Getting on Spotify, Apple Music & YouTube.

You don't upload directly to Spotify. A distributor does it for you.

Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, YouTube Music — none of them let you upload music directly. You need a distributor: a service that delivers your music to all platforms, handles royalty collection, and provides your ISRC codes (the ISBN of the music world).

DistroKid ($22.99/year): The most popular for independents. Unlimited uploads, keeps 100% of royalties, fastest delivery (1-2 days to most stores). Best for prolific AI producers who release frequently. Important: they accept AI-assisted music but require disclosure.

TuneCore ($29.99/year per album): Slightly more expensive but includes more detailed analytics and sync licensing opportunities. Good for artists focused on fewer, higher-quality releases. Also requires AI disclosure.

CD Baby ($9.95 per single, $29 per album, one-time): No annual fee — pay once, distributed forever. Takes a 9% commission on royalties. Best for artists who don't release often and don't want recurring charges.

Amuse (Free tier available): Free distribution with limited features. Pro tier at $5.99/month adds faster delivery and more stores. Good for testing the waters before committing to a paid distributor.

Step by step: from finished track to live on all platforms.

Step 1 — Prepare your files. WAV format, 44.1kHz sample rate, 16-bit depth (or 24-bit). Stereo. No clipping (peaks should be below 0dB). Most distributors reject MP3s. Your mastering service (LANDR, eMastered) exports in the correct format.

Step 2 — Create your artwork. 3000x3000 pixels, JPG or PNG, RGB color mode. No blurry images, no copyrighted material, no social media handles or URLs (Spotify rejects these). Use Midjourney or DALL-E to generate unique cover art. Prompt: "[mood/aesthetic] album cover, [style], no text, high resolution, square format." Add text (artist name, title) in Canva.

Step 3 — Fill in metadata. Track title, artist name, album name, genre, release date, songwriter credits, producer credits. Metadata is how platforms categorize and recommend your music. Incorrect metadata = invisible music. Use your real artist name consistently across all releases.

Step 4 — Set your release date. Schedule at least 2-3 weeks out. This gives you time to pitch to playlists (Spotify requires 7 days minimum for editorial playlist consideration). Friday releases align with Spotify's New Music Friday playlists.

Step 5 — Upload and submit. Upload your files and artwork to your distributor. Double-check everything — once it's live, fixing errors requires re-uploading. Your distributor sends it to all platforms automatically.

Step 6 — Claim your profiles. Claim your Spotify for Artists profile (artists.spotify.com), Apple Music for Artists, and YouTube Music artist channel. These dashboards give you analytics, playlist pitching tools, and profile customization.