Why did Roman poets often begin their works with a name?

Many Roman poets were known to be very influential and have had a profound effect on the world today, but they could not earn a living off of writing poems and publishing them. Instead, they were generously paid by sponsors, generally wealthy people who were willing to pay money to their favorite poems. In return, often a poet would describe their benefactor thoroughly, making note of their largesse to the arts. An example of this happening is where in Horace's "Odes," he mentions Maecenas and elaborately describes Maecenas as a great guy because Maecenas was a patron to the arts and paid Horace.