piano, Acoustic, Live, or any other ‘Version’ related additions.
These descriptors should be included in the title version, not the main title itself.
Capitalization in Titles
Proper capitalization is key to a professional presentation and required by all DSPs:
Titles should not be in all capitals, all lowercase, or random casing.
Capitalization should follow the proper language rules.
Always capitalize the first and last word in a title.
Certain words must be in lowercase:
Articles like "a," "an," "the," and conjunctions like "and," "but," "or."
Prepositions of four letters or fewer (e.g., "at," "by," "for," "from," "in," "on," "to"), except when part of a verb phrase or used as another part of speech (e.g., an adverb, adjective, noun, or verb).
By adhering to these guidelines, you’ll ensure that your track or album titles are not only creative and distinctive but also comply with industry standards, making your release more appealing and professional.