The short answer
Choose one primary artist name in one script, spell it identically on every release, and deliver the other script as a localized name where the store supports it. Give your distributor your existing Spotify artist URI and Apple Music artist ID with every release so new music lands on the right profile and no duplicate is created.
Where the name on your profile comes from
The name listeners see on Spotify and Apple Music is not typed into Spotify for Artists or Apple Music for Artists. It arrives with each release in the metadata your distributor delivers, and the store matches that name to an existing artist profile or creates a new one. The artist tools change your photo and bio; a name change goes back through the distributor, who asks the store to rename the profile.
This is why spelling discipline matters more than any setting. Two releases delivered with two spellings are, to the store, two artists until someone asks for them to be merged, and a merge usually takes days to a couple of weeks.
Primary name: Arabic or Latin?
Choose the script your main audience searches in. Latin letters travel further internationally; Arabic letters read naturally to an Arabic-only audience and look right on regional playlists. Many Arab artists use a Latin primary name with an Arabic localized name, and that combination works well in both stores.
Whichever you choose, fix the exact spelling in a written name sheet and never vary it. The sheet should cover the Arabic and Latin forms, featured-artist credits, and the version of your name used in writer and composer fields.
- Arabic: one decision on hamza, ta marbuta, alef maqsura and the space in compound names such as Abdullah, with no diacritics unless they are part of the name
- Latin: one romanisation, such as Mohammed or Mohamed, one capitalisation and one treatment of prefixes such as Al or El
- No honorifics, no genre words and no emoji in the name field
- Featured artists in the artist fields, never written into the title
Localized names and titles
Both stores can show a second version of your name and your titles in the listener's language. Apple Music has supported localized artist names and titles for years, and Spotify now displays localized names and titles when the label delivers them. Localized fields are delivered by your distributor as language-tagged metadata, not entered in the artist tools, and what each store displays changes over time.
Localized names also make search work across scripts: a listener typing Arabic finds a Latin-named profile and the reverse. Ask Mazufa Records which localized fields it delivers to each store and keep the localized spelling as fixed as the primary one.
Duplicate profiles and merges
Duplicates appear for three reasons: a release delivered with a different spelling, a store matching a new release to another artist of the same name, or a new profile created because no existing one was referenced. Common names collide constantly, so consider a distinguishing element before the first release.
To fix one, send your distributor the URIs or IDs of both profiles, the UPCs of the affected releases and which profile should survive. The distributor requests the merge or re-mapping from the store; on Spotify you can also report a mismatch from inside Spotify for Artists, and on Apple Music through the support channel inside Apple Music for Artists. The surest prevention is sending your Spotify URI and Apple artist ID with every release.
What you can and cannot edit yourself
After claiming Spotify for Artists you can set your image, header, biography, pinned content, concerts and artist pick, and the verified badge appears automatically. Apple Music for Artists lets you set the artist photo and manage your team, while the biography is written editorially by Apple and cannot be edited by the artist.
Neither tool lets you rename the profile, change titles or move a release between profiles; those go through the distributor. Mazufa charges no upload fee, no subscription, no per-release fee; the revenue share is set out in your written agreement, and name corrections and merge requests are part of the service.
- Before every release: name sheet checked, Spotify URI and Apple artist ID sent with the delivery
- After every release: both profiles checked on release day for a stray duplicate
- Once: both artist tools claimed, team access added, photo and bio set
Questions people ask
Can I change my artist name after releases are out?
Yes, through your distributor, who asks the store to rename the profile. Choose a name you will keep, because every rename takes time and can confuse search.
My Arabic name appears on one release and my Latin name on another. Why?
The two releases were delivered with different primary names, so the store treated them as different artists. Fix the metadata and ask your distributor to merge the profiles.
Does search in Arabic work if my primary name is Latin?
Usually yes when a localized Arabic name is delivered, and often partially even without one. Delivering the localized name is the reliable way.