{"id":15005,"date":"2021-02-23T17:36:08","date_gmt":"2021-02-23T22:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/?p=15005"},"modified":"2025-10-10T11:59:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T15:59:17","slug":"change-your-artist-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/change-your-artist-name\/","title":{"rendered":"Why you should change your artist name (and how to do it right)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Illustration:<\/strong> Daniel Zender<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choosing an artist name<\/strong> can be as crucial as deciding what kind of music you want to make.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But what if you wanted to change your artist name, whether it was for a rebrand, for a fresh start, or because your Spotify page is populated by a Swedish metal act that just so happens to share your stage name? Fear not\u2014here’s a guide to changing your artist name, working with third-party distributors, and staying true to your artistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why should you change your artist name?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many artists have changed their names for a variety of reasons. Chet Faker became Nick Murphy to make his music feel more personal and less like a project. Rich Chigga became Rich Brian because of the insensitive and racially-tinged implications of his former moniker. Saint Pepsi became Skylar Spence facing legal issues with PepsiCo. Prince became a symbol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, take your time to think about this. After all, it\u2019s your project and you should feel happy making the music you do. Besides, nothing lasts forever\u2014Nick Murphy made his triumphant return as Chet Faker just last month. Chet Fake it til you make it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to change your artist name<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are three things to remember to change: your name on streaming platforms, your name across social media, and your domains and email addresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most challenging process is changing your artist name on streaming platforms,<\/a> if you want to move all of your old music over. This is especially difficult for independent artists without relationships at streaming platforms. Third-party music distributors<\/a> unfortunately don\u2019t let you simply change your name like you would a username on a website like SoundCloud. However, most streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music will let you keep your play counts and playlist placements for old music under a new name\u2014just follow these steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. The first thing to do is take all of your music down off of these platforms. This may seem daunting, but hang tight\u2014we’ll explain. Keep note of your ISRC codes, as some distributors (like DistroKid) will let you input those when you re-upload.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Re-upload your music with your distributor with your new name. For most streaming platforms, this should go through without a hitch. Most third-party distributors will let you input the old ISRC codes of your work. If your music is rejected because a streaming platform recognizes a duplicate, contact their customer support. If they\u2019re unable to help, try a different distributor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. If you still have issues re-uploading music, one other trick you can try is to slightly alter your master. Add a fade-in or a fade-out to a song, and streaming platforms won\u2019t reject the track outright, but will allow it to go up under your name with play counts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Share your new name with the world! A great way to do this is to time it along with a new release,<\/a> so everyone can follow your new account and stay tuned for new music.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Be sure to quickly grab available usernames across social media platforms<\/a> for your new artist name; you can always register a username before using it. Note that Instagram won\u2019t let you change your handle for up to two weeks, so make sure you time switching your username accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s going to be okay<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Changing your artist name<\/a> is a fresh start. The idea of taking your music down and the risk of re-uploading or beginning a new project can be scary. But, it\u2019s your art, and above all, you should prioritize staying true to your artistry. When Prince changed his name to combat his record label, he explained,<\/a> \u201cIt is an unpronounceable symbol whose meaning has not been identified. It\u2019s all about thinking in new ways, tuning in to a new \u2018free-quency.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So, good luck and find your own frequency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    College students, educators, and other Splice users who register using a valid .edu email address are now eligible for a discounted monthly price on our Sounds+ plan:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    Learn more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Learn about the reasons you might want to consider changing your artist name, and how to navigate the process across streaming platforms, social media, etc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15006,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1860,1696],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy you should change your artist name (and how to do it right) - Blog | Splice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn about the reasons you might want to consider changing your artist name, and how to navigate the process across streaming platforms, social media, etc.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/change-your-artist-name\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why you should change your artist name (and how to do it right) - 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