How to Release Your Music on Spotify, Apple Music and Everywhere Else
Anyone can put a song on Spotify, no label needed. The upload takes ten minutes. Getting it heard takes a little planning. Here's how to do both. 🚀
How it works
You can’t upload straight to Spotify or Apple Music. A distributor does it for you, and collects what the stores pay. You keep the rights. The distributor is a delivery service, not a label.
- YouUpload the song, cover and details once
- Your distributorDelivers it, then collects what the stores pay
- Every storeSpotify, Apple Music, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Tidal and more
Get everything ready
Stores are strict. Have all of this ready before you start the upload:
| What | Format | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Master | WAV, 16-bit 44.1 kHz or better | The final master. No MP3s. |
| Cover art | Square JPG or PNG, 3000 × 3000 px | No web addresses, prices or blurry logos |
| Artist name | Spelled exactly as on your other releases | One letter off makes a second artist profile |
| Credits | Songwriters, producer, featured artists | Songwriter names are how royalties find you |
| Release date | A Friday, 3 to 4 weeks away | Never "as soon as possible" |
| Explicit tag | Yes or no, per track | Mark it, or the track can be pulled |
| AI use | Declared, if you used it | Vocals, instruments or production |
| Lyrics | Optional, but worth it | They show up in Spotify and Apple Music |
The codes stores need, ISRC for each track and UPC for the release, come free from your distributor. Covers and samples need permission: a song someone else wrote needs a licence, and so does a sample you didn’t make.
Choose a distributor
They all reach the same big stores. The difference is how you pay. Release often? A yearly fee with unlimited releases is cheapest. Release once or twice a year? Paying per release can work out better.
| Distributor | How you pay | Their cut | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| DistroKid | Yearly fee, unlimited releases | None | Artists who release often |
| TuneCore | Yearly plans, unlimited releases | None on paid plans | Artists who want publishing help in the same place |
| CD Baby | One fee per release, no yearly fee | A small share | Artists who release now and then |
| Ditto Music | Yearly fee, unlimited releases | None | A budget yearly option |
| Amuse | Yearly plans, unlimited releases | None while you pay | Artists who want advances later |
Before you pick, check one thing: what happens to your music if you stop paying. Some take it down. Others keep it up and start taking a cut. Neither is wrong, but you want to know before, not after.
Pick the date, then work backwards
New music comes out on Fridays, worldwide. That’s when the playlists refresh, so release on a Friday too.
- 4 weeks beforeUpload to your distributor, with the release date set.
- 3 weeks beforePitch one song to Spotify’s editors in Spotify for Artists. The last chance is 7 days before release day.
- 2 weeks beforeShare a pre-save link, and send your Press Kit to blogs and radio. Our guide to building a press kit shows what goes in.
- Release dayPost it everywhere, and put it at the top of your Link in Bio.
“As soon as possible” skips all of it. Your song comes out, and nobody knows. 🙈
Claim your artist profiles
Once your first release is in the stores, claim your free artist profiles. They give you your stats, a verified profile, and on Spotify, the pitch form.
- Spotify for Artists: pitching, your profile picture, and Canvas, the short loop that plays behind your song.
- Apple Music for Artists: plays, Shazams and where your listeners are.
- YouTube: ask your distributor to merge your channel and your music into one Official Artist Channel.
How the money reaches you
A song earns in more ways than one. Most artists only collect the first.
The recording
Streams and downloads. Your distributor collects this.
The song
Every play also pays the songwriter. Join your collecting society (Koda, PRS, ASCAP, BMI) and register your songs. Songtrust collects what's left abroad.
The performance
Radio and shops pay the performers on a recording too, through societies like Gramex or SoundExchange.
About Spotify: a stream pays a fraction of a cent, and a track earns nothing until it reaches 1,000 streams in a year. That sounds harsh. It also means one engaged fan base beats a hundred songs nobody plays.
Sell it too
Streaming pays per play. Fans who love you will pay more than that, if you let them. Bandcamp sells your music and merch straight to fans, and you keep most of every sale. On Bandcamp Fridays, a few days a year, it takes nothing at all. Vinyl, CDs and T-shirts sell well at gigs. Bring a card reader. 💳
What to avoid
- Buying streams or followers. Stores spot fake streams, and the penalty lands on you: fines from your distributor, or your release taken down.
- Playlist offers that guarantee numbers. A real curator can promise to listen, never to add you.
- Hiding AI use. Most stores accept music made with AI. Hiding it is what gets tracks pulled: declare it when you upload, and never imitate a real artist's voice.
- A new name for every release. Release under the same artist name, spelled the same way, or your listeners get split across profiles.
Pitch through services that pay curators to listen, like the ones on our list of useful websites for musicians.
After release day
The work starts now, not stops. Play the song live, post the story behind it, and send it to the people who said “send me your next one”. If it’s good, it might even end up in the Spotlight. 🎉
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get my music on Spotify?
The stores usually have it within a few days. But plan for 3 to 4 weeks between upload and release day. That's the time Spotify's editors need to hear your pitch, and the time you need to build up to the release.
Do I keep the rights to my music?
Yes, with every distributor named here. They deliver your music and collect the money; you still own it. Read the terms anyway, especially what happens to your songs if you stop paying.
How much does Spotify pay per stream?
Roughly 0.3 to 0.5 US cents per stream, but it changes with the listener's country and subscription. A track also needs at least 1,000 streams in a year before it earns anything on Spotify.
Can I release a cover song?
Yes, but you need a licence for the song, because someone else wrote it. Most distributors can arrange one for a fee. You don't need permission to record it, only the licence to release it.
Can I change a song after it's out?
You can fix the title, credits and some details. You can't swap the audio. A new mix means a new release, so listen to the master one last time before you upload. Twice, if you're honest with yourself.
Do I need a record label?
No. A distributor gets you into every store a label can. A label brings money, people and contacts, and takes a share for it. Plenty of artists release on their own first, and talk to labels once they have listeners.