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  5. labels

Record Company vs Label / Imprint

Know where Songkeeper uses release Record Company, release Label / Imprint, and track-level label fields in SoundExchange, Panorama, and Artisti exports.

The release form has two fields that are easy to confuse: Record Company and Label / Imprint. They serve different purposes, and export files read them differently.

Quick answer
Use Record Company for the parent company or label group used by Panorama. Use Label / Imprint for the release label shown in SoundExchange and Artisti exports. Track-level recording labels can override the release label in some track-specific export fields.

Which field should you fill in?

FieldUse it whenExport behavior
Record CompanyYou need to record the parent company or label group behind the release. Independent releases can leave it blank.Panorama uses this as the record company and exports “Independent” when it is blank.
Label / ImprintYou need the label name that should appear as the release label or imprint.SoundExchange, Panorama, and Artisti export this as the release label where their templates include a label field.
Track-level labelA specific recording version should carry a different label from the release.Track-specific export fields can use this before falling back to the release Label / Imprint.
Why there are two fields
A label group can have multiple imprints. For example, the Record Company might be “Universal Music Group” while the Label / Imprint is “Republic Records”. Most independents only need to fill in Label / Imprint.

How labels appear in exports

SoundExchange

The SoundExchange “Release Label” field uses this fallback order:

  1. Label / Imprint from the release form
  2. Primary master owner - the master owner with the highest royalty percentage on the track

This fallback exists because for self-released music, the master owner is often the entity that should appear as the label.

P-Line

The P-Line identifies the rights owner of a recording. It uses this fallback order, prefixed with the release year:

  1. Track-level label - the label field on the recording version, useful if different tracks have different labels
  2. Label / Imprint from the release
  3. Primary master owner - same as above

The result looks like “2024 Jane Doe” or “2024 XYZ Records”. If all three sources are empty, the P-Line is left blank.

Panorama

Panorama exports both concepts. The record company field uses Record Company and falls back to “Independent” if blank. The label field uses Label / Imprint.

Artisti

Artisti exports the release Label / Imprint as the album Maker / Label. For track-level rows, Songkeeper uses the track-level label when present, then falls back to the release Label / Imprint.

Related docs

  • Release exports explains the readiness checks and generated XLSX files.
  • Recording metadata explains master ownership, performer, and recording-level fields.