Store Specific

Streaming services sometimes group artists together who have the same (or similar) names, or create a new artist page instead of using your existing page. DistroKid's fixer tool can help!

Before we can submit a separation request...

We need to determine whose artist page is whose. Head over to the page where your music is currently being hosted. Check to make sure you have the earliest release on the artist pages in services where you are experiencing mis-mapped releases.

If you do not have the oldest release on your page...

This indicates that you were accidentally mapped to another user's page and you can actually use the fixer to request a new page! Here's how to request a new artist page:

1. Visit https://distrokid.com/fixer
2. Select "My music is on the incorrect page"
3. Select the service where you are incorrectly mapped
   • Please submit multiple requests if its wrong in more than one service
   • If your release is incorrectly mapped in Spotify or Apple Music / iTunes, skip to step 5
4. Select the release that is incorrectly mapped
5. Select the Artist that is incorrectly mapped
   • If your release is incorrectly mapped in Spotify or Apple Music / iTunes, skip to step 7
6. Add a link to the incorrectly mapped release
7. Select whether or not you have a pre-existing artist page for the specified service
   • Selecting "No" will send a request to create a new artist page for your music
   • Selecting "Yes" will send a request to map your releases to the specified artist page
8. Click "Finished", and you're done!

If you do have the oldest release on your page...

1. Visit https://distrokid.com/fixer
2. Select "Someone else's music is incorrectly on my page"
3. Select the service where an artists music has been incorrectly mapped to your page
   • For Amazon, Spotify, and YouTube you can follow up with those services directly via the links on the fixer, as those services handle these types of artist separation requests on their end.
   • Please submit multiple requests if its wrong in more than one service
4. Enter the link to your artist page on the service you selected
5. Enter the links to all the releases that have been incorrectly mapped to your artist page.
6. Click "Finished", and you're done!

How long will it take for services to fix my mapping issues

Services typically process these requests within several days, but it can sometimes take several weeks to complete them. We won't get notification if/when it's done, so the best thing to do is just keep checking the store when you have the chance.

Note: Some stores are also capable of directly helping with mapping issues, such as Spotify and Amazon.

You can submit these requests directly through Spotify for Artists, as well as Amazon Music for Artists.

Click here for more information on how to get access to Spotify for Artists, and click here for more information on how to access Amazon Music for Artists.

YouTube Music Separations

Separation requests for YouTube Music can be submitted via this form:

YouTube Music Mapping Requests

We totally get it: you have set up everything about your release to be perfect, but on release date, you find out your music is on another artists profile. 😱😭

This is one of the most frustrating thing artists face in the modern landscape of streaming services. While DistroKid has set up a bunch of tools to try and get the artist page mapping correct on the first try, ultimately mapping is not something your distributor has direct control over as it is handled by services.

THAT BEING SAID, DistroKid has ALSO built some tools to help you verify your music is on the right page after submission.

To check which profiles your release will be mapped to on release day prior to your release date, you can simply request your URIs or Apple IDs using DistroKid's Spotify URI and Apple ID Looker Upper Tools! You can find these tools at the following links...

Spotify URI Looker-Upper: https://distrokid.com/uri/spotify

Apple ID Looker-Upper: https://distrokid.com/uri/apple

Let's try it out with the Spotify URI Looker Upper tool. First head over to https://distrokid.com/uri/spotify. Then, select your release from the drop down menu. I only have one release on this account so it has already been selected. Note that if you are not seeing a release, it's possible that we may not have delivered it to Spotify quite yet, please check back tomorrow!

After you have selected your release, go ahead and click on the "What's the Spotify URI" button. If your release has already been ingested by Spotify, you should see your album, track, and artist URIs

If you have multiple artists on your release you are trying to confirm are headed to the correct profiles, not to worry! All artist profiles and their roles will be listed under the "Artist:" section. Check it out!

If your release hasn't been ingested by Spotify yet, you will likely come across this screen:

Not to worry! It generally takes a day or so for Spotify to ingest releases. Your URI information will be available in the next day or so!

If this is the case, check back in the next few days. Spotify will have likely ingested your release and it will be available for URI request on this page. 

Once you have located your artist URIs / Apple IDs via the looker upper tools, make sure those artist profiles match your existing profiles in stores. You can do this by following the URLs provided on the looker upper pages, or by entering the URI directly into the Spotify search. 

If your profiles match, woohoo!! Everything has been mapped correctly, and you should be all set for release day. 

If they aren't mapped correctly, you can visit https://distrokid.com/fixer to submit a request to create a new page if needed, or move your work to your existing page if services didn't get it right off the bat. For more information on our Fixer Tool, click here.

What the heck is a URI?

URI stands for Uniform Resource Indicator. It is effectively an identifier of a specific or element. In Spotify's case, URIs are used to indicate Artists, Tracks, Albums, Playlists, Songwriters, Users, and more! Apple has a similar resource indicator called Apple IDs that function much the same way.

How do I use URIs?

Artists can need URIs / resource identifiers for a variety of reasons. To name a few examples, sometimes blogs and radio stations might ask for your Track URI for your new single before release date so that they can add it to their playlists on release date immediately.

Additionally, Artist URIs can also be used in mapping requests so that distributors like DistroKid can request particular releases be mapped to your correct artist page.

In these and many more ways URIs can be useful in your own career. 

How do I find my URI?

You can use our Spotify URI and Apple ID Looker Upper Tools! You can find them at the following links...

Spotify URI Looker-Upper: https://distrokid.com/uri/spotify

Apple ID Looker-Upper: https://distrokid.com/uri/apple

...or by finding the links on DistroKid's Features Menu , under the Goodies section. Click on Features Menu in the upper right corner of your DistroKid dashboard, scroll down to the Goodies section and click on the "Helpful when needed" menu. From there you will find the Looker-Upper tools!

Here's how to find your music on Instagram:

If your TikTok account is setup as a business account you won't be able to use music or sound clips in your videos. You can switch to a personal account via the "Manage Account" settings in the TikTok app.

TikTok also recently rolled out an experimental new feature that allows users to upload videos longer than 1+ min, but sounds distributed via DistroKid are unavailable for this feature at this time.

For new releases, you can enter your Instagram and Facebook profile information to link your tracks to your profiles. For more information on linking new releases, please check out this article.

For existing releases, please reach out to us directly to submit a request to have your music linked to your Instagram profile.

Once we receive the request, we can send an update to Instagram directly to have your existing content linked to your profile. 

If you searched by artist name or release title and still cannot find your music, it is likely that one of the following has occurred: 

• Your Music may not be live yet. For more information about how long it takes a release to make it into services and go live, click here.

• Services are still indexing your artist name. Until your name is indexed, it may not appear in search, despite your music being live. Services handle this internally (we don't control search results), but it shouldn't take too long for them to index your name shortly after your release is live. This generally happens if this is the first time using your artist name.

• Your release title is too common. If you have a common song or album title, such as "Home," it may not show in search results at the top, if other releases are very popular in rank.

Music Missing in Instagram more than three weeks after submission?

This can occasionally happen when you upload an album that includes singles where the album has a release date later than the singles. The most recent release date per track is what Instagram looks at, so it's likely those previously live singles simply had their release date overwritten by the album release date on Instagram's end.

To get this fixed up, please submit an Instagram Resubmission Request here:
Instagram Resubmissions Form

For future reference, you can avoid this by uploading the album before the singles, or by making a request to "update" the release date for the singles in DistroKid to their original release dates after uploading an album that includes those singles on it. 

Each streaming service has their own style guide--the way in which they show information. 

When you upload music to DistroKid, we reformat the data & deliver it separately to each services, complying with each services' style guide.

Below is an example of how featured artists look differently in Apple Music vs Spotify.

Apple Music: 

Spotify: 

It can take up to a week or so for your first DistroKid upload to go live in all streaming services. (For more information about the time it takes for releases to go live to streaming services, please check out the FAQ article, here) 

Even after your release has gone live, it may require some additional processing time before DistroKid detects your release(s) in streaming services. That said, you can still access your Spotify links prior to release by visiting https://distrokid.com/uri. Check it out!!

If you're trying to instantly verify your Spotify for Artists Profile and you see a message saying that your release has not yet been detected, please try again later or verify directly through Spotify the old fashioned way. 🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽

Sometimes stuff will appear in streaming services before it has fully processed. If you’re ever worried about something, we recommend giving it 48-72 hours or so to sort itself out.

From the time you upload, it can take 1-2 business days for your release to be reviewed, approved, and sent to streaming services. Then the streaming services have additional processing time on their end before they push your release live.

For more information about the time it takes for releases to go live to streaming services once approved, please check out the FAQ article here.

Delays are rare, but they do happen, and are often out of our control. Please double check this article in regard to release dates--Particularly the "Note" section.

DistroKid's Musician Plus and Ultimate accounts give you access to Estimated Daily Stats from Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, and Amazon.

Sometimes, the numbers in Daily Stats differ somewhat from the figures shown in your monthly earnings statements. They may even drop to zero on occasion. Have no fear! ​That's normal, usual, and nothing to be concerned about.

It's generally an issue with how the streaming services are reporting to DistroKid (API), and these types of issues generally clear up within 24 hours or so.

Also, it's important to remember that estimated stats come from a completely different system than earnings reports, and any fluctuations will have absolutely no effect on your actual earnings from streams/sales.

It's totally possible to claim your Spotify for Artists profile prior to your first ever release with a given artist name. In order to make sure you have enough time to claim your profile, make sure to upload your music at least four weeks in advance of the release date.

Once you have uploaded your music to DistroKid and you can see that it has been successfully sent off to services, we will need to locate your Spotify Artist URI. Great news! DistroKid has a tool for that!

DistroKid's Spotify Looker Upper Tool

To check which Spotify Artist Profile your release will be mapped to on release day prior to your release date, you can simply request your URIs via DistroKid's Spotify URI Looker Upper Tool! 

Spotify URI Looker-Upper: https://distrokid.com/uri/spotify

When you are on the Spotify URI looker-upper, select your release from the drop down menu. I only have one release on this account so it has already been selected. Note that if you are not seeing a release, it's possible that we may not have delivered it to Spotify quite yet, please check back tomorrow!

After you have selected your release, go ahead and click on the "What's the Spotify URI" button. If your release has already been ingested by Spotify, you should see your album, track, and artist URIs

If you have multiple artists on your release you are trying to claim profiles for, not to worry! All artist profiles and their roles will be listed under the "Artist:" section. Check it out!

If your release hasn't been ingested by Spotify yet, you will likely come across this screen:

Not to worry! It generally takes a day or so for Spotify to ingest releases. Your URI information will be available in the next day or so!

If this is the case, check back in the next few days. Spotify will have likely ingested your release and it will be available for URI request on this page. 

I have my Spotify Artist URI... now what?

Once you get your Artist URI, you'll need to visit https://artists.spotify.com/claim to claim your page directly through Spotify. You should come to a screen like this: 

Select "Artist or manager" to continue to claim your profile. 

Next, Spotify will ask you to log in. You need to have at least a free Spotify account to use Spotify for Artists. Go ahead and log in or sign up.

Once logged in, you should be presented with this page:

Click continue to move on to the page where you will input your Spotify Artist URI. You will be presented with a page that has a search bar in the center. Enter your Spotify Artist URI that you grabbed from the looker upper tool in this box.

If you grabbed your URI and attempted to claim your profile all within one or two days, you may get a notification on this page that there were "No results for [your Artist URI]"

If you get this message, its likely that Spotify hasn't had enough time to get this artist profile created for you, even though your release has already been ingested. 

Try again in a day or so, and it should work just fine.

There was an issue that may have prevented your release from being on the correct artist page.

The good news is that there's an easy fix!

You can head to https://distrokid.com/fixer and enter your correct Spotify Artist URI to lock that into your account and ensure that all previous and future uploads are mapped to the correct artist page.

Even if your release has already been moved to the correct page, following the steps below will ensure that all of your existing and future uploads are put on the same artist page.

Step 1: Find your Spotify Artist URI

• Click the three dots under your artist name on your correct artist page
• Go to the Share menu
• Select 'Copy Spotify URI' from the second menu

Note:If you're on Spotify's Desktop application, you'll see that the sharing options in the context menu have been reduced to Copy Link and Copy embed code. You can still copy Spotify URIs if you hold down the modifier key (Alt/Ctrl) in the share menu:

Step 2: Head to https://distrokid.com/fixer

With your correct URI, you can use DistroKid's Fixer tool to make sure all of your music is mapped to the correct artist page.

Follow the settings below:

There's no need to specify an individual release, as this will ensure that ALL releases from the same artist are mapped correctly to the right URI.

Spotify typically takes up to 5 days to process these requests.

Note: If you've previously made a request to see your URI at https://distrokid.com/uri/spotify, that page will not update, even after Spotify has mapped your music to the correct URI. Nothing to worry about!

Your Spotify URI is a unique identifier Spotify assigns to every artist, album, and track. If you need to find yours for any reason, here's how!

If you have uploaded a release via DistroKid and need to grab your Artist, Album, or Track URI, you can use DistroKid's URI Looker Upper! Check it out here: https://distrokid.com/uri

Here is quick video rundown of how our URI Looker Upper Tool works:

Note that for super recent uploads, you may need to wait a day or two for a URI to populate.

If you need a URI for a release that you didn't upload through DistroKid, follow these steps in the Spotify Desktop application (not the web version):

1. Click to the three dots next to the artist name/album/track title
2. Click 'Share'
3. Click 'Copy Spotify URI' from the second menu*

To grab URI directly from Spotify, hold down the option key on Mac or the alt key on Windows when hovering over the share menu. 

You can also convert Spotify URLs to URIs easily, as the URI and URL utilize the same internal code! Check it out:

URI:  spotify:artist:EXAMPLE
URL: https://open.spotify.com/artist/EXAMPLE

Both links share the same ID: EXAMPLE

The only difference is the prefix:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/ vs spotify:artist:

In order for your release to show up under upcoming in your Spotify for Artists account it will need to be in Spotify's system at least one week before the release date.

We recommend uploading your release to DistroKid at least two weeks prior to your release date if you want a song to be available to pitch to Spotify's editors for playlist consideration.*

If you've uploaded your release with a future release date and it's still not showing up under upcoming it could be a mapping issue, where your music is mixed up with another artist's music.

If services ever put anything on the wrong page, you can always use our fixer tool to get things mapped correctly, but you can also reach out to us via our contact form with a link to your Spotify Artist URI and we can check to make sure that Spotify has your upcoming release(s) mapped to the correct page.

You also can’t pitch if you’re a featured artist on the song, so if it's a collaboration make sure you are listed as a primary artist on the release.

Check out this article for more info on how to setup a collaboration.

*Note: You have to have a Plus or Ultimate subscription in order to setup custom, future release dates.

Getting verified on Spotify is easy when you use DistroKid and takes less than a minute.

To get instantly verified on Spotify:

1. Sign into DistroKid
2. Click the DistroKid Features Menu in the upper right
3. Click "Special Access"
4. Click "Spotify for Artists" and follow the instructions. 

Verification also gives you access to "Spotify for Artists" which is Spotify's app that offers:

• ​Stats you can't get anywhere else
• The ability to update your Spotify artist pic & bio
• The ability to pitch your new releases to their editorial team
• Access to the Spotify team to answer your questions
• A blue verified checkmark

Just keep in mind that it can take up to a week or so once your first DistroKid upload is live in Spotify before your release is fully processed and recognized in the system to be able to verify your artist page.

If you see a message that says "Looks like you don't have anything live in Spotify (or we haven't detected it yet)," check back in 24-48 hours or so.

If you need to get verified before your first release goes live, you can look up your Spotify Artist URI here, so you can verify directly with Spotify the old fashioned way.

Below is a quick how-to video showing how easy it is to get a Verified Spotify Artist Profile on DistroKid!

Enjoy! 

 

For more info on Discovery Mode, click here.

In order to be eligible to use Discovery Mode in Spotify for Artists, you must meet the artist and track eligibility criteria outlined here.

If you’re a Spotify for Artists user interested in using Discovery Mode, please complete this form. Please ensure that you have accurately entered your Spotify Artist URI in the form, otherwise Spotify will not be able to process your form submission.

To find your Spotify Artist URI, follow the instructions here. While Spotify cannot guarantee access at this time, they will reach out with more info should you be provided access.

Spotify will work to provide access to eligible artist teams over the next few months, and you will receive an email from Spotify once you have access to set up a Discovery Mode campaign in Spotify for Artists.

Due to Apple policy changes, we are no longer sending name change or rebrand requests to previously released content on Apple Music and iTunes as of June 8th, 2023. This means that we’ll be unable to submit a request to change your name through to Apple Music. All requests submitted to us before June 8th, 2023 will be processed by Apple Music in the coming months. We do not have an ETA for completion on any previously submitted request.

Why?
Due to policy changes, Apple Music does not currently support name changes for previously released content.

What options do I have?

If you have an existing name change request that was submitted before June 8th, 2023, then Apple Music will honor that request and process it within the next few weeks or months. Apple Music will be unable to support any new requests.

If you have an active name change request (submitted prior to June 8th, 2023):
You can wait for your request to be processed. Note that this may take a few weeks to a few months, depending on how long ago you submitted the request.

You can choose not to rebrand on Apple Music and keep your name as it is. If you would like to do this, please let us know so that we can remove your previous request from the list. Note that if this request has already been processed, we will be unable to update it.

If you do not have an active name change request (or you have submitted a request after June 8th, 2023) and you’re looking to change your name, you can:

Still rebrand with any other DSPs. You will be able to use the new name on any new releases on Apple Music, but note that previously released content will retain the name as originally released. This means your content will exist on individual artist pages.

Things to keep in mind:
If you choose to delete and re-upload your release to Apple Music, you will lose any existing data on your release, and it may not result in a name change as Apple Music no longer supports these.
Contacting Apple will not expedite your request.

Pre-adds allows your fans to listen to one or more songs on Apple Music from an Album or EP before it is available for sale on iTunes. Bonus points, this also automatically adds the Album or EP to their library once it is available for sale.

[it looks like this]


Pre-add is only available for EPs and Albums where at least one track has been opted into Instant Gratification. For more information on Apple's requirements for pre-add, check out this article: https://itunespartner.apple.com/music/articles/rights-and-pricing_pre-adds-for-apple-music

For more information on how to opt into an Instant Gratification track on iTunes (which you need to do in order to use pre-add) check out this article: https://support.distrokid.com/hc/en-us/articles/360013647873

ROCK ON 🤘🏼

Congrats! This means that your album has been successfully delivered to iTunes, and they're in the process of making it live in all iTunes stores across the world. Albums sometimes go live in your country after a few hours, and sometimes a few days. Only thing to do now is wait.

There's nothing else DistroKid needs to do at this point, as your album is safely in Apple's hands now. 

A note regarding pre-orders on iTunes:

iTunes links default to Apple Music on mobile, where the release won't be available until the actual release date.

You'll still be able to find your pre-order in the mobile and desktop versions of iTunes, though.

You can also try adding ?app=itunes to the end of your iTunes link, which may help force mobile devices to check iTunes directly, rather than Apple Music.

Your Apple Artist ID is a unique identifier Apple assigns to every artist. When uploading a new release to DistroKid, you may be asked to enter your "Apple Artist URL."

If you have uploaded a release via DistroKid and need to grab your Artist, Album, or Track Apple IDs, you can use DistroKid's URI Looker Upper!

Here's a quick video rundown of how to utilize our Looker Upper tool to find your Apple IDs and URLs on any of your releases:

If you are switching to DistroKid from another distributor, here's how to find it within Apple Music or iTunes:

1. Open the Apple Music / iTunes app
2. Search for your artist name in Music / iTunes using the search bar
3. Click the "..." to the right of the artist name
4. Click "Share"
5. Click "Copy Link"
   
   
   

That's it! You can now go back to DistroKid's upload form and paste in this URL.

Apple offers a variety of audio formats and quality standards that they indicate to listeners using various badges. Let's take a look at what each badge means and how you can qualify your music for Apple's listening features and standards.

Lossless Audio

For much of music streaming history, audio had to be compressed so that the large file sizes of the audio files could be played back in realtime on slower connections. As mobile internet has gotten faster, and bandwidth has increased, services have been able to offer uncompressed, full quality masters for your listening enjoyment! The Lossless Audio badge on Apple Music indicates that you are listening to an effectively uncompressed audio file that delivers the full fidelity of the original recording exactly as the artist, mixing engineers, and mastering engineers intended. 

How do I get the Lossless Audio badge on Apple Music?

It's simple! Absolutely every release that is delivered to Apple with a lossless codec is opted in automatically to Lossless Audio playback and will have the Lossless badge. All you need to do is upload a lossless audio file format to DistroKid when you upload your music. Lossless file formats include: FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF

Hi-Res Lossless

Remember all that stuff about lossless audio? Well Hi-Res Lossless audio is just that but even more hi resolution. This badge lets listeners know that the audio file they are hearing is at least 24bit and has a sample rate higher than 48khz! Talk about hi-def!

How do I get the Hi-Res Lossless Audio badge on Apple Music?

The same as with Lossless Audio, every release that is delivered to Apple with a lossless codec is opted in automatically to Lossless Audio playback and will have the Lossless badge. To get the "Hi-Res" designation, all you need to do is upload a hi resolution lossless audio file format to DistroKid when you upload your music. In order to be considered "Hi-Res", your lossless audio file must be at least 24bit and have a sample rate higher than 48khz. You can use the same lossless audio formats: FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF

Dolby Atmos

You have heard of stereo, but have you heard of... ULTRA STEREO? 

...nah, but for real, Dolby Atmos is a new audio playback format that creates a three-dimensional, immersive sound experience. You can read more about Dolby Atmos here:  https://support.distrokid.com/hc/en-us/articles/4403029574675

How do I get the Dolby Atmos badge on Apple Music?

In order to get the Dolby Atmos badge, you first have to upload a compatible Dolby Atmos mix for your work. You can learn how to create a Dolby Atmos mix of your music here: https://support.distrokid.com/hc/en-us/articles/4405783945363

Once you have a Dolby Atmos mix, it's easy to upload your Dolby Atmos content to DistroKid. Artists can add a Dolby Atmos version of their mix per track for $26.99 each - it will be available on supported devices and streaming services including Apple Music and TIDAL. Just make sure to select "Yes" under the "Dolby Atmos/Spatial audio" section of the upload form.

Apple Digital Masters

Apple Digital Masters (formerly 'Mastered for iTunes') allows you to deliver high-resolution masters with the highest quality audio to Apple. You can learn more about it here:  https://support.distrokid.com/hc/en-us/articles/360013534534

How do I get the Apple Digital Master badge on Apple Music?

If you already have your music mastered via an approved Apple Digital Masters mastering house, let us know by selecting "Apple Digital Masters (MFiT)" on our contact form, and we can enable you to upload this audio with the Apple Digital Masters designation. 

Yes!

Apple Digital Masters (formerly 'Mastered for iTunes') allows you to deliver high-resolution masters with the highest quality audio to Apple. 

Make sure your audio is a 24-bit resolution WAV file, with a sample rate of 44.1kHz or higher. By encoding from high-resolution masters, Apple music engineers are able to capture all of the detail of a recording in a size that is convenient for streaming and downloading. Using 24-bit files means less noise and higher encoding efficiency, making your uploads virtually indistinguishable from the original master recordings.
To enable Apple Digital Masters on your account, click here.

Once enabled, you'll be asked to enter the email address of your Apple-approved Apple Digital Masters mastering house on the upload form.

Note: All former Mastered for iTunes songs will continue to be available under the Apple Digital Masters program

Claiming your Official Artist Channel on YouTube is quick and easy when you use DistroKid.

How to claim your YouTube Official Artist Channel:

1. Make sure you already have a channel dedicated to your content as an artist on YouTube, and that this channel has artist content uploaded to it. If not, please create one, and name it after your artist name.* 
   
   Note you cannot apply for a blank, new channel to be designated as an Official Artist Channel. If there is no existing, independent content on that channel (at least one YouTube video, YouTube Shorts do not count), the request will not go through.
   
   
2. Make sure your artist has at least one release that has selected "YouTube Music" as a streaming service within DistroKid.
   
   
3. Go to the YouTube Official Artist Channel section of your DistroKid account. To get there:
   
   - Click the DistroKid Features Menu in the upper right
   - Select "Special access"
   - Select  "YouTube Official Artist Channel"
   
   
4. Select the artist you want to associate with your YouTube channel.
   
   
5. Authenticate into your YouTube account.
   
   
6. Claim your channel!
   
   
7. Done!

*A few notes:

• You can only link one artist to a YouTube account. A label channel cannot be converted to an Official Artist Channel.
• Your personal Channel name must match your artist name in order to apply for an OAC.
• The entirety of applying for an Official Artist Channel is generally quick, though it can take anywhere from a few days, to a few weeks. Please allow up to 6 weeks for your channel to be designated as an Official Artist Channel. 
• OAC requests cannot be undone or transferred to a new channel

---

Once your Official Artist Channel is approved, you'll have access to some exciting new features on YouTube, including:

• Increased visibility through YouTube search
• Access to artist specific tools and analytics in YouTube Studio
• The ability to update your YouTube Music pic & bio
• Exclusive access to data and analytics through YouTube Analytics for Artists
• A verified music note next to your channel name

Here’s a video from YouTube with some additional info about what it means when DistroKid helps you qualify for an Official Artist Channel:

Enjoy!

As an artist, if you distribute your work to YouTube via DistroKid, we send your work to YouTube Music. YouTube Music is a music streaming service.

When you distribute your work to YouTube Music, your music also generates what are called Art Tracks, which are still image, audio only releases that populate a Topic Channel.

Topic Channels show exactly what your YouTube Music Artist Profile has available for streaming. The only difference is that Topic Channels are available on YouTube's main website, whereas your artist profile is available on YouTube Music. 

You're paid for each monetized play of your music. A "monetized" play is when YouTube displays an ad on the video, or when a YouTube Music paying subscriber listens (in which case you're paid, pro-rata, based on how much they're paying and what percentage of the time they listened to your tracks). 

Delivering your music to YouTube Music also ensures that you are eligible to turn your own channel into an Official Artist Channel, which comes with a myriad of additional perks! You can read more about Official Artist Channel's here.

YouTube Music is currently available in the US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Russia, Canada, Ireland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and South Korea, and will be available anywhere YouTube has a subscription music service as new territories are supported. If you're trying to play YouTube Music Art Track videos from outside of these supported territories, you may see a message that the content is not available.

Here's some more information: 

http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2014/11/youtube-music-2014.html

http://www.theverge.com/2014/11/12/7201969/youtube-music-key-new-subscription-service

YouTube Music is YouTube's streaming service. DistroKid lets you easily add your music to YouTube Music - just select "YouTube Music" on DistroKid's upload form. When you upload to YouTube Music, YouTube will generate a "Topic Channel" for your work.

When you upload your music using DistroKid, you can also upgrade your artist YouTube channel to an "Official Artist Channel". You can do this when you upload your next new release, or by going to the Official Artist Channel page in your DistroKid settings. Once you have an Official Artist Channel, all of your Topic Channel content will be linked to your own Official Artist Channel.

If you don't have an Official Artist Channel, your YouTube Music content will still be available on YouTube, through the Topic Channel generated for you.

There are 2 types of Topic Channels:

• Personal Topic Channels: Many artists are automatically assigned a topic channel. This is usually your name, followed by  “-Topic”. For example, Drake - Topic. Note that this a different channel than his Official Artist Channel, Drake. Both of those channels contain his music.
  
  If you do not claim your Official Artist Channel, fans will be directed to your Topic Channel on YouTube.
  
  
• Various Artists - Topic: Many times, YouTube adds artists' music to a channel called "Various Artists - Topic". This is usually for undiscovered artists with smaller play counts. When an artist becomes more popular, their music is often moved (by YouTube) to a hashtag channel.

If you want your YouTube Music releases available on your own artist channel, as well as the topic channel, you'll want to request that your own channel (also known as an Owned and Operated Channel) be converted to an Official Artist Channel.

Click here to learn more about how to claim your Official Artist Channel.

When you upload your music using DistroKid, your music will appear in YouTube Music (YouTube's streaming service) and on YouTube as Art Tracks.  Art Tracks will be placed on an auto-generated YouTube channel known as a Topic Channel. If you have an artist channel on YouTube, then you can easily claim your Official Artist Channel by using DistroKid. Once you have an Official Artist Channel, all of your Art Tracks will appear on your artist channel instead of the auto-generated Topic Channel.

YouTube Content ID is an annually charged DistroKid Album Extra that gets you paid when other people use your music in their YouTube videos.

Here's how it works:

• First, opt-into YouTube Content ID in the DistroKid upload form. You'll see pricing information there. Price is per release (album or single). You can also opt-in a release after it's been uploaded to DistroKid, if you prefer.

• Once you've opted in, DistroKid will add your music to YouTube's Content ID database. This is YouTube's system that's able to identify when your music appears in any YouTube video. Here's a video that explains Content ID. 

• When YouTube detects your music in a video, monetization (ads) will be turned-on for that video. If there is a text or banner ad on the YouTube video with your music in it and the watcher clicks on the text or banner, or if there is a commercial before or after the video and the watcher watches up to 30 seconds or the entire commercial, ad revenue is collected.

• The ad revenue (minus 20%) will go to you, instead of the person who uploaded the video. These earnings will be shown in your DistroKid "Bank" tab.

If you opt into YouTube Content ID but want to allow specific videos to use your music without Content ID claims, you can do so here.

If you have existing music on YouTube Music, you can head to your YouTube Music artist profile to retrieve your Artist URL. YouTube Music is located at https://music.youtube.com/. 

Once there, you can search for your artist name in the search feature located on the upper menu bar:

After you have located your YouTube Music Artist Page, you can find your YouTube Music Artist URL by clicking on the three dots next to your artist name and clicking the "Share" option:

You should see a dialog box and you can click the "Copy" button. 

Your URL should look something like this: https://music.youtube.com/channel/EXAMPLEURL

It's easy to copy a link to your favorite tunes on Anghami. First, search for the song, album, or artist for which you wish to get the URL. Next...

1. Click on the three dots next to the artist name/album/track title
2. Click “Share”
3. Click “Copy”

Now you have the URL in your clipboard!

To claim your artist page on Anghami, please go to artists.anghami.com and follow the steps below:

1. Go to artists.anghami.com,
2. Click on ‘Claim your Profile’,
3. Search for your Artist Name or using your Artist Link, click Go,
4. Select it from the dropdown,
5. Review your artist information and click Next,
6. Enter your First Name and Last Name (as written on your passport),
7. Enter your Email and Phone Number,
8. Enter your Password (at least 6 characters and 2 numbers).
9. You will receive an email verification in your inbox. Don’t forget to check your Spam folder as well. Click on the link inside it to verify your email,
10. Enter the code you receive by SMS to verify your phone number,
11. Click ‘Claim my Profile’.

Your claim submission will be reviewed within 2 working days and you will be notified of your account status via email.

You will get automatic verification when you claim your Anghami artist profile and create a dashboard account.

Learn how to claim your Anghami profile here: https://support.anghami.com/hc/en-us/articles/1260806760170-How-to-claim-my-artist-profile

If you have an Anghami dashboard account, you can check out Anghami’s Playlist Pitching tool by logging in and going to Content Promotion > Pitch to Playlist, and selecting the track you would like to curate.

Their team will check it out for possible curation and notify you via an automated email in case the song was added to one of Anghami’s playlists. 

In case you don’t have a dashboard account, you can send your pitching request to artistsupport@anghami.com. 

Yes!

We can distribute your work to Pretzel.

Pretzel is a service that allow streamers to share music on stream. You can find more details and frequently asked questions about Pretzel here:
https://help.pretzel.rocks/pretzel#faq

If you want your work to be distributed to Pretzel, please reach out to us here, and we can enable Pretzel submissions on your account. You can request access to Pretzel by clicking on "My Music" on that contact form, and then select "Opt In Services".

Pretzel also requires that artists fill out this form after their work has been submitted there, for full rights clearance.

To send your music to Pretzel, just make sure "Pretzel" is selected on the DistroKid upload form.

To add previous releases to Pretzel (after opting in):

1. Sign into DistroKid
2. Go to your album page
3. Click your album (or single)
4. Click "Add to more stores"
5. Select "Pretzel" from the list that populates.

Also! If you have a Twitch channel, you can link that channel to your DistroKid account. That way, Twitch will link to your Twitch channel (and your Spotify page) whenever your music is streamed. To do this, visit:
http://distrokid.com/twitch-connect.

Note:

Twitch has informed DistroKid that Soundtrack by Twitch will be sunsetting on July 17th, 2023.

At this time, all existing content will remain available for use through their service until July 17th, but no new content will be added to Soundtrack by Twitch. 

As always, DistroKid pays out 100% of earnings, and we will continue to collect earnings on all content live on their service through their targeted sunset date of July 17th, 2023. 

DistroKid and Twitch have partnered to offer qualifying DistroKid artists more opportunities to grow their communities and earn money from music. Streaming on Twitch lets artists interact directly with their fans in a shared, live experience like nowhere else.

Through our partnership, DistroKid artists have the opportunity to be considered for joining The Collective. Artists selected by Twitch for the program will get ongoing support from Twitch, and be eligible for prioritized discovery, promotion, and activations from Twitch, Discord, and other industry partners. 

Twitch has all the info you need to go live, build your community and earn money doing what you love.

Apply to join The Collective today!

Notes: Currently, this program is only open to artists who live in the US or Canada and who are 18+.

Need more help? Join the Twitch Music Assist community on Discord for advice from Twitch music creators on hardware, software and setting up your channel.

Twitch has informed DistroKid that Soundtrack by Twitch will be sunsetting on July 17th, 2023.

At this time, all existing content will remain available for use through their service until July 17th, but no new content will be added to Soundtrack by Twitch. 

As always, DistroKid pays out 100% of earnings, and we will continue to collect earnings on all content live on their service through their targeted sunset date of July 17th, 2023.