You’ve finished up your track; you properly mixed and mastered it, and you're wondering how to release music on Spotify. This blog article is here to help you find your way around the streaming world and get your music heard.
The good news is that you can submit your music to Spotify as well as other streaming music services such as Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal, Amazon Music, and additional services with just one service. Bear in mind that once you’ve uploaded your track to a digital distribution service, it takes a week or so to get your music live.
Here are a few things you’ll need to know before you upload your music to the streaming services:
Finalize your track.
First things first, make sure your new music is ready, you are completely satisfied with your music, and you are not planning any changes or tweaks along the way.
Re-uploading your track is not possible. Yes, you can delete the track and re-upload it again, but then you will lose all the streams you gained, and your track will be removed from all the playlists you’ve managed to get on, so make sure your single is ready and finalized to your satisfaction.
You’ll need to mix down a wav file with 16-bit/44-kHz quality in order to submit it to the streaming services.
Your music artwork
Every single has its own artwork; do not go easy on the importance of your artwork because it’s the first thing the listeners will see prior to listening to your track.
Make it interesting, attractive, and unique. Be sure that the title of your music and artists are not too small, because listeners and curators will most likely view the image as a small-scale image and not at the size you’re seeing it while creating it.
If you have some design skills, you do not need to hire a designer, and you can find all the tools you need online.
You can use images from unsplash.com or pixabay.com; they are totally free and royalty-free, meaning you can use them for free without licensing them.
It would be nice if you added credit to the image creator on your website or social media as a reward for their work.
You can also use websites like Befunky or Canva to design it, add titles, effects, and whatever comes to mind.
Another way to create an artwork from scratch is to use an AI image generator like Midjourney, DeepAI, and more. There’s lots of options out there; just google it.
List your music with the different performance rights organizations.
Registering your rights is important; you’ll never know when and where your track will be aired, streamed, or licensed.
You’ll need to make sure you receive all the rights as a writer or songwriter.
Performance rights organizations, or PRO, are in charge of collecting your royalties from radio and television broadcasts, live performances, streaming, and more. PROs play a crucial role in ensuring that creators are compensated for the public use of their music.
Which PRO service should I choose?
There are several PROs operating globally, each serving specific regions. Some of the major PROs include:
ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers): Based in the United States, ASCAP is one of the largest PROs in the world.
BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.): Another major PRO in the United States, BMI represents a large catalog of music.
SESAC: This PRO in the United States represents a diverse range of songwriters and publishers.
SOCAN (Society of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers of Canada): Based in Canada, SOCAN represents Canadian and international music creators.
PRS for Music (Performing Right Society): Based in the United Kingdom, PRS for Music represents songwriters, composers, and music publishers.
GEMA (Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte): Based in Germany, GEMA is one of the largest PROs in Europe.
APRA AMCOS (Australasian Performing Right Association and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society): Serving Australia and New Zealand, this PRO represents a wide range of music creators.
Using the Digital Distribution Service
In order to get your music on the different streaming platforms, you’ll need to upload your track to a digital distribution service.
Unlike SoundCloud, for example, where you can upload your track directly, edit it, or replace it, on streaming services, you’ll need to go through a third-party service, which is like a hub to get your music on the different streaming platforms.
From CDBABY to Distrokid, Awal, or Amuse, There are many different digital distribution platforms, and they all work in different ways.
Once you've uploaded your new music to one of your chosen digital distribution services, upload your cover art or album artwork. If you've uploaded multiple songs, choose your release date, and you're good to go. Read our blog article about the Top 8 Best Digital Distribution Services.
It’s better that all your music be submitted with the same service; some ask for a fee per music submission, others take percentage of the royalties, so take your time and choose the right service that fits you.
Claiming your artist profile on the different streaming services
Once your song has been delivered to the different streaming platforms,
It’s time to claim your Spotify artist profile and attach your newly released song to your new account.
Otherwise, you won’t have your personal Spotify profile, and the streaming services won’t be able to attach your music to your artist. In addition, there are many awesome features on the Spotify artist profile that will allow you to get insights on your music performance.
To create your artist account
on Spotify, visit artist.Spotify.com On Apple, visit artist.apple.com On Deezer, visit creators.deezer.com
Artist profiles on the different streaming platforms can help you monitor your streaming, statistics, the playlist you're on, fan locations, and more.
All of the services are free for artists and can generate valuable information that can help you make the right decisions on your musical journey.
How do you get your music heard?
Here’s where One Submit comes in.
If you are just getting started with Spotify and have uploaded your first new track, most likely your track won’t generate many streams at the beginning.
It’s similar to opening a new account on social media; if you don’t have a lot of followers, you won’t get streams, likes, new music fans, or new listeners.
The right way to promote your music is to get on playlists within your music genre.
We help artists submit their music to Spotify playlists, music blogs, online radio stations, TikTok influencers, YouTube channels, and labels.
We guarantee that your song will be reviewed by the right playlists that match your music genre, and you’ll receive a written review from the playlister.
If he or she likes your music, they will add it to their playlist, and you will be exposed to a new audience.
There are three different kinds of playlists on Spotify: user-generated playlists, algorithmic playlists, and editorial playlists.
We offer music submission to user-generated playlists. If your music is successful and generates streams, likes, and followers in a short period of time,
Most likely, music might be noticed by Spotify’s algorithmic playlists, and they’ll add it automatically to their algorithmic playlists.
Read more about algorithmic and editorial playlists on How to Get on Spotify’s Editorial Playlists.
Final words
Uploading music on Spotify app and other music services is essential for every independent artist today.
Unlike before, there are many easy-to-use services that can help you distribute your music and also collect your streaming revenue and get paid for it.
Start your campaign today Read more about: 12 Best Ways to Make Money as a Musician Learn about: How much does Spotify pay per stream in 2024 Check out our music promotion plans on One Submit
Visit our Spotify promotion page