Guide · Releasing
From export to store: the distributor workflow without surprises
Between the finished master and the song on Spotify sits the distributor – the service that delivers the file to the platforms, assigns the codes and collects the royalties. The workflow is similar with every provider, and so are the mistakes. Here is the path as it has proven itself in practice.
What the distributor needs
| Item | Requirement | Typical mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Audio | WAV, 16 or 24-bit, 44.1 kHz, true peak below −1 dBTP | Uploading MP3; peaks above 0 dB → rejection or distortion |
| Cover | Square, 3000 × 3000, JPG or PNG, RGB | Text with URL or social handle, blurry upscaling |
| Metadata | Title, artist name exactly as in the profile, genre, language, lyrics | Title in ALL CAPS, “feat.” in the title instead of the field, typo in the artist name → a new, empty artist profile |
| Codes | ISRC per track, UPC per release – the distributor assigns them for free | Re-uploading the same song with a new ISRC (counts as a duplicate) |
| AI disclosure | Tick truthfully when asked | Concealing it – see Labelling AI music |
| Explicit flag | Set “explicit” if the lyrics require it | Not setting it and getting blocked later |
The schedule that has proven itself
- Set the release date: a Friday, at least four weeks away. Not because delivery takes that long, but because of the next point.
- Upload four weeks ahead. Only after upload does the song appear in the platforms’ artist account (Spotify for Artists), and only then can it be submitted for editorial playlists. Spotify wants that pitch at least seven days before release, better three to four weeks. Whoever uploads on release day has thrown the pitch away.
- Create the pre-save link as soon as the song is in the system. Most distributors offer a landing page where listeners can pre-save; on release day it lands in their library automatically. The effect isn’t huge, but every pre-save counts on day one – and day one is what the algorithms watch.
- Build Canvas, clips and thumbnail in the weeks in between, not the night before.
- Release day: swap the pre-save link for the real one (website, bio, smart link), post the first clip, update your playlists with your own track.
- Two weeks later: look at the numbers, upload the next song. A release every two to three weeks keeps the profile moving; one release a year lets it fall asleep.
What happens after upload
The platforms check audio and cover automatically. Usual bounces: covers with text that looks like advertising; an artist name resembling an existing profile; and – increasingly common with AI music – a query about authorship. Answer calmly, briefly and truthfully; it is usually cleared within a few days.
The false alarm: “artificial streams”
At some point the e-mail arrives: a track or a playlist has been restricted on suspicion of artificial streams. It also hits projects that never bought a stream – triggered by bot followers on someone else’s playlist, an ad campaign with an unusual listener profile, or simply an error in the detection system. What works then:
- Delete nothing, rename nothing, don’t re-upload in a panic. That looks like a cover-up and creates duplicates.
- Write to both supports – distributor and platform – with the same short account: what was released, what promotion ran, that no streams were bought. Attach evidence (invoices from ad platforms, screenshots of the campaigns).
- Wait. Replies take days to weeks. A false alarm usually ends with confirmation that nothing was wrong.
- Prevent: no playlist swap rings, no “guaranteed streams”, no services promising followers. Anything that buys listeners instead of earning them is exactly what the detection is looking for.
What the distributor does not do
It does no promotion, it does not pitch for you, it does not take care of your social media rights to your own music. The latter is a separate step: so that Instagram and TikTok don’t mute your song as third-party material, your profile must be registered as the rights holder at the distributor (whitelisting). That takes time, so apply before the first clip.
The distributor is the post office, not the publisher. What’s in the parcel is up to you – and since the first release the parcel is the same every time.
All guides are deliberately kept general: which models and tools run on your machine depends on your hardware. Questions or corrections? Write to us.