What does the explicit logo mean for your release? Read our guide on what explicit lyrics are, and what happens when you release your music to Spotify that is marked as explicit music.  

What is Explicit Music? 

Explicit music are tracks or releases that are labelled with the explicit logo, and are simply a way for fans to know if your music contains any swear words. In this help centre article, we will answer all your questions on what explicit content means on Spotify and other stores, how to release music with explicit lyrics, and tell you if the explicit content tag will have an effect on the visibility of your release in the stores. 

What makes a song explicit, and when does a track need to be marked as explicit? 

All major music platforms have certain criteria that determine whether a release is explicit or not. If the lyrics of a song contain one or several of the following criteria, then the song or release must have an explicit lyrics label: 

• Strong language / Swear words such as F**k, S**t or Bulls**t.   
• References to violence, sex or drugs in the lyrics or displayed on the cover art. 
• Discriminatory language. Please our article on Anti-Discrimination for more information about the consequences of using discriminatory language.   

Does explicit lyrics/music affect release visibility? 

Marking your song as explicit will only affect the visibility of the release in the Apple Music/iTunes stores of Belarus, Burkina Faso, India, Nepal, and Uzbekistan. In those countries Apple Music/iTunes won't display your release. 

In all other Apple Music/iTunes stores and all other services, your release will be as visible with an explicit content tag, so listeners are aware. Read more on how to release music on iTunes & Apple Music.  

Please note if you don't tag your release correctly there could be a delay in the delivery of your release.  

For more advice, read our blog article on our tips for releasing music independently and our Help Centre article on when is the best time to release music.