Guides
Plain answers to what independent artists and labels ask us most: how to plan and deliver a release, how the stores work, how to promote it, and how the money and rights behind it add up.
Releasing music
How to get your music on Spotify, Apple Music and every other store, step by step: what distribution is, what to prepare, timelines and what to do after release
5 min read
Releasing music
How far ahead should you plan a music release? A week-by-week checklist from 8 weeks out to release week and after, for independent artists and labels.
5 min read
Promotion
How to pitch your song to Spotify editorial playlists in Spotify for Artists: when to submit, what to write, what editors look at and what to expect.
5 min read
Rights & metadata
ISRC and UPC codes explained: what each identifies, who assigns them, when you need a new ISRC, reusing codes on re-releases and why wrong codes split stats.
5 min read
Releasing music
Cover art requirements for Spotify, Apple Music and other stores: size, format and the content rules that get artwork rejected, plus a pre-upload checklist.
5 min read
Rights & metadata
The metadata mistakes that get music releases rejected by distributors and stores: artist names, featured artists, versions, capitalization, genre and more.
6 min read
Royalties & money
How streaming royalties work: master vs publishing, what your distributor pays, PROs and mechanicals, why per-stream rates vary and why statements lag.
5 min read
Promotion
How to launch a release with pre-save campaigns and smart links: what a smart link page is, pre-save vs notify me, where to share it and what to do after.
5 min read