Cover Artwork Requirements for Streaming Services: Avoid Rejections
When a release bounces back shortly before its date, the cover is often the reason. Stores check every artwork against fixed rules, and one violation is enough for a rejection. The good news is that the cover artwork requirements of the DSPs are well known and easy to check in advance. This guide covers the technical specs, the most common reasons for rejection, what applies to image rights, and what matters in the design so your cover actually stands out in a playlist.
Technical specs: size, format, color space
The cover has to be perfectly square and at least 3000 × 3000 pixels. JPG and PNG are accepted. What counts is the pixel size, not the dpi value stored in the file: a 300 dpi image that is only 1500 pixels wide is too small. Do not simply upscale a small image either. It will have the right dimensions but look blurry, and blurry or pixelated covers get rejected too.
Files prepared for print are often in CMYK, while screens use RGB. With OGRECORDS™ you do not have to deal with that: we convert CMYK files to RGB automatically. Still check whether the colors look the way you want afterwards, especially very saturated ones.
Text on the cover: artist and title only
What belongs to the release is allowed: your artist name and the title. Both must be spelled exactly as in the metadata. If the cover says "The Night Shift" but the upload says "Night Shift", that is grounds for rejection. The same goes for guest artists. Anyone named on the image must be listed as a contributor in the metadata.
Website addresses, social media handles and prices are not allowed. Promotional lines like "Out Now", "New Single", a date or "Listen on Spotify" fail too, because the cover stays with the release permanently and is not an ad space. Barcodes and codes such as the UPC or ISRC do not belong on the image either. Those codes are delivered digitally, and with OGRECORDS™ we assign them automatically.
Logos, brands and image rights
Logos of streaming services and social networks have no place on a cover: no Spotify icon, no Apple Music badge, no Instagram symbols. The same applies to other companies' brands shown prominently. Only use the "Parental Advisory" label if the release is actually flagged as explicit in the metadata.
You need the rights to every element of the image. A photo from a Google search, a film still or a picture of a famous artist without permission is off limits. With stock photos, read the license, because not every license covers use on a commercial product. If a photographer or designer works for you, get written confirmation that you may use the image as a cover. In the worst case, a rights problem can get your song pulled from the stores again.
A cover that works at small sizes
Most people do not see your cover large. They see a small thumbnail in a playlist, in search results or on a lock screen. So test your design at stamp size. Thin fonts, lots of detail and text near the edges get lost there. A clear subject, strong contrast and a few readable words work best in the small view.
Think about your next releases as well. When colors, typefaces or visual style repeat, listeners recognize you faster, even before they read your name. You do not need to be a designer, but if design is not your thing, it pays to work with someone who understands your music. A stock photo that already appears on lots of other covers makes you interchangeable.
AI generated covers
Covers made fully or partly with AI are not automatically banned, but you have to declare it. With OGRECORDS™ you state for the cover whether and how much AI was involved. With AI images, watch the details that often go wrong: warped lettering, unreadable text, faces or logos that resemble real people or brands.
Also check whether the tool allows commercial use of its images. Some providers only permit that on certain plans. A release needs the same rights as any other image.
How the cover works with OGRECORDS™
In the release wizard the cover is its own step after the audio. You upload the file, declare any AI involvement, and before delivery you review everything in the final step together with title and artist name. That way a mismatch between cover and metadata shows up before a store finds it.
Leave enough time so a problem does not wreck your date. The release date is at least 5 business days after submission, and pre-save switches on automatically once you submit. The music distribution page explains the process, and the glossary covers pre-save. OGRECORDS™ charges no subscription and no per release fee, only a 10% revenue share, and you keep 100% of your masters.
Run your cover through this checklist, then upload it with your song to OGRECORDS™.