How to Release Music on Spotify and Apple Music

Step 1 — Prepare compliant assets

Quality control failures at this stage are the single most common cause of a missed release date, because a rejection forces a full redelivery and restarts the ingestion clock.

• Audio: WAV or FLAC, 16-bit/44.1kHz minimum, 24-bit/48kHz preferred, no clipping, no dead silence longer than a second at the head of the file.
• Artwork: square, minimum 3000x3000 pixels, RGB, JPG or PNG, no store logos, URLs, social handles, pricing or promotional text.
• Dolby Atmos or spatial mixes, if you have them, are delivered as separate assets alongside the stereo master.

Step 2 — Get the metadata right the first time

Metadata is what stores, rights systems and royalty processors actually read. Use one consistent spelling of your artist name across every release, credit featured artists in the dedicated field rather than in the track title, and list writers, producers and performers with their correct roles.

Every recording needs a unique ISRC and every release needs a UPC or EAN. Never reuse an ISRC for a remix, live version or re-record — each is a distinct recording and needs its own code so royalties are matched correctly.

Step 3 — Choose the release date and delivery window

Pick a date at least four weeks out. Fridays remain the global standard release day and align with most chart and playlist refresh cycles, though a mid-week date can work for catalogue or niche releases.

Delivering early buys you the pitching window, the pre-save window and a safety margin for redelivery if a store rejects the package.

Step 4 — Claim your artist profiles

Claim Spotify for Artists and Apple Music for Artists before release day. Verified profiles let you pitch to editorial, control your bio and images, see real-time performance data and, in Spotify's case, add a Canvas and artist pick.

For video, an Official Artist Channel on YouTube consolidates your topic channel, videos and music into a single verified destination.

Step 5 — Pitch and promote before the date

• Pitch one unreleased track through Spotify for Artists as early as possible; the pitch also feeds Release Radar for your followers.
• Share a pre-save or pre-add link so day-one activity is concentrated rather than spread out.
• Prepare short-form video assets — a large share of music discovery now begins on short-form platforms.
• Line up press, playlist and creator outreach so the first week has consistent activity rather than one spike.

Step 6 — Verify and monitor after release

• Check the release is live in every intended store and territory, with correct credits and artwork.
• Confirm the recording is registered for YouTube Content ID so user-generated uses are monetized rather than lost.
• Confirm the composition is registered with your publishing administrator or collecting society.
• Watch the first 28 days of source-of-stream data to see which channels actually drove listening, then reinvest accordingly.