You can’t upload a song straight to Spotify, Apple Music, or TikTok. Streaming services accept music only from distributors, companies that deliver your audio, artwork, and release details to every platform and then collect your royalties. Here’s how the whole process works, start to finish.

Step 1: Finish your release, and make sure you own it

Before anything goes live, confirm:

Your audio is final. Mixed and mastered, exported as a high-quality WAV (at least 16-bit / 44.1 kHz).
You have rights to everything in it. If you used a beat, sample, or feature, get the license or agreement in writing.
Splits are agreed. Write down who owns what percentage of the song (producers, co-writers, features) before release. A simple split sheet signed by everyone saves arguments later.

Step 2: Get your artwork ready

Most stores require square cover art, 3000 × 3000 pixels, as a JPG or PNG. Avoid blurry images, website addresses, social handles, and logos of streaming services. Artwork that breaks store rules is the most common reason releases get rejected.

Step 3: Choose a distributor

This is the big decision. Compare distributors on:

Ownership. Do you keep 100% of your masters?
Payouts. How clear are the statements? Can collaborators be paid automatically?
Extras. Playlist pitching, YouTube Content ID, marketing support.
People. When something goes wrong, can you reach a human?

DIY upload services are fine for getting music online. If you want a partner working your releases, look for a distributor with a real team. That’s the gap Asset Distro was built to fill.

Step 4: Enter your release details (metadata)

Your distributor will ask for the song title, artist names, featured artists, genre, songwriters, producers, release date, and whether the song is explicit. Get this right the first time. Typos in artist names can send your song to the wrong artist profile. Your distributor also assigns two codes:

ISRC: a unique code for each recording
UPC: a unique code for the release (single, EP, or album)

Keep these codes. If you ever switch distributors, re-using them helps you keep your stream counts.

Step 5: Pick a release date three to four weeks out

Submitting early gives stores time to process your release and gives you time to:

Pitch to Spotify’s editors in Spotify for Artists. Pitches must be submitted at least 7 days before release.
Set up a pre-save campaign so fans’ libraries update on release day.
Plan your content for TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts.

Most new music comes out on Fridays, the global release day.

Step 6: Claim your artist profiles

Once your first release is delivered, claim your profiles on Spotify for Artists, Apple Music for Artists, Amazon Music for Artists, and YouTube. Here’s our full list of artist portals to sign up for.

Step 7: Release, promote, and track your royalties

After release day, watch your streams, save rates, and listener locations, and keep promoting. Royalties usually show up in your distributor’s statements a couple of months after streams happen. If you write your songs, register them with a performing rights organization and The MLC as well. Our guide to how Spotify royalties work explains why.

Want a team behind your next release? Request an invite to Asset Distro. We’ll review your music and get back to you.