Apple Music Style Guide: The Rules That Trip Up Releases Most
Updated 2026-10-21 · 3 sources
Short answer
The Apple Music Style Guide's most-broken rules: title case for English titles (never all caps or all lowercase), one artist per field, lowercase "feat." in parentheses, no generic names (White Noise, Lo-Fi, Workout…), no extra text like "Official" or "Dolby Atmos" in titles, the Explicit flag instead of "(Explicit)" in titles, and no emoji. Apple adds "- Single" and "- EP" itself.
Titles
- English titles use title case. Lowercase a, an, and, as, but, for, from, nor, of, or, so, the, to, yet and short prepositions, but always capitalize the first and last word, including inside parentheses [1].
- No all caps, all lowercase or random casing [1].
- No extra information on the standard version, e.g. Exclusive, Album Version, Original Mix, Official Music Video, Dolby Atmos, lossless or 24-bit [1].
- Series use "Pt." and "Vol.": "Title, Vol. 2" [1].
- No emoji in titles, artist names or lyrics [1].
Artists
- Full, standard and consistent spellings, with no role, date, instrument, former band or website [1].
- One artist per field. With five or more primary artists, the album artist is "Various Artists" (never "V/A") [1].
- Generic artist names such as White Noise, Yoga, Lo-Fi, Sped Up, Workout or Meditation are not accepted [1].
- Remixes, including sped-up, slowed and lo-fi versions, list the original artist as Primary and the remixer in the Remixer role [1].
Explicit content
Explicit content must be flagged Explicit. Words like "(Explicit)" or "(Dirty Version)" must not appear in titles. Flag a track Clean only if an explicit version exists, and don't self-censor titles with asterisks, because Apple censors automatically [1]. Spotify likewise displays an E icon and asks you not to add it to the title [2].
Singles, EPs and artwork
Apple labels 1–3 songs under 10 minutes each as a Single, and 4–6 songs (or 1–3 with one at least 10 minutes long) totalling 30 minutes or less as an EP. It adds "- Single" or "- EP" automatically [1]. Artwork must not contain URLs, logos, QR codes, prices or format references like "Dolby Atmos". AI processing must not introduce distorted text or other visual defects [1].
Examples
| Instead of | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| FIRE IN THE CLUB!!! 🔥🔥 | Fire in the Club | No all caps, excess punctuation or emoji. |
| Waiting For The End | Waiting for the End | Title case lowercases short prepositions and articles. |
| Paper Hearts (Explicit Version) | Paper Hearts + Explicit flag | Use the flag, not the title. |
| Mix Tape Volume 2 | Mix Tape, Vol. 2 | Series formatting. |
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FAQ
Which version of the style guide is current?
This summary is based on Apple Music Style Guide 2.4, the version published at help.apple.com at the time of writing (October 2026).
Will Apple fix my capitalization for me?
Apple reserves the right to correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. TuneCore notes that iTunes can adjust releases to meet its formatting requirements. It's still faster to deliver it right.
Can I put "Dolby Atmos" in the title?
No. Apple shows badges for audio formats, so format references aren't allowed in titles or artwork.
Related guides
Sources
- Apple Music Style Guide 2.4 (Apple)
- Spotify for Artists: Music metadata guidelines
- TuneCore Help: How should I format my album title, track title, and artist name?
Platform rules change. Each rule above is attributed to the company or standard that published it, as checked on 2026-10-21. This guide is not legal advice.