How do I enter my Partner Artist ID?

Artist IDs are unique identifiers used by platforms like Apple, Spotify, and YouTube Music to link your music to the correct artist profile. Providing these IDs ensures your release appears under the right artist name and prevents mix-ups with other artists who share similar names. This article explains how to find, select, and enter your Partner Artist IDs in your CD Baby account.

Why do I need a Partner Artist ID? 

• Partner Artist IDs help your release appear on the correct artist page across partner platforms.
• Without the correct ID, your release could be placed under a different artist’s profile with the same or similar name.

How to select your Artist ID

You will find this page during the sign up process for your release:

1. After selecting the digital distribution options, you’ll be taken to the Partner Artist IDs page.
2. Click Edit next to each artist name listed on your release.
3. Review the options provided—there may be multiple artists with the same name.
4. Click each link to confirm which artist page is yours.
5. If your artist has never been delivered to those platforms before, select Create new artist profile. A new ID will be created when your release goes live.

What if I have an artist profile, but don't see it listed? 

If your artist page doesn’t appear on the list:

1. First, make sure your artist name in CD Baby exactly matches your name on Apple Music, Spotify, or YouTube Music. (For example, if your page is “The Night” but the artist name on your release is “The Night Band,” Apple treats these as two separate artists.)
2. If your name needs to be updated to match your artist profiles, open Basic Album Info or Basic Track Info to make your changes.
3. Return to the Partner Artist IDs page to refresh results.
4. If it’s still missing, select Create new artist profile.
5. Copy your artist page links from Apple/iTunes, Spotify, and/or YouTube Music.
6. Ensure that you've paid for your release (we can't add the IDs until your release has been paid for). 
7. Submit a request to our team to manually link them.
8. IMPORTANT: Don't submit your release for inspection until we've confirmed that we've manually added the IDs. We can't make changes to a release once it's been approved for distribution.'

When will I see my new artist ID appear in the platform? 

If you see a message in your account that says 'We are currently attempting to retrieve your newly created artist ID', rest assured that your page has been created and your releases will be delivered to it. 

There can sometimes be a delay between the page being created and the ID populating in our system, but it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. You can confirm this by the existence of the artist page, too!

It will look something like this:

What if there are multiple artists on a release?

• If your release includes more than one artist, you can select or enter a Partner Artist ID for each contributor.
• This helps ensure all artists are properly linked to their existing pages.

What if I'm listed as 'Various Artists' on YouTube?

If your music appears on a “Various Artists – Topic” page, select Create new artist profile on the Partner Artist IDs page.

This will create a dedicated Topic Channel under your artist name. YouTube will also attempt to remap older content to your new artist profile once it’s live.