How to prepare release materials: master, cover, metadata and timing

The master: file and sound

• Format. Uncompressed WAV or FLAC, 16 or 24-bit, sample rate of at least 44.1 kHz. Distributors usually don’t accept MP3 or AAC. Export from the project rather than re-saving a finished MP3 as WAV — such files give themselves away with a spectrum cut off around 16 kHz. More in the guide on upscaled MP3.
• Peaks. A limiter ceiling of −1 dBTP and no clipping — read about clipping and true peak.
• Loudness. Streaming services normalize loudness to around −14 LUFS; there’s no need to chase maximum loudness. See the guide on loudness for platforms for targets.
• Start and end. Silence at the start no longer than about a second, and no extra tens of seconds at the end.
• Mono compatibility. Check the sound in mono: on a phone or a single speaker part of it can disappear.
• Versions. If the lyrics contain profanity, consider a clean version for radio. You can make one in the radio edit tool.

Upload the final master to the analyzer — it shows the format, loudness, peaks, clipping and silence. If you don’t have a master yet, see Stream-Q mastering or order mastering in the services catalogue.

Cover art

• Size. Square, ideally 3000×3000 pixels; many platforms accept from 1400×1400, but distributors more often ask for more.
• Format. JPG or PNG in RGB. If the file is too heavy, re-save it as JPG at around quality 90.
• Content. No links, social handles, prices, platform logos or other brands, and no blurry or pixelated image.
• Rights. You must have the right to use every element of the cover: photos, fonts, illustrations. If an artist drew it, agree on the use with them in writing.
• The name on the cover should ideally match the release title and the artist name in the metadata.

Metadata

• Title. No emoji, links, or words like “Official”, “Premiere”, “Single”, “Explicit” and no year. Don’t write the title in capitals unless that’s part of the styling.
• Artist. The name matches your platform profiles. List each participant as a separate artist, not as “A feat. B” in one line.
• Featured artist. A guest goes in a dedicated field, not in the title.
• Producer and writers. They go in the credits, not the title: don’t write “prod.” in the heading.
• Genre, language, date. Pick the closest genre and the language of the vocals. Set the date with a margin (see below).
• Explicit. If the lyrics contain profanity, mark the track as Explicit.
• ISRC and UPC. These codes are usually assigned by the distributor. If you already have your own, enter them as the form asks.

Lyrics

Prepare the final lyrics in a plain text file: no stray spaces, extra notes or links. Check that they match what is sung in the track: differences in the words and the Explicit tag are a common cause of questions. Paste the lyrics into Release check: it will tell you whether an Explicit tag is needed.

Credits and splits

1. List everyone involved: writers of music and lyrics, performers, producer, mixing engineer, mastering engineer.
2. Record splits and terms in writing before uploading. How to agree on them is in the guide “How to find a collaborator”.
3. If the track uses a beat, check the licence terms: whether you can release on streaming services and how the beat’s author is credited. The list of questions is in the guide “How to order your first beat”.
4. Check samples and other people’s parts: every fragment used must have its rights in order.
5. Decide who owns the account at the distributor and how payouts will be shared.

The release folder: what should be in it

Put everything in one folder with clear names — it’s easier to upload and to share with collaborators:

• the master as WAV (and any versions: Explicit, clean, instrumental);
• the cover art at its original size;
• the lyrics in a plain text file;
• a file with the title, artist name, participants, genre and date;
• written agreements on splits and the beat’s licence terms, if you bought one;
• the original project and stems: in a year you’ll need them for a remix or a reissue.

The check before sending

1. Upload the master to the free analyzer.
2. Open Release check and pick that analysis.
3. Choose the cover art file: its size and format are checked right in the browser, and the file isn’t uploaded anywhere.
4. Enter the title, artist, lyrics and release date and note whether the Explicit tag is set.
5. Fix the red items (rejection is likely), look at the yellow ones (warnings) and go through the manual ones.

When to upload

• 2–4 weeks ahead. Moderation takes up to several days, and if the release is rejected you need time to fix the problems.
• Playlist pitching. If you plan to submit the track to a platform’s editors, check the platform’s rules: for example, Spotify asks for the release date to be at least 7 days away. Nobody guarantees a playlist placement.
• The date. Pick a future date: if it has already passed, the distributor releases the track right after moderation.
• Preparation. Prepare the announcement, links and a clip for social media in advance so you’re not assembling it all in a rush on release day.

If you don’t want to deal with uploading yourself, some streamers in the services catalogue have a “Distribution” category. Agree the terms and price in a request.