Songwriters are getting the credit they deserve when listeners stream their songs as Spotify will now show the songwriter credits for all tracks.

The modern music industry can be rife with a lack of credit for those behind song creations. Whether it be a willing ghostwriter or the real writers behind Taylor Swift’s latest hits music often isn’t made by the name on the track anymore, but Spotify’s new feature will ensure songwriters are recognised for their work.

Starting last week Spotify added the option to view songwriter and producer credits when streaming from their desktop app. Seeing the brains behind a track is as simple as a right click, then select the new ‘Show Credits’ option from the right-click menu. The credits show details on performers, songwriters, and producers that have been credited in a song’s metadata (presumably ghostwriters and the like will remain ‘ghosts’).

Spotify will show any credits provided from the record label or distributor in the metadata as well as the source of those credits. Spotify say: “We realise some of this may be incomplete or may contain inaccuracies, but this is just a first step: the feature will continually evolve to provide better functionality, and incorporate more information from industry partners.”

Songwriter credits follow the launch of Spotify’s ‘Secret Genius’ series which looks at the songwriters and producers behind some of the world’s biggest tunes and artists. The initiative will include an awards show, programs and songshops, a Secret Genius playlist, and podcasts featuring discussions with songwriters.

Troy Carter, Spotify’s global head of services said: “Songwriters and producers are the backbone of the industry and we want to help celebrate these incredibly talented people. The goal of Secret Genius is to give credit where credit is due by shining a light on these amazing creators.”

It’s great to see Spotify giving the respect due for music. As streaming becomes the primary platform for all music Spotify will set a lot of the precedents as the leaders in music streaming, so setting an example like this is great to see.