DocumentationAnalyticsStreaming media services guide

Artist

Last update: June 8, 2026

CREATED FOR:

  • Developer

This page covers data collection for the Artist variable. See Artist for the corresponding reporting dimension.

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shade-box

The artist variable is the name of the performing artist for audio content (for example, "Crested Larks"). Use it on music or podcast sessions to break engagement out by performer.

Property
Value
Context data variable
a.media.artist
XDM collection field
xdm.mediaCollection.sessionDetails.artist
Audience Manager trait
c_contextdata.a.media.artist
Required
No
Sent with
Session start, session close
Web SDK

Set artist inside xdm.mediaCollection.sessionDetails when calling sendEvent:

code language-javascript 
alloy("sendEvent", {
  xdm: {
    eventType: "media.sessionStart",
    mediaCollection: {
      sessionDetails: {
        artist: "Crested Larks"
      },
      playhead: 0
    }
  }
});
iOS

Pass the artist name as a metadata key in the HashMap argument to trackSessionStart. Use MediaConstants.AudioMetadataKeys.ARTIST.

code language-swift 
var metadata: [String: String] = [:]
metadata[MediaConstants.AudioMetadataKeys.ARTIST] = "Crested Larks"

tracker.trackSessionStart(info: mediaObject, metadata: metadata)
Android

Pass the artist name as a metadata key in the HashMap argument to trackSessionStart. Use MediaConstants.AudioMetadataKeys.ARTIST.

code language-kotlin 
val metadata = HashMap<String, String>()
metadata[MediaConstants.AudioMetadataKeys.ARTIST] = "Crested Larks"

tracker.trackSessionStart(mediaInfo, metadata)
Roku Edge

Use createMediaSession to set artist inside sessionDetails:

code language-brightscript 
m.aepSdk.createMediaSession({
    "xdm": {
        "eventType": "media.sessionStart",
        "mediaCollection": {
            "sessionDetails": {
                "artist": "Crested Larks"
            },
            "playhead": 0
        }
    }
})
Media Edge API

Call the sessionStart endpoint with artist inside xdm.mediaCollection.sessionDetails:

code language-json 
{
  "events": [{
    "xdm": {
      "eventType": "media.sessionStart",
      "mediaCollection": {
        "sessionDetails": {
          "name": "video-123",
          "length": 128,
          "contentType": "vod",
          "playerName": "HTML5 Player",
          "channel": "Sports",
          "artist": "Crested Larks"
        },
        "playhead": 0
      }
    }
  }]
}

Legacy implementation types (Analytics-only)

Media SDK JS 3.x

Pass the artist in the contextData object using ADB.Media.AudioMetadataKeys.Artist:

code language-javascript 
var contextData = {};
contextData[ADB.Media.AudioMetadataKeys.Artist] = "Crested Larks";

tracker.trackSessionStart(mediaInfo, contextData);
Chromecast

Use ADBMobile.media.AudioMetadataKeys.ARTIST to set the artist name in the StandardMediaMetadata property of the media object before calling trackSessionStart:

code language-javascript 
var mediaInfo = ADBMobile.media.createMediaObject("My Track", "audio-123", 240,
  ADBMobile.media.StreamType.AOD, ADBMobile.media.MediaType.Audio);
var standardMetadata = {};
standardMetadata[ADBMobile.media.AudioMetadataKeys.ARTIST] = "Crested Larks";
mediaInfo[ADBMobile.media.MediaObjectKey.StandardMediaMetadata] = standardMetadata;
ADBMobile.media.trackSessionStart(mediaInfo, null);
Roku 2.x

Use MEDIA_AudioMetadataKeyARTIST to set the artist name in the standard metadata of the media object before calling mediaTrackSessionStart:

code language-brightscript 
adb = ADBMobile()
mediaInfo = adb_media_init_mediainfo("My Track", "audio-123", 240.0, adb.MEDIA_STREAM_TYPE_AOD, adb.MEDIA_TYPE_AUDIO)

standardMetadata = {}
standardMetadata[adb.MEDIA_AudioMetadataKeyARTIST] = "Crested Larks"
mediaInfo[adb.MEDIA_STANDARD_MEDIA_METADATA] = standardMetadata

adb.mediaTrackSessionStart(mediaInfo, invalid)
Media Collection API

Include media.artist in the params object:

code language-json 
{
  "playerTime": { "playhead": 0, "ts": 1699523820000 },
  "eventType": "sessionStart",
  "params": {
    "media.artist": "Crested Larks"
  }
}

See the Media Collection API sessions reference for the full request structure.

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