Spotify, Apple Music and Beatport do not normally work like SoundCloud, where an artist uploads a track directly to a public profile. Independent artists usually deliver through a music distributor. The distributor checks and sends the audio, artwork and metadata to selected services, then reports usage and pays the artist’s share of revenue according to its agreement.
A professional release is therefore a data-and-rights project as well as a music project. A brilliant master can still land on the wrong artist profile, display a misspelled collaborator or miss its campaign date if the delivery is rushed. Begin three or four weeks before release where possible and always check the current requirements of your distributor and each store.
1. Confirm that you control the music
List every writer, producer, featured artist, vocalist and rights owner. Agree percentage splits in writing before release. Clear every sample whose use requires permission; a sample-pack licence may permit commercial releases, while a phrase taken from an existing record normally needs different clearance. Keep licences, agreements and purchase receipts together.
Decide who owns the sound recording and who controls the composition. These are related but distinct rights. Registering works, joining the relevant collection society and handling neighbouring rights depend on territory and circumstances, so obtain professional advice where the ownership or income is significant.
2. Prepare the master
- Export a lossless WAV in the specification requested by the distributor.
- Use the project sample rate unless the mastering engineer or service requires another.
- Check the beginning, ending, fades and reverb tails.
- Listen to the complete exported file—not only the DAW session.
- Confirm clean playback in stereo and mono and on headphones, speakers and a phone.
- Name the file clearly with artist, title, version and mastering revision.
Do not convert a lossy MP3 into WAV and call it a master. The larger file does not restore discarded audio. Keep instrumental, radio edit and DJ-friendly versions only when they serve a release purpose and can be identified unambiguously.
3. Build accurate metadata
Metadata is the identity card of the release. Prepare the exact primary artist name, featured artist formatting, track and release titles, writers, producers, label name, genre, language, explicit-content status, copyright lines and release date. Search each service for artists with the same name and save your existing artist URLs or identifiers so the distributor can map the release correctly.
- ISRC: identifies a particular sound recording. A new master or distinct recording may require a different code; do not casually reuse one from another track.
- UPC/EAN: identifies the release product containing one or more recordings.
- Credits: help listeners and industry systems understand who performed and created the work.
- Splits: define how collaborators share income within the available distributor tools; they do not replace a written agreement.
Screenshot to add: An anonymised distributor metadata page showing primary artist, featured artist, writers, ISRC, explicit flag, genre, release date and destination selection.
4. Create compliant artwork
Use a high-resolution square image that you own or have licensed. Avoid blurry graphics, URLs, social handles, misleading platform logos, prices and text that conflicts with the supplied metadata. Keep the editable source file and the licence for photography, fonts or commissioned artwork.
Judge the cover at thumbnail size. A detailed image may look beautiful on a monitor and become unreadable in a mobile feed. Consistent typography and colour can connect multiple releases without making every cover identical.
5. Choose a distributor by workflow
Compare destinations, annual or per-release cost, commission, payment methods, collaborator splits, support, takedown policy, label features and what happens if a subscription ends. Prices and features change, so use current terms rather than an old comparison video. The cheapest first year is not necessarily the best home for a catalogue you intend to maintain for a decade.
Spotify states that distributors deliver music and handle streaming royalties. Apple likewise recommends that independent artists and smaller labels work with a distributor and notes that distributors manage delivery, metadata issues, financial information and reporting. Give the distributor your existing artist links to reduce profile-mapping errors.
6. Understand the Beatport route
Beatport focuses on electronic dance music and requires delivery through a label or a distributor for independent artists. Confirm that the chosen distributor supports Beatport and that the release is appropriate for its catalogue. Request the correct Drum & Bass or Jungle classification, but follow the current genre options presented by the distributor.
Prepare a useful DJ version when the arrangement needs one, and check how the title distinguishes original, extended, instrumental and remix versions. Beatport delivery is not guaranteed merely because a distributor sends to Spotify and Apple Music; destinations and eligibility must be selected and confirmed.
7. Choose a date with enough lead time
A three- or four-week runway gives time for delivery, profile correction, campaign assets, private outreach and playlist pitching. Uploading on Thursday for a Friday release removes most of those options. Avoid announcing a date until the distributor has accepted the release and the stores show it as upcoming where that visibility is available.
Spotify currently asks artists to pitch an unreleased song through Spotify for Artists at least seven days before its release date. Earlier delivery is still safer. A pitch is an editorial consideration, not a promise of placement. Describe the music accurately, provide real context and choose the strongest focus track.
8. Claim and prepare artist profiles
- Claim Spotify for Artists and Apple Music for Artists access through their current verification processes.
- Add a consistent photograph, biography and relevant links.
- Check that the upcoming release is attached to the correct artist.
- Prepare a Spotify Canvas or other platform-specific asset only if it strengthens the song.
- Keep passwords protected and grant team access through official roles rather than sharing logins.
9. Build the campaign around a story
“New track Friday” is information, not a campaign. Identify the human or musical story: the bass transformation, first label release, collaboration across cities, return after a break, unusual sample source or production lesson. Create several native pieces from that story rather than repeating one cover image.
- Before: artwork reveal, studio clip, collaborator introduction, pre-save/landing page and focused private outreach.
- Release day: one clear listening link, complete track clip, personal explanation and prompt replies.
- After: production breakdown, DJ support, listener reactions, alternate clip, live version and milestone reflection.
Never buy guaranteed streams or playlist placement. Artificial activity can corrupt audience data and create enforcement risk. Paid advertising through an official platform is different: it buys disclosed distribution, not fake listening behaviour.
Graphic to add: A four-week release calendar covering delivery, profile checks, editorial pitch, teaser assets, release day and three weeks of follow-up content.
10. Audit after release
Check every destination for the correct audio, artwork, artist mapping, credits and explicit flag. Save links in one document. Review saves, playlist adds, listener locations, completion indicators and follower movement where available, but allow data time to settle. Ask which content created meaningful listeners rather than celebrating impressions alone.
Release checklist
- Rights and collaborator splits agreed in writing.
- Samples and artwork cleared.
- Final lossless master auditioned from start to finish.
- Names, credits, ISRC, UPC/EAN and explicit status checked.
- Existing artist identifiers supplied.
- Distributor destinations—including Beatport where suitable—confirmed.
- Release delivered with a realistic runway.
- Artist profiles claimed and upcoming release checked.
- Spotify editorial pitch submitted in time without expecting placement.
- Campaign assets and post-release follow-up prepared.
Platform and distributor requirements change, so treat this as the durable workflow and verify the current forms before every release. Build the music with the track-finishing guide, prepare the audio using Mixing vs Mastering, and promote it with the artist social strategy.