When you reach the "Track" section of the upload form, you will need to enter specific information for each track of your upload before submitting your release to services.

Information Required for Each Track

Song title

Enter the title of the track in the "Song title" section, without version information or the names of additional artists. Version information and additional artists will be added in later sections of the track menu.

Parenthetical information is okay, as long as it is part of the title and not used to indicate an additional artist or version information. For example, the title of Good Riddance (Time of your Life) by Green Day includes parenthetical information that is not an additional artist or version information for the song.

Add featured artist to song title?

The "Add featured artist to song title?" section can be used if you want to add a featured artist, remixer, or additional primary artist to a track.

For a single, you can only add Remixers or Featured Artists under this section. If your single is a collaboration between two artists, please enter the two artist names as a collaboration in the "Artist/band name" section at the top of the upload form.

For a release with any more than one track, you will also have the option for an "Additional primary artist."

If you need to add more than one additional artist to your track, simply click on the “Add another featured artist” button.

You can select Remixer, Featured artist, or Additional primary artist from the dropdown menu. Once you have selected the additional artist's role, please enter the name of the artist. You can enter pre-existing artist pages for Spotify, Apple, and YouTube Music for all artists added this way in the Artist Mapping section of the upload form.

Add "version" info to song title?

The "Add 'version' info to song title?" section can be used to specify any version information that should be included in parentheses for the track. Common versions include:

• Live

• Acoustic

• Radio Edit

• Remix

• [Remixer] Remix

• [Genre] Remix

Audio file

The "Audio file" section is where you can select the audio file for your track. Check out this article for more information on accepted audio file types.

Dolby Atmos/Spatial audio

In the "Dolby Atmos / Spatial audio" section, you can upload the Dolby Atmos / Spatial Audio mix of your track. If you don't know what this is, check out this article for more information on Dolby Atmos and this article on how to create your own Dolby Atmos mixes.

Songwriter

In the "Songwriter" section, you will indicate whether the song is an original song or a cover song.

Songwriter(s) real name

The "Songwriter(s) real name" section is where you will need to list the songwriter(s) real name for original songs. Check out this article for more information on entering songwriter names.

Cover Song

If you have indicated that your track is a cover song, then you will need to review cover song licensing information, add the original artist and song title, and optionally add the original songwriter's name. You will also need to confirm that the track does not sample or remix another artist's recordings.

Explicit lyrics

If your release has explicit lyrics, you'll need to indicate so in the "Explicit lyrics" section.

Is this a "radio edit"?

If you've marked your track as not having explicit lyrics, then the "Is this a "radio edit"?" section will have you specify whether the track is clean and always has been, or if there is an explicit version of this song that this is the clean or censored version of.

Instrumental?

You can indicate whether your song contains lyrics or is instrumental in the "Instrumental?" section.

Apple Digital Master?

In the "Apple Digital Master?" section, you can indicate whether your release has been mastered by a certified Apple Digital Masters Mastering house. For more info, click here.

Preview clip start time

In the "Preview clip start time" section, you can specify the portion of your track that you would like to be available in store previews. Select "Let me specify when the good part starts" to choose the timestamp for the part of your track you want available for preview in TikTok, Apple Music and iTunes.

Note that preview clip time editing is only available for tracks longer than 1:16.

Track Price

If you have a Musician Plus plan or higher, you can select a track price in iTunes and Amazon by using the "Track Price" section. You can select $0.69, $0.99, or $1.29 – just keep in mind that tracks over 10-minutes long will be priced higher.

It’s MEGA easy to upload your music to DistroKid!

To get started, just head over to the DistroKid upload form:
http://www.distrokid.com/new

From there we'll walk you through everything you need to do!

If you have any specific questions, please check out this article for a breakdown of each section of the upload form and related articles:

https://support.distrokid.com/hc/en-us/articles/4407879306643

During the holiday season, DistroKid experiences reduced staffing, particularly during the Thanksgiving work week, the work weeks leading up to the Christmas holiday, as well as New Year's day.

We try to answer your requests as fast as possible! Typically, we answer most requests within 24 hours, but during the holidays, it may be anywhere from 2-7 business days for us to follow up.

Many of our service partners also have reduced staffing during the holidays, which may impact release times.

Our service partners have kindly provided a general schedule of holiday delivery times, so that artists can plan their releases accordingly.

If you plan on releasing music between November 29, 2024 and January 3, 2025, please make note of the following delivery deadlines below.

To ensure that services receives all deliveries by 11:59 p.m. PST on the respective date, it's best to upload at least two weeks ahead of time. However, uploading 3-4 weeks prior to your release date will guarantee that your delivery date is met and your release goes live with no issues.

Music delivered after these deadlines may not be available on the desired release date.

We appreciate your patience, and we hope you have a warm, safe, and uplifting holiday season!

You can set up a custom future release date for an upload if you are subscribed to the Musician Plus or Ultimate plan. To set a future release date, use the calendar-style date selector under the "Release date" section of the upload form.

When a future date is selected, you can also set a specific release time for your upload to go live in Spotify. For all other services, your release will go live on release day at around midnight in your listeners' time zones. 

If you already have a DistroKid account and want to upgrade to access this feature (and more), sign in to DistroKid and click "Upgrade" from the top navigation bar.

Click here for more information on custom release dates.

How to Set a Future Release Date

Here's how you can set a future release date on the upload form:

1. Head to the upload form at https://distrokid.com/new
2. Scroll down to the "Release Date" section
3. Click on the dropdown menu containing the date
4. Select your intended release date using the calendar-style date selector

Setting a Release Time in Spotify

When setting a future release date, you can also set a specific time for your release to go live in Spotify on its release date. To set a release time, use the time selector under the "Release Time" section on the upload form. This only becomes available after selecting a future release date for your upload.

After you've selected a future release date, you can decide if it will go live on Spotify at the chosen time in the listener's local time zone or simultaneously across all regions. This option is found in the "Time synchronization" section of the upload form. If you select the simultaneous option, the release will launch at your chosen time in New York (EST) for all regions.

Album Extras are optional add-ons you can opt into on any one of your uploads. While not mandatory for store distribution (except for cover licenses), they can enhance your music's accessibility for fans.

Album Extras can be opted into on the upload form during the upload process, or from your "My Music" page after the upload process.

Some Album Extras are one time payments, while others are subscription based, just like our membership subscriptions.

Available Album Extras

Discovery Pack: $0.99 per song, per year
Discovery pack adds your release to the global databases that people use to match music and artist information. This includes recognition in millions of automobiles via Gracenote, and registration with SoundScan, which is used for Billboard charts. The Discovery Pack adds your release to discovery-based platforms such as ACRCloud, Jaxsta, Gracenote, and Luminate.

Store Maximizer: $7.95 per album, per year
The Store Maximizer will automatically deliver your release to new online stores and streaming services as we add them to our distribution network. We'll always give you notice before the Store Maximizer adds your music to a new service.

Social Media Pack: $4.95 per single, per year OR $14.95 per album, per year, + 20% of ad revenue
With the Social Media Pack, you will be notified and paid if your music is used in any YouTube or TikTok videos. We'll add your tracks to both the YouTube and TikTok databases, and continually scan for matches. When your music is detected in any YouTube video, you'll be notified—and ad revenue will automatically go to you, instead of to the person who uploaded the video.

Beatport: $9.99 per month

A subscription for the Beatport Album Extra allows for unlimited delivery of your releases to Beatport, which is a popular online store exclusively for electronic music. Note that your music must have an Electronic genre and subgenre to be delivered to Beatport.

Audiomack: free! (Audiomack Account Required)

Connect your DistroKid account to your Audiomack account here to enable the free delivery of your music to their service.

Cover Song Licensing: $12 per cover song, per year

A cover song license is required for every cover song that is uploaded to DistroKid. A cover license costs $12 per cover song, per year. For more information about DistroKid cover licenses, please see the FAQ article here: https://support.distrokid.com/hc/en-us/articles/360013648953  

Leave a Legacy: $29.00 per single, $49.00 per album of 2+ tracks (nonrecurring fee)

Opt into the Leave a Legacy extra to prevent the removal of your release due to lapsed membership payments, like rejected credit cards.

Additionally, releases with the Leave a Legacy extra will remain available in stores and streaming services even after account cancellation.

Adding Leave a Legacy to a release does not replace your annual membership fee if you have an active subscription. It is also not a one-time payment for all releases; each release requires this extra if you want to cancel your subscription and retain all of your releases in stores and streaming services.

Dolby Atmos: $26.99 per track (nonrecurring fee)

When opted into for a track, the Dolby Atmos extra designates the track as available for spatial audio listening on supported devices and streaming services including Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon.

Please note that tracks must be properly mixed for Dolby Atmos when opting in to this extra. We'll check your audio files, and if isn't valid for Dolby Atmos, you won't be charged.

Loudness Normalization: $2.99 per track one time fee (nonrecurring)

When you select the Loudness Normalization extra, DistroKid will automatically adjust the level and headroom of your audio to Spotify's recommended settings: -14dB integrated LUFS with -1dB true peak maximum. Your newly adjusted audio will be sent to all streaming services you've selected.  

When uploading your music for the first time, it's best practice to use an artist/band name that doesn't already exist in streaming services. Having a unique artist name will help your music and brand by making it easier to search for, and also help prevent your music from getting grouped together with other artists using the same or similar name.

Sometimes, having the same artist name as another artist can't be avoided. Having the same artist name as another artist will have no impact on how earnings are received for your music. If your music is on the incorrect artist page, you can use DistroKid's Fixer tool to get it moved to the correct page.

Earnings for Artists With the Same Name

If you share an artist name with another artist, this will have no impact on the earnings you'll receive from services for the music you deliver to them through DistroKid. Artist names are independent from how earnings are tracked and measured, and they will be received by DistroKid and sent to your DistroKid Bank at https://distrokid.com/bank.

Moving Music that is on the Wrong Artist Page

If you share an artist name with another artist and your music was mapped to their page (or vice-versa), you can use our Fixer tool at https://www.distrokid.com/fixer, where we can help get things fixed!

Audio files you upload to DistroKid should be WAV, MP3, M4A, FLAC, AIFF, or Windows Media (WMA).

If you're sending a WAV, 16-bit, 44.1 kHz WAV is typical, but pretty much any specification works.

The maximum size that DistroKid will accept is 1 GB. If you have a track that's larger than that, consider converting it to FLAC format before uploading to DistroKid. FLAC is a beautiful, lossless format (same audio quality as WAV), but the files are relatively small.

Tracks uploaded to DistroKid must have a duration under 5 hours (300 minutes), and the sum of tracks on an album cannot exceed 10 hours (600 minutes). Additionally, albums cannot contain songs where the average track length is less than 60 seconds.

Album artwork should be in the .jpg file format. The minimum size requirement for album art is 1000x1000 pixels. Ideally, album art should be perfectly square, and 3000x3000 pixels. If your artwork is smaller or rectangular, we'll automatically adjust it for you, but there's a risk that our fixed version won't look exactly as you intended.

Please also make sure your artwork is in the RGB color space. You typically don't have to think about this – every digital camera and photo retouching program (like Photoshop) defaults to RGB.

Things to Avoid Putting in Album Artwork

Streaming services will reject artwork that contains any of the following:

• A website address (URL)
• QR Codes
• Name of a page on the X platform
• Any image that's blurry, pixelated, rotated, or poor quality
• Unlicensed/stock photography
• Prices
• Streaming service logos (such as iTunes or Spotify)
• Social media logos (such as X, Instagram, TikTok)
• Nudity 
• Gross stuff
• References to physical media (example: "CD" or "Compact Disc")

Also, please do not use the same artwork for multiple releases. Duplicate album art may be rejected.

Updating the Color space to RGB

If you have saved your artwork in the CMYK or Grayscale color space and DistroKid gives you an error, you can re-save your artwork in RGB format and try again.

If you use Photoshop, click here to see how. If you don't have Photoshop, uploading and re-saving your file with the Pixlr editor will automatically convert it to RGB.

It's possible to enter the capitalization/stylization that you want for your artist name and all album and release titles.

Please note that some streaming services don't love non-standard capitalization and may default to standard capitalization on their end, per their style guides. If services do not allow non-standard capitalization, we may not be able to request an edit to change the capitalization for you on their end.

Artist roles are identifiers you can use to indicate to services what role a given artist played in the creation or performance of a given release. These roles can be indicated on the track level or the album level. Services accept the following artist roles from DistroKid:

Album Artist

An Album Artist or "performer" is the major artist at the album level. For example, on Kendrick Lamar's album DAMN., "Kendrick Lamar" is the Album Artist for this album.

If you have a few songs on your release with multiple artists, but most are by one artist, please list only the artist that will appear on every track in the "Artist/band name" Field. This will indicate your Album Artist for the release. For individual tracks with more than one artist, you will list the additional artists (Featured, Remixer, Additional Primary Artist) at the track level.

Primary Artist

A primary artist is the main artist for at the track level. The track can include the Album Artist and other additional collaborators credited as primary artists. For instance, on Moore Kismet's album Vendetta for Cupid, Moore Kismet is the Album Artist. On the track Rumor, both WYN and Moore Kismet are Primary Artists, making that track a collaboration.

Featured artist

A featured artist is any artist assisting in the performance of a track but not at the fundamental level of a primary artist. Featured artists usually feature for a verse or as a vocalist on a track. For example, for SOS (feat. Aloe Blacc) by Avicii, "Aloe Blacc", who sings on the track, is the featuring artist for this track, where as "Avicii" is the Primary and Album Artist.

Remixer

A remixer is an artist who remixes original works. For instance, in Love That Never (IMANU Remix) by TOKiMONSTA, "IMANU" is the remixer, while "TOKiMONSTA" remains the primary artist of the original song.

Producer

The role of a producer has diversified recently, but on Spotify, producer credits are listed under track details. For instance, in the song Buddy Holly by Weezer, "Ric Ocasek" is credited as the producer. To view producer credits on Spotify, right-click a song in the desktop app and choose "Show Credits."

It's possible to add a featured artist to track during the upload process under the "Track" section of the upload form, or after upload via an edit request submitted from the album page.

Adding a featured artist does not require any additional artist slots on your DistroKid account.

Please note that if you have the same featured artist on all tracks of a multi-track album, streaming services require that they instead be listed as a Primary artist.

Adding a Featured Artist During Upload

To add a featured artist to a track on the upload form, select "Yes, add featured artists to track title (please specify...)" under the Add featured artist to song title?" section. 

After selecting "Yes,"  enter the artist name for your featured artist.

You'll have the opportunity to enter your featured artist's existing Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music pages in the "Artist Mapping" section found at the bottom of the upload form.

Adding a Featured Artist After Upload

To add or edit a featured artist to a track that has already been uploaded, head to the album page from your DistroKid dashboard and click "Edit release."

Select "Add another featured artist" and choose Featuring from the dropdown, then enter in your featured artist info. After selecting "Yes,"  enter the artist name for your featured artist.

Once the featured artist is entered, click on "Submit edit request" on the bottom of the edits page. Streaming services usually handle these edits within a few days, but metadata updates like this can take 1-2 weeks to reflect across all services.

Lossless formats such as WAV and FLAC offer higher quality sound reproduction than MP3, as they retain more of the original details and nuances of a recording, without lossy file compression.

MP3 is a compressed, lossy audio format--which means that some of the audio data is removed to make the file size smaller. While MP3 is a popular and widely-used audio format, it cannot match the sound quality of lossless formats. 

DistroKid accepts many file formats, including WAV, FLAC and MP3. But it should be noted that an artist should only upload music in MP3 format, if the artist is comfortable with the sound quality of their MP3 and wishes to use it for distribution.

Ultimately, it's up to the artist to decide which format to use for their music. But they should be aware that using a lossless format such as WAV or FLAC can provide the highest quality audio and ensure that their music meets the standards of discerning listeners. 

With the Audio Swap feature, you can change the audio file for an existing release while maintaining your stats, playlist placements, splits, and original metadata.

Audio swap should be used if you need to replace an audio file with one that has minor adjustments, like noise removal or a new/updated master. It should not be used if your new audio file has significant creative changes, like it being a remix or it containing new musical elements.

You can access the Audio Swap tool by going to the Features menu in the upper-right corner of DistroKid, selecting "Helpful When Needed," and then choosing "Audio Swap." You can also visit https://distrokid.com/audioswap directly.

Audio File Qualifications

Audio files can be changed using Audio Swap for minor fixes (like click/pop removal or de-essing) or mastering adjustments (such as volume balancing or noise reduction).

You cannot swap the audio file for a release if the new file is:

• A remix, alternate version, or new recording
• A restructured version of the original (new intro, extended outro, etc.)
• Altered by new production elements (new instruments, changed vocal effects, etc.)

If you submit an ineligible file for audio swapping, you will be notified.

Using Audio Swap

To use the Audio Swap tool at https://distrokid.com/audioswap, select the release with the song you want to change from the first dropdown menu. Then, choose the song you wish to swap the audio for in the second dropdown menu.

With the song selected, click "Select an audio file" under the "Upload your new audio file" section. This will allow you to browse your device's files for the new audio file. Once you have selected the file, click the "Swap audio file" button to submit the file and the swap request.

Once the new file is submitted, it'll be updated in services within a few days. If the new file is ineligible for swapping, you will be notified.

You can make edits to your music after it has been uploaded by visiting your album page from your DistroKid dashboard and clicking "Edit Release." This brings you to the edits page for that release.

You can submit many types of edits for your release through the edits page. Once you've made the update to your release via this page, click "Submit Edit Request" at the bottom of the page.

Streaming services typically process edit requests within a few days, but please be aware that metadata updates may take up to 1-2 weeks for changes to take place in all services.

Outside of edit requests, DistroKid can also help you remove your release from a specific service, remove it from specific countries, or change the genre of a release if you contact our support team at https://distrokid.com/contact.

Please note that services do not permit uploading a release, deleting it, and then re-uploading with different metadata (like artist name or titles). It's best to submit an edit request while your release is live.

What Types of Edits Are Possible?

The types of edits you can make vary from song to song depending on your release and your plan level, but possible edits include the following:

• Artist/Band Name
• Add or remove collaborators at the album or track level
• Album title
• Record label
• Release date
• Pre-order status and pre-order start date
• Album Artwork
• Song titles
• Song version information
• Whether or not the lyrics are explicit
• Preview clip start time
• Delete the release from services
• Swapping an audio file (Ultimate plan required)

For information about rebranding or changing your artist name, please visit this article. For information on swapping an audio file, see this article: https://support.distrokid.com/hc/en-us/articles/39612177702163.

What Types of Edits Are Not Possible?

The following things cannot be changed through the edits page:

• Track order/listing
• Release language
• Removing Album Extras
• Genres
• ISRCs

To change any of the above, you will need to delete your release and re-upload a corrected version.

How Long do Edit Requests Take?

Once an edit request is submitted, most services typically process the request within a few days. It can take up to 1-2 weeks for changes to take place in all services.

Short Answer: You can change your artist name on all services except iTunes/Apple Music by visiting your album page, and clicking “Edit Release”. You can even edit your artist name on all of your releases from a single album edit request!***

Long Answer: Changing your artist name is a long and arduous process that can occasionally cause more issues than it solves, and not all services allow rebranding to take place. Obviously, we all understand artist expression and wanting to most accurately represent yourself and your artist project, but we also want to make sure that you have all the information you need to make the most informed decision possible before making a change to your existing projects that is difficult to reverse and can cause a lot of issues. Apple Music is not currently accepting rebranding requests. You can find more information on that here.

Things to keep in mind: 

• Artist name edits and/or rebrands can only be requested on releases that are currently live
  Streaming services do not allow releases that have already been submitted to be resubmitted with differing metadata (Artist Name and Track Titles). In order to resubmit any release that has already been listed in streaming services, it must be resubmitted with the original Artist Name and Track Titles.
  
  If you have deleted your work in an effort to edit or rebrand your Artist Name, note that the only way to do so, is to re-upload your work with the original metadata, and then request an edit on that re-uploaded work once it has been resubmitted to streaming services.
  
  

• Preserving followers and monthly listeners
  When you make a request to change your artist name, please note that most streaming services will simply create a new artist page for you instead of updating the information on your existing artist page. For streaming services that do this, we cannot request that your existing artist page be edited to reflect your new artist name. As a result, your monthly listeners and followers will likely not be transferred to your new artist page. 
  
  

• Preserving play counts and playlists
  DistroKid cannot make any guarantees, but in general if you are simply editing the metadata of an existing release through our edits feature (i.e. not changing the ISRC), your play counts and playlist placements should carry over. Again though, not something DistroKid has any control over. 
  
  

• It can take quite some time for all stores to update your artist name
  While submitting your request to rebrand is an automated process, the actual data management and metadata updates of your rebrand request are not fully automated, and many of these requests require humans (not computers) to fulfill correctly. 
  
  What this means:
  Depending on the volume of current rebrand requests, it may take up to a couple of weeks for all stores to update your existing content and display your new artist name. If you are planning on rebranding, please take note of this. 
  
  

• Mis-mapped releases
  As you may know, DistroKid does not have any control over where your releases are mapped in streaming services. When you edit your artist name and a new artist page is created, if the name is not completely unique it is possible that your releases will be mapped to a pre-existing artist page.  If this happens, please visit https://www.distrokid.com/fixer, where we'll walk you through getting things fixed up! 
  
  

• Unable to make additional edit requests
  If you decide to change your artist name across streaming services, you will not be able to request additional edit requests on any release that utilizes the new artist name until your name change request has been completed. At this time, there is no way to expedite these requests 
  
  

• No going back (kind of)
  If you choose to change your artist name, the only way to revert the changes is to re-request another edit. Any side effects of the initial request are not guaranteed to be resolved by simply changing your artist name back. (It’s a big decision yo!!) 🧠 

***It is important to note that when rebranding, your full discography must be updated to reflect the new artist name, otherwise some streaming services may hide releases they deem to have conflicting metadata.

Best practice: update your artist name across your releases by using the included "Update all of my [Artist Name] releases to use the new artist name" tool in the edit release section. Note at this time this tool is only available for releases with one primary artist (not a collaboration).

Here's how you can delete an album or single from services:

1. Sign in to DistroKid.
2. From your dashboard, click the release you want to delete.
3. Click "Edit Release."
4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Remove this release from all stores."

How Long Deletions Take Once Submitted

Once you click the button to remove a release from all services, it takes services around the same amount of time to delete a release as it did for them to add it.

Expect to wait up to 1-2 weeks for the release to disappear from all services, sometimes sooner.

Spotify deletions take at least 2 business days. 

Anghami deletions take around 48 hours.

To remove your release from a specific service, click the chat icon on this page to get in touch with us and we'll help you from there.

After submitting your service-specific deletion request, it may take 1-2 weeks for your release to be removed from the chosen service(s), though it could happen sooner.

If you've removed your release from a specific service and you change your mind about it later, you can always add your release back to any service by selecting "Add to more stores" on your album dashboard page.

It is not possible to upload the same audio recording to multiple DistroKid accounts.

We do not allow the same audio recording to be uploaded by multiple DistroKid users due to streaming service payment structures and other complexities.

If a song has changed ownership and you're interested in routing a song's earnings from one DistroKid account to another, you can use our Splits feature. With Splits, you reroute earnings to other DistroKid accounts while keeping stats, playlist adds, Spotify followers, ISRCs, and all other metadata unchanged.

Every service DistroKid delivers to has specific guidelines for how releases are formatted, and what kind of content they'll accept.

If you were notified that your upload to DistroKid was rejected, you'll likely need to delete and re-upload your release in order to fix what was flagged during the review process. Details on the rejection will be included in the email you received.

Note that deletion and re-upload is not necessary if services require verification for your upload, or if your artwork was rejected. If this is the case for your upload, you can take action to get your release delivered without having to delete and re-upload it.

Release Rejected for Verification

If you receive a verification request for your upload, please do not delete it. For more information on how to verify an artist name on DistroKid, click here.

Release Rejected for an Artwork Issue

If your release was rejected for an artwork issue, you can also replace the artwork on an existing release to make corrections. On your album page, click "Replace Artwork" on the right side of the Artwork section to update your album artwork.

For more information regarding album artwork requirements, click here.

Sometimes, stores require an artist to verify their artist name. This helps protect your content on DistroKid and within stores, and ensures that no one is uploading your music, or using your artist name, without your permission.

To provide permission, the artist needs to contact us directly via one of two options:

1. If the artist uses X, they can send a Direct Message ("DM") to @distrokid to validate. In the DM, please mention the UPC (or album title). Something like "Verifying the artist for UPC ". Note that a brand-new X account won't work for verification purposes. Or...

2. A photo of the artist's driver's license or passport (you may block out personal info such as address) along with the name or UPC of the release that requires verification.

Note: If the artist is different from the legal name on the ID, please also provide a link to a website where we can associate the legal name to the artist.

If you see a message that says "The file you uploaded is zero bytes," it means that your audio file can't be played. Sometimes this happens if you try uploading via a mobile device or cloud storage, as file storage is handled differently than a computer with the file(s) saved locally. You'll need to abort the previous attempt and re-upload your release.

If you are uploading your music from an iOS device, you will need to make sure you select your files from the iOS file browser, or else you may have issues uploading your album cover or audio files, such as seeing an error message saying that "The file you uploaded is zero bytes."

Starting from the DistroKid dashboard, select "Menu", and then select "Upload" to get to the upload form.

Once you are on the upload form, fill out information as necessary. When you get to the section where you upload artwork, tap on the box where it says "Choose new image". From here you will be given the option to select a photo from your photo library, take a photo, or browse your iOS device's file browser. At this time, in order to upload your artwork from an iOS device you will need to select your artwork file from your device's file browser. Tap on "Browse".

Once you have selected browse, you will be presented with your device's embedded Files app file browser. You can now navigate to where you have stored your files for upload. For this example, I have stored my audio file and album artwork in the "Downloads" folder on my iPhone.

From here, we can continue down the upload form until we get to the section where we will upload the audio file. When you get to the "Audio file" section of the upload form, tap on "Choose File". You will be presented with the same three options, and again you will need to select "Browse" to take you to the iOS file browser.

Once you have selected your audio file, you should be good to go! If you are experiencing issues, make sure you are storing your files locally on your iOS device instead of in iCloud. The DistroKid upload form does not support cloud uploading at this time, so you will need to upload files directly from your iOS device. 

Best practice: Submit a high-res copy of your songs to us, and let services convert them to their liking.

If your release appears to be stuck processing with the yellow circle next to your album/track/artwork, this typically means additional processing time is required.

It can take several days for albums to be reviewed, approved, and sent to streaming services. If it's important that your album go live on a specific date, click here to read about release dates.

Delays are rare, but they do happen, and are typically outside of DistroKid's direct control.

Cover License Processing

It may be due to an issue with your internet connection. A wired connection is recommended, as any lapse in WiFi can cause issues when uploading.

Generally, we'll alert you on the upload page if there is some downtime or errors the service is experiencing. However, most of the time when there are issues during an upload, it is a local issue. When this happens you should try the following:

- Clear your browser cache/cookies/browsing history
- Log out, then log back into DistroKid and upload your release again

If the above doesn't work, you may be using an outdated web browser. If this is the case, please try using an alternate browser.

To locate the ISRC for a given track, click on the title of that release on your DistroKid dashboard to get to the album page. Scroll down just a bit and you'll find the ISRC listed across from the associated track.

DistroKid assigns a unique ISRC to each song you upload.

DistroKid has been appointed by the US ISRC Agency to assign ISRCs, and will automatically generate new DistroKid ISRC codes for every song you upload. It's free and automatic.

Getting ISRCs Before Upload

It's not possible to get an ISRC from DistroKid before uploading a release. However, if you need your DistroKid ISRCs before your music goes live, you can follow these steps (only possible with the Musician Plus or Ultimate plan):

1. Upload your music. Set the release date for sometime in the future (we recommend at least 4 weeks for most releases).
2. ISRCs are assigned just before submitting a release to streaming services. After assignment and delivery, you can find the ISRCs next to the track titles in the album page you can access from your DistroKid dashboard. Remember to note or save them.
3. After obtaining the ISRC(s), you can delete your release if you prefer it not to go live. As long as you delete it before the initial release date, it will still qualify for future playlist pitching if you choose to re-upload it.
4. If you delete your release and wish to re-upload it later, click "already got an ISRC code?" next to the track on the upload form to enter your saved ISRCs from step 2.

UPC stands for "Universal Product Code." It is a unique code used to identify a product, such as an album or single.

A DistroKid UPC is automatically generated for you each time you upload a release, and are only intended for digital distribution within DistroKid. We cannot vouch for them working for anything outside of DistroKid.

If you want to apply for a UPC issued by GS1 to use for your music outside of DistroKid, please contact your local GS1 office here.

No.

ISRC and UPC are codes used in the music industry. They help identify your release and tracks.

DistroKid has been appointed by the US ISRC Agency to assign ISRCs, and will automatically generate new DistroKid ISRC codes for every song you upload. It's free and automatic, and you'll receive 100% of earnings.

If you would prefer to purchase your own UPC and ISRCs, visit:
https://www.gs1us.org/
https://www.usisrc.org/ 

If you have a Musician Plus or Ultimate subscription plan, you can use your own ISRCs when uploading.

Here's how you can find a DistroKid UPC:

1. Sign into DistroKid.
2. Click on the release you're interested in finding the UPC for.
3. See the UPC displayed under your artwork, next to "DK UPC."

You can find more information on UPCs here: https://support.distrokid.com/hc/en-us/articles/39509529924243.

It's possible to bring existing ISRCs from outside of DistroKid and use them for a DistroKid upload. It is not possible to use UPCs from outside of DistroKid and use them for new uploads, however.

ISRCs

DistroKid has been appointed by the US ISRC Agency to assign ISRCs for tracks, and will automatically generate new ISRCs for every song you upload. It's free and automatic.

If you instead want to specify your own ISRC, you can do so on the upload form if you are subscribed at the Musician Plus or Ultimate plan. You can click "already got an ISRC code?" on the upload form under the "Upload your audio file" section.

If you'd like to purchase your own ISRCs, visit https://www.usisrc.org/

UPCs

There is no way to specify a custom UPC for DistroKid uploads. A unique DistroKid UPC is generated for every upload to DistroKid.

If you want to apply for a UPC issued by GS1 to use for physical distribution outside of DistroKid, please contact your local GS1 office here.

No, you do not need to provide UPC or ISRC codes to DistroKid.

DistroKid has been appointed by the US ISRC Agency to assign ISRCs, and will automatically generate new DistroKid ISRC codes for every song you upload. It's free and automatic.

You can specify your own ISRC codes if you have a Musician Plus or Ultimate account.

More info on providing your own ISRCs to DistroKid.

If you want to apply for a UPC issued by GS1, please contact your local GS1 office here.

If your submitted lyrics were rejected, they likely did not pass specific requirements determined by the services DistroKid delivers to. Here's a list of those requirements:

• Do not include the vocalist's name.
• Do not include extra text (ex: "intro," "chorus," social media links).
• Write out all repeated lines. Do not write "Chorus 2x," etc.
• Begin each line with a capital letter.
• Do not use punctuation at the end of a line, except for exclamation or question marks.
• Only include line breaks (empty spaces between lines) between sections, like verses or choruses.
• Do not add extra spaces at the beginning or end of lines.
• Avoid entering excessively long lines – one sentence per line.
• Do not censor explicit words unless the words are dropped/bleeped in the audio recording.
  Example: Don't enter "F***", unless the word was dropped or bleeped
• Do not enter numerical characters for numbers between 1-10.
  Example: The number 2 must be written as two.
• Use standardized spelling (ex: Tryna should be written out as Trying to).

For a complete list of lyric requirements, visit Apple Musics lyric guidelines.

Common Lyric Rejection Reasons

No Line Breaks Between Sections (verse/chorus/bridge/etc.)

Line breaks (empty space between lines) should only be places between sections of your lyrics, like between a verse and chorus.

Do not format your lyrics like this:

So I pointed my fingers
And shouted few quotes I knew
As if something that's written
Should be taken as true
But every path I had taken
And conclusion I drew
Would put truth back under the knife
And now the only piece of advice that continues to help
Is anyone that's making anything new only break something else
When my time comes
Oh oh oh oh
When my time comes
Oh oh oh oh

Do format your lyrics like this:

Too many line breaks (unnecessary spaces between each line)

Please also avoid adding unnecessary lines breaks in your lyrics – line breaks should only be added between sections of the lyrics (like between a verse and chorus). Line breaks should also be not more than one space between lines.

Do not format your lyrics like this:
There's traffic on the bridge

But the skyline shines with a certain light

I know you're sick of it

Do format your lyrics like this:
There's traffic on the bridge
But the skyline shines with a certain light
I know you're sick of it

Too many grammar/spelling/capitalization errors

Try to avoid excessive grammar, spelling, and capitalization errors in your lyrics.

Do not format your lyrics like this:
2day is gona b the day
That their gonna throw it back to u
By now u shouldve some how
Realized what u gotta do
I dont believe that n e body
Feels the way I do about u now

Do format your lyrics like this:
Today is gonna be the day
That they're gonna throw it back to you
By now you should've somehow
Realized what you gotta do
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do about you now

Punctuation at the end of lines

Punctuation at the end of lines is not permitted, except for exclamation and question marks where appropriate.

Do not format your lyrics like this:
Everything is everything.
What is meant to be, will be.
After winter, must come spring.
Change, it comes eventually.

Do format your lyrics like this:
Everything is everything
What is meant to be, will be
After winter, must come spring
Change, it comes eventually

Plain Lyrics

Delivery of plain (not synced) lyrics to services is free for all DistroKid plans. DistroKid sends your plain lyrics to these services:

• Apple Music
• YouTube Music
• LyricFind
• Google Search Results
• and more

Please note that it is not possible to deliver lyrics for cover songs.

Synced Lyrics

Opt into Lyric Blaster to submit synced lyrics to these services:

• Spotify
• Tidal
• Instagram
• Facebook

Log in and submit plain lyrics for your release to opt in. You can add Lyric Blaster from the lyrics page.

Synced lyric deliveries to Apple Music and YouTube are available to all artists on Musician Plus and Ultimate subscriptions. We also offer our Lyric Blaster service, powered by Musixmatch, if you want synced lyrics in Spotify, Tidal, Instagram and Facebook.

To get synced lyrics on Spotify and Instagram, the first step is to upload plain text lyrics. Then, when submitting, opt into Lyric Blaster. Once your plain lyrics are approved, you can submit synced lyrics from the lyrics dashboard at https://distrokid.com/lyrics by clicking "Synced Lyrics."

For more information about where lyrics will be delivered, click here.

Creating Synced Lyrics

To create synced lyrics for a song, you can head to the release page for the release from your DistroKid dashboard, scroll to the "Songs" section, and then click on "Synced Lyrics" by the song you want to add synced lyrics to. Alternatively, you can head to the lyrics dashboard at https://distrokid.com/lyrics and click on "Synced Lyrics" next to the song.

Here's how to create synced lyrics once you're on the synced lyrics page for a song:

1. Press the play button to start the audio for the song.
2. When a lyric starts, hold the space bar for the duration of that lyric.
3. When a lyric ends, release the space bar.
4. Repeat for all lyrics until the last lyric ends.

If you mess up the timing for a lyric, click where it says "Click here to reset" to reset all synced lyrics and try again.

Please note that synced lyrics can only be submitted for tracks with approved plain lyrics. If you've just uploaded plain lyrics, please wait for our review of those lyrics, which typically takes about a day.

If you are having trouble with playback while trying to sync your lyrics, try again using Google Chrome if you aren't already.

Plain lyrics are the plain text of your lyrics. Once submitted and approved, plain lyrics for your music will be made available in Apple, Google, and LyricFind.

Synced lyrics are lyrics that are timed to your music. On platforms that support synced lyrics (like  Instagram and Spotify), your fans will see your lyrics scroll in time with your song for the best sing-along experience.

With a Musician Plus or Ultimate subscription, we'll send your synced lyrics to Apple Music and YouTube Music. To get synced lyrics on Instagram and Spotify, opt into Lyric Blaster today by logging in and submitting plain lyrics for your release – you can opt into Lyric Blaster from there.

To add lyrics to your songs in DistroKid, you can visit your lyrics dashboard by clicking the DistroKid Features Menu in the upper right of DistroKid, selecting "Enhance your music," and then clicking "Lyrics." You can also head directly to https://distrokid.com/lyrics.

Here, you'll be able to submit and manage both plain and synced lyrics for your songs. Note that synced lyrics require opting into Lyric Blaster for the associated artist. To learn more about synced lyrics and Lyric Blaster, check out this article: https://distrokid.com/lyrics.

Once you submit lyrics, it takes around 1-2 weeks for them to go live in streaming services.

Learn more about where your lyrics are distributed in this article: https://support.distrokid.com/hc/en-us/articles/360039436194.

Adding Plain Lyrics

To add plain lyrics to a song, click on "Plain Lyrics" for the song at https://distrokid.com/lyrics. Once there, you can type or copy/paste your lyrics into the page. After they're added, you can review them for accuracy, then choose to opt into Lyric Blaster for the artist if you have not done so already.

After you make your decision on Lyric Blaster, you can read the DistroKid Lyric Agreement and check the agreement box before clicking "Save lyrics" to submit your lyrics.

Note that all submitted lyrics must pass requirements to be delivered to services. To review those requirements, check out this article: https://support.distrokid.com/hc/en-us/articles/360050506673

Adding Synced Lyrics

To add synced lyrics to a song, opt in to Lyric Blaster for the artist via the plain lyrics page for the song. Once opted in, click on "Synced Lyrics" for the song at https://distrokid.com/lyrics. This will bring you to an interactive page to create your synced lyrics for the song. Please note that approved plain lyrics are required before submitting synced lyrics.

For more information on submitting synced lyrics, check out this article: https://support.distrokid.com/hc/en-us/articles/360039436134.

To add additional credits and/or liner notes to your songs in DistroKid, first head to the credits dashboard. To do so, open the Features Menu in the upper right of DistroKid, click "Enhance your music," then click "Credits." You can also go directly to https://distrokid.com/credits.

From the credits dashboard, you can click on a song to add credits or liner notes to it. Submitted credits and liner notes will be delivered to all streaming services that currently accept them, but not all services will display every type of credit or note available through the credits dashboard. If you want to be sure your credit will be displayed in a service, we recommend listing it under a Songwriter or Producer credit.

When adding credits to a song for the first time, you must first credit a songwriter, as this is mandatory for all songs.

Adding Credits or Liner Notes to a Song

From the credits dashboard at https://distrokid.com/credits, you can click on a song to add credits or liner notes to it. Once you click a song, you'll be brought to a page where you can use the "Add new..." dropdown menu to select the type of credit or note.

Once you select the type of credit or note, a secondary dropdown menu will appear that will allow you to specify more details. For example, the "Musician" credit has a secondary menu that allows you to select the instrument for the musician.

After selecting the credit/note type and the details, you can enter the name of the person you are crediting or the information to display in the liner note. Once you enter the name or information, click "Save this credit." Once you have added all of the credits and liner notes you desire, click "Done, submit to streaming services" to send the updated credits and notes to services.

For a quick video on how to add Credits and Liner notes, check out our how-to below:

 

You can add producer credits to your releases at any time by visiting your Credits page, even if your release is already live in services.

To do so, just head to the album page of the release you wish to edit from your DistroKid dashboard, then click on "Credits." You can also head to https://distrokid.com/credits and locate the release you're looking to add the producer credit to. 

From the credits page, click the "Add New..." dropdown menu and select "Producer." 

After you have selected the Producer credit type, you can choose a specific type of producer in the following drop down. After you have selected these fields, you can go ahead and enter your producer's name. You can also optionally add their email, though producer emails will not be shown on streaming services.

Once you enter the information, click "Save this credit." Once you have added all of the credits and liner notes you desire, click "Done, submit to streaming services" to send the updated credits and/or notes to services.

DistroKid is capable of sending an extreme amount of detailed metadata to streaming services. Which is awesome!

More info here.

Some services can handle it all. Others only have the capability to accept a small portion for now—but likely more in the future.

We'll monitor each service partner, and continuously update them with the maximum amount of metadata they can handle at any time. Most are starting with songwriters and producers.

Please note that credits may take 1-2 weeks to appear in any services that accept them.

Good news! Streaming services are starting to give credit where it's due. That means, among other things, showing who wrote every song. 

Typically, songwriters are listed using real names--not stage names or rapper names or band names.

Don't worry if you use a stage name--your real name won't be displayed prominently as an artist name or anything, but it will be displayed when a listener views the credits or lyrics of a song.

For example, see the 2 Chainz the song "Bigger Than You (feat. Drake & Quavo)" on Spotify (here). As you would expect, the artist names are listed as:

• 2 Chainz

• Drake

• Quavo

However, if you look at the credits for that song on Spotify (here's how), you'll notice those artists' real names are listed as songwriters. Their real names are, respectively:

• Tauheed Epps

• Aubrey Graham

• Quavious Marshall

See screenshot from Spotify, below.







 

Yes.

The reason is that we have no way of confirming that the original songwriter is getting paid their legally-required share--unless we're the ones paying them.

Not opting covers into DistroKid's cover song licensing program can lead to streaming services taking down your content--or worse--songwriters taking legal action. And nobody wants that.

Yes!

Though, keep in mind, you'll need to purchase the cover license again for the cover that is being included on the album.

You must purchase a DistroKid cover license each and every time you upload a cover song to DistroKid.

If you upload the same cover song twice, you need to select the “Cover Song” option for both uploads, essentially buying two licenses. That’s how our system knows to deduct the songwriter’s share of earnings from your earnings (for both uploads of that song, in this example). Furthermore, DistroKid licenses apply only to content directly distributed by DistroKid, and cannot be used for any purposes outside of DistroKid.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your song would be covered under the compulsory mechanical license.

For more information about purchasing cover licenses through DistroKid, please check out this article.

DistroKid can help you distribute cover songs, but we cannot help approve the use of samples from other songs in your music.

Stores do not allow you to use another artist's stem or sample without their permission. However, it's okay to use royalty-free samples from sample library services such as Splice, Sounds, and LoopCloud. It is also fine to use royalty-free samples that are included as default sample libraries in your DAW.

If you use royalty-free samples, your music will be ineligible for the YouTube Content ID album extra.

Sampling vs. Cover Songs

Sampling is when you use an actual recording of another artist's performance in your music. An example would be using the 1971 recording of Led Zeppelin's "When The Levee Breaks" as your drum track. That's generally not legal, unless you have permission from the original artist or owner of the copyright.

A cover song is a song that you performed and recorded yourself, but the music was written by someone else. An example would be a recording of your band playing "Smooth Criminal" (written by Michael Jackson). This is totally okay to upload – DistroKid makes it easy to sell cover songs. To upload a cover song, select "Someone else wrote it" in the "Songwriter" section of the DistroKid upload form. You'll find cover song license pricing and more information on the upload form as well.

Yes! 

Just log in to your account and click on your Profile Icon in the top right. From there, click "Cover song licenses" to view your existing licenses.