Release your music: how your song gets onto Spotify & co.
Putting out your own song is no longer something only labels can do. You need a finished master, artwork, correct credits for everyone involved and a digital distributor that delivers your release to the platforms. This guide walks you through the whole path — from the file to release day.
Releasing a song, step by step.
- 01
Prepare master and artwork
Export your finished, mastered track as WAV, FLAC or AIFF at 44.1 kHz and 16-bit or higher — stores don't accept MP3. Artwork must be square, at least 3000 × 3000 pixels, and must not contain links, prices, social handles or third-party logos.
- 02
Choose a distributor
Spotify, Apple Music and the other platforms don't accept uploads from individuals. You need a digital distributor that delivers your music via DDEX. Compare the pricing model above all, whether the contract is non-exclusive, and whether you can leave at any time for free.
- 03
Enter your metadata
Title, artist name, genre, language and the explicit-content flag must be exactly right — stores display them as submitted. Don't put features in the song title; add them as featured artists, and credit composers and lyricists with their real names.
- 04
- 05
Set a release date
Plan at least three to four weeks ahead. The stores themselves usually need only a few days, but every day before release counts for pre-save campaigns and editorial playlist pitching. Globally, releases traditionally go live on Fridays at midnight.
- 06
Start pre-saves and pitching
With a pre-save link, fans save your song in advance and it lands in their library on release day — exactly the early signals the Spotify algorithm pays attention to. At the same time, submit the track to editorial playlists through Spotify for Artists; playlist pitching reaches further curators.
- 07
Release day and after
On release day, share a smart link that leads to every platform. After that, track streams and playlist adds, share earnings with everyone involved through royalty splits, and register your compositions with your collecting society so songwriter royalties reach you too.
Everything to know before your first release.
What you need to release music
The checklist is shorter than many think: a store-quality master, artwork in the right format, the rights to both recording and composition, and complete credits. Samples, beats bought online and cover versions need a license you can prove — stores check this closely and take releases down without it.
You also need an artist name that is unambiguous. If someone on Spotify already uses the same name, your songs can easily end up on the wrong profile. If you already have an artist profile, give your existing Spotify and Apple Music IDs when uploading.
How much does it cost to release music?
Digital distributors use three models: an annual subscription, a fee per release, or revenue share, where the distributor takes a percentage of your earnings. With revenue share there are no upfront costs — you only pay when your music actually earns. The models are compared under How much does music distribution cost?, our terms are on /pricing.
On top of that come costs unrelated to distribution: mixing and mastering, artwork and possibly promotion. If you start on a small budget, invest in a clean master first — no marketing can make up for a weak mix.
How long until my song is online?
After you submit, the distributor reviews your release, then the stores deliver at different speeds: Spotify and Apple Music often within one to three days, YouTube Music and smaller platforms sometimes up to a week. For a fixed release day, don't cut it close — plan with a buffer.
The key difference is between submitting and releasing: you submit weeks ahead and set a date on which the release goes live everywhere at once. That window is what you use for pre-saves, pitching and social media content.
Releasing music without a label
You don't need a record deal to release music. Labels pre-finance production and marketing and usually take the rights to the recordings and a large share of the income in return. As a self-publisher you keep your masters and decide on releases, pricing and collaborations yourself — the marketing is on you.
Many tools that used to be label-only now come with your distributor: pre-save campaigns, playlist pitching, YouTube Content ID, sync licensing and even an advance on future royalties.
Selling your own music: streaming, downloads and licensing
A release earns in several places: streams on Spotify, Apple Music and co., downloads in stores like iTunes and Amazon, use of your music in videos on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, and licenses for ads, film and games. What a single stream pays is broken down in How much does Spotify pay per stream?.
Your distributor pays out the recording side. The composition side — songwriting and lyrics — is collected separately by collecting societies such as GEMA, PRS or ASCAP. Register both sides and you leave no money on the table.
The most common first-release mistakes
Too little lead time, missing or misspelled credits, features in the song title, artwork with tiny text and uncleared samples are the classics. Just as common: a new ISRC for a song that was already released, or an artist name that gets mixed up with an existing profile.
The OGRECORDS™ release wizard checks many of these points automatically before you submit — from audio quality and artwork format to the details the stores require.
Common questions about releasing music.
Your first release, submitted in under an hour.
Upload, metadata, stores, date — the wizard guides you through every step and checks your release before it goes out.
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