Then the lead singer said, "Wait, what are the ___ of the bands that did these songs? It would help to know." (5)

I believe the answer is:

names

(Other definitions for names that I've seen before include "Some people drop these to sound important" , "Titles" , "People and things are known by them" , "Heroes" , "identification" .)

I've seen this clue in The Washington Post.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.