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 it's 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 artist's music has been incorrectly mapped to your page
   • For Amazon, Spotify, Tidal and Pandora, 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 it's 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.

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 artist's 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!

It's generally possible to search for your releases in various platforms without having to setup a paid account in every single one. Below are some helpful links you can use to find your releases!

• Spotify: Search at https://open.spotify.com/ 
• Apple Music/iTunes: Search at https://music.apple.com/
• YouTube Music: Search at https://music.youtube.com/
• Amazon: Search at https://music.amazon.com/
• Pandora: Search at https://www.pandora.com/
• Deezer: Create an account at https://www.deezer.com/register to search
• TIDAL: Search at https://store.tidal.com/
• iHeartRadio: Search at https://www.iheart.com/
• Saavn: Search at https://www.jiosaavn.com/
• Anghami: Search at https://play.anghami.com/home
• KKBox: Search at https://www.kkbox.com/sg/sc/
• Netease: Search at https://music.163.com/#
• Instagram: Search in the "Music" sticker in stories or in the "Audio" section of reels

Each service may be a little different, but typically you can search for your artist name, navigate to your artist page, and then copy the URL. Happy searching!

P.S. If you find you're on the wrong artist page, or another artist is on your page, head over to https://distrokid.com/fixer and we'll help get that cleared up!

TIDAL now has an artist access portal, TIDAL Artist Home where you can manage your profile on Tidal, as well as use their Songwriter Tools to get visibility into your songwriter catalog and maximize potential royalties.

Manage Your Profile on Tidal

TIDAL Artist Home helps artists manage the way they show up for their fans on TIDAL.

You can claim your artist profile and customize key details like your profile image, bio, and social links, as well as view several key stats regarding how your music is performing on TIDAL's platform.

You can also always report inaccurate content directly to TIDAL in seconds, invite team members, and get access to everything TIDAL builds for artists in the future.

Access Tidal Artist Home Songwriter Tools

TIDAL Artist Home’s songwriter tools help you get visibility into your catalog and guidance on the registration and publishing process, so you can be confident that you’re getting credited and compensated correctly. Here’s how:

Step 1:
Get organized. Take control of your identity as a songwriter with guidance and visibility into the registration and publishing processes. Register with a PRO (AllTrack); organize your IPI, PRO, and publisher information all in one place; and set yourself up for royalty collection success with simple checklists.

Step 2:
Review your catalog. TIDAL cross checks your works from a variety of sources and intelligently categorizes them into three groups: Completed Works, Works Without Recordings, and Unmatched Works. This clear visualization gives you deeper insight and visibility into your catalog, highlights missing metadata, and provides guidance on how to fix mismatches or gaps to enable optimal (and accurate) compensation.

Step 3:
Optimize your works. Review individual works to report inaccuracies, add ISWCs, edit matched recordings, and build out split sheets that can be shared with co-writers to track composition ownership.

To claim your TIDAL Artist profile using DistroKid:

• Sign into DistroKid
• Click the DistroKid Features Menu in the upper right
• Click "Special Access"
• Click "TIDAL Artist Home" and then "Get Started"
• Follow the instructions provided by TIDAL to access your Artist Profile

Facebook & Instagram are building a music catalog. DistroKid can get you in! For more information, see our blog post here: https://news.distrokid.com/facebook-507b5e567593

How do I send my music to Facebook?

To get your music into Facebook’s music catalog:

• New music: Just select the “Instagram & Facebook” checkbox when uploading your music to DistroKid.
• Old music: Sign into DistroKid → Click your album → Click “Add to more stores” → Choose “Instagram/Facebook” → Click “Add”. If you don’t see “Instagram/Facebook” here, congrats, you must’ve opted in when uploading your music & it’s already been added.

How does Facebook's Monetization service work?

Opting into distribution to Facebook/Instagram allows users to put your music in the content they create and share on Facebook and Instagram. This includes features such as a searchable Audio Library. Sending your music to Facebook allows your music the chance of earning revenue.

Note: Some videos may be muted due to product restrictions. In general, Facebook/Instagram videos that mimic an audio-only listening experience are not permitted. Examples include still-image, videos, or live streams with large amounts of matched audio.

How much does it cost to monetize my music on Facebook/Instagram?

There is no charge for opting into distribution to Facebook/Instagram and adding your music to the audio library. 

If you would like to monetize UGC on Facebook and Instagram, check out Social Media Pack here. 

My music was live in Instagram and now it's gone

Check out this article for more info!

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?

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.

Most services & streaming services compress audio files to make them download faster. An unfortunate side-effect is that compressed audio may not sound as good as the original tracks you uploaded to DistroKid.

As streaming services increasingly embrace uncompressed, “lossless” streaming, this will become less of a problem.

In the meanwhile, there's usually a way for listeners to make audio sound better. For example, in the Spotify app (desktop or mobile), paid users can go into "Preferences" and turn on "High Quality Streaming." 

Uploading your music and getting paid from Spotify through DistroKid is super easy. In fact, we're one of Spotify's preferred partners!

In addition to making it easy to get your music on Spotify, DistroKid also makes it incredibly easy to receive earnings from Spotify! You'll keep 100% of your revenue from Spotify (and all other store partners we work with!) when using DistroKid. 

To get started:
1. Create a DistroKid account!

2. Select your preferred DistroKid subscription plan! Keep in mind, the Musician Plus and Ultimate plans come with tons of awesome features, including daily stats and custom release dates.

3. Head to the upload form to upload your work! On the upload form, just make sure that Spotify is selected from our list of partners.

4. Once your music has been listed and is live on Spotify, you can verify and access your Spotify for Artists account from within your DistroKid account too!

That's it. It really is that easy!

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:

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 not see any results listed in this page.

If this happens, it's 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.

To add another Artist to your Spotify for Artists account:

1. Log in to your Spotify for Artists portal via web browser
2. In the upper right corner, click on the circle icon with your initial
3. Select "Teams"
4. Click on “Add Team” near the top right of the "Your Teams" page
5. Follow the instructions and input your artist URI when prompted

You can find your Artist URI by checking out this article.

Below are screenshots to help walk you through the process outlined above.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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! 

 

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!

Uploading your music and getting paid from Apple Music through DistroKid is super easy.

In addition to making it easy to get your music on Apple Music and iTunes, DistroKid also makes it incredibly easy to receive earnings from Apple! You'll keep 100% of your revenue from Apple Music/iTunes (and all other store partners we work with!) when using DistroKid.

To get started:
1. Create a DistroKid account!

2. Select your preferred DistroKid subscription plan! Keep in mind, the Musician Plus and Ultimate plans come with tons of awesome features, including daily stats and custom release dates.

3. Head to the upload form to upload your work! On the upload form, just make sure that Apple Music is selected from our list of partners.

4. Once you have at least one live release on your Apple Artist Page, you can register for Apple Music for Artists and claim your page at https://distrokid.com/am4a.

That's it. It really is that easy!

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 🤘🏼

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.

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. The email address must be on Apple's list of approved mastering houses in order for your release to be labelled an Apple Digital Master. For more information, see Apple's article here.

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

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. 

Rebranding & Apple Music

Due to Apple policy changes, Apple is no longer accepting name change requests under any circumstance. The first name that is submitted to Apple on a release will be the name that is permanently associated with this release.

Contacting Apple about this will not result in your name change being processed.

If you would no longer like your release on Apple under the name you originally submitted with, you can request to remove your release from Apple by following these instructions.

If you remove your release and resubmit the same release under a different name than your original name, Apple will remove your release from their service. 

However, you can still upload any new releases under a new name!

If you requested a name change before June 8th, 2023:

Previously, Apple agreed to process name changes that were submitted to DistroKid prior to June 8th, 2023. You may have seen communication from us indicating that your name change is in queue to be processed.

Apple has amended their policy and will no longer be accepting those name change requests. 

Rest assured that you can use your new artist name on any new releases you upload to your DistroKid account. 

"I reached out to Apple and they said that DistroKid can update my name, what gives?"

If you reached out to Apple about your name change (as mentioned earlier this will not result in your name change being processed), they may have directed you back to us indicating that we facilitate metadata update requests as your distributor.

As your distributor, we do facilitate metadata updates! However, DistroKid can only update metadata in ways that align with Apple’s formatting rules, and the current policy is that artist names cannot be changed on previously distributed content. 

You can still update your artist name on your previously distributed content for other stores, and distribute new content to Apple under your new name. 

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. 
• Your Topic Channel remains a separate channel, even after the OAC is claimed
• 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

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

When you upload your music using DistroKid, your music will appear in YouTube Music (YouTube's streaming service) and on YouTube's main video website as Art Tracks.  Art Tracks will be placed on an auto-generated YouTube channel known as a Topic Channel. If you have a personal YouTube channel that's dedicated to your music 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 be linked to your OAC and will display on both your OAC as well as the auto-generated Topic Channel.

YouTube has deactivated comments on all auto-generated YouTube Art Tracks, such as the videos created when you distribute to YouTube Music.

This is handled by YouTube directly, and not something that DistroKid (or any other distributor) has control over.

More info from YouTube here: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9293636

YouTube Shorts library is a database of songs YouTube users can search to select music to add to their YouTube Shorts content. Opting into Social Media Pack gets your release included in the Shorts Library and gets you paid every time someone includes your music in YouTube Shorts content. 

For more information about YouTube Shorts from Google/YouTube, please see here. 

Here's how to find your music on Instagram:

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. 

Note that your audio needs to be used in at least one reel to link to a profile. If there are no reels that include your audio, the profile link will not appear.

Here's an example of a release that has no reels:

Here's an example of a linked profile:

With DistroKid, you can send your music to Facebook and Instagram, so that your work is available for fans to use in Stories and Reels!

When you have your music on Facebook and Instagram, you can also make sure that your own Facebook/Instagram profiles are linked to your music there, so that fans can find your artist profile there.

To link your Facebook and Instagram profiles, you can enter your Facebook and Instagram URLs on the upload form when uploading your release:

How do I get my Facebook and Instagram URLs?

For Instagram, your profile URL is https://instagram.com/YOURINSTAGRAMHANDLE

If your handle on Instagram is @Artistname, your Instagram URL would be:
https://instagram.com/Artistname

For Facebook, your URL is https://facebook.com/YOURUSERNAME

Within Facebook, you can retrieve and/or edit your Username for your artist page by clicking on your profile icon in the top right, clicking on "Settings and Privacy", then clicking "Settings". Here, you'll be on the General Page Settings tab, which allows you to retrieve or edit your existing Facebook URL for your Facebook Artist profile. 

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. 

Your releases should only contain audio that you created yourself. Otherwise, they are not eligible to be sent to Facebook or Instagram, or they may be removed.

Your release's audio must be sufficiently distinct in order to be considered eligible for Facebook and Instagram. Audio that is unlikely to be sufficiently distinct include, but are not limited to:

• Production loops
• Soundbeds
• Sound effects
• Sound-alikes
• Karaoke recordings
• Classical music recordings of compositions in the public domain
• Film scores
• Meditation, yoga, or sleep music
• DJ sets or continuous mixes

Your release must also be musical content. Releases that are unlikely to be considered music content include, but are not limited to:

• Spoken word recordings
• Comedy recordings
• Film recordings (that are not the musical score to a film)
• Speeches
• Prayer recordings
• Audiobooks
• Podcasts
• Nature or wildlife recordings
• Ambient sound recordings
• Recordings or descriptions of sexual acts

For more information, check out Facebook's article here: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/585591922881993

Yes! You can select “Instagram & Facebook” as a store on the upload form and get your release added to the audio library on both platforms. 

Users on Instagram & Facebook will be able to find your music in the audio library and use it in their Stories and Reels. 

However, if you want to monetize UGC (User-Generated Content using your song that gets posted to the platforms without selecting it from the audio library) you’ll need to opt into Social Media Pack.

Yes! DistroKid was the first distributor to help artists get their releases uploaded to TikTok!

Here's how to upload your work to TikTok, and what to expect once you have done so:

• You can opt into distribution to TikTok in top section of the upload form, along with other stores and streaming services.
• To add previously uploaded music to new stores, simply click "Add to more stores" on your album dashboard page. Once you have clicked this, you will be prompted with a list of stores that your music is not on from previous distribution. Select the stores you wish to add for distribution, and click "add."
• Releases should go live and be searchable in the app within 1-3 weeks of being submitted via DistroKid. 
• Your music can earn money when it’s included in a video by a TikTok user.
• TikTok is not a music service where users can stream full-length music on-demand. Users can embed song clips into their videos.

How do I set up a TikTok Artist Account?

You can apply for a TikTok Artist Account directly through your DistroKid account! 

Head on over to https://distrokid.com/tiktok-artist-account/ to get started and have this feature added to your TikTok account.

All artists that distribute through DistroKid and have an Artist Account on TikTok can display their songs on their TikTok profile with TikTok's "Music Tab" feature. 

How do I find a link to my TikTok Sound?

Open TikTok, and then click on the "Search" feature. Then search for your Artist Name and Song Name. Then, on the top row that filters results, you should see an option that says "Sounds", click that and find your audio. You can then click the "Share" Icon in the upper right to copy your sound link:

Are there still qualifications to get the Music Tab?

The only requirement is that you have at least one song distributed to TikTok. Please also ensure your TikTok account is dedicated specifically to your music and has your artist name listed.

Please note that DistroKid does not have any control over TikTok’s eligibility requirements for Artist Account claiming and we do not have access to the status of these requests.

Will other users Original Sounds be added to my music tab automatically?

No, only officially delivered tracks. To claim an Original Sound that uses your song check out this article.

Once I get the Music tab, will all my songs populate?

Yes! All previously delivered tracks will appear, and all future releases will be automatically mapped. TikTok has also reported they are building a track removal feature to remove older track(s) removed from your music tab in the future.

Sometimes users upload sounds that contain music in their videos instead of using TikTok's built in music catalog. You can tell if a TikTok video uses an original sound instead of distributed music by clicking on the sound icon at the bottom left of any given TikTok video.

If you have opted into Social Media Pack, you can request to claim an original sound and merge it with your distributed release. You can find a link to the original sound page by tapping on the sound icon in the bottom left of the TikTok video and then tapping the share icon on the resulting page: 


Make sure to note the time range where your release appears in the original sound (e.g. 0:30-0:38). We'll need this information to get your request sent off to TikTok.

If you are certain your music has been used in an original sound on over 1000 videos, you can submit a request to claim your song on TikTok by contacting us here. 

Please note: Claiming a sound is different from linking a release to a profile. If you wish to have your releases on TikTok linked to your verified TikTok artist profile, please follow the steps here.

When you distribute your music to TikTok & other ByteDance stores you'll decide what part of your track to make available as a sound in TikTok's audio library. You'll set this as the "Preview start time" for each song on your release.

TikTok has two categories of monetized content on their platform: Playlist-Generated Content (PGC) and User-Generated Content (UGC).

Playlist-Generated Content is content where a creator has selected the song clip you distributed to TikTok through DistroKid from TikTok’s in-app audio library. 100% of revenue generated by PGC content on TikTok goes to you and can be tracked in your DistroKid Bank Tab.

User-Generated Content is content that uses your music where the content creator did not select your specific song clip from the audio library. To monetize UGC content on TikTok, purchase the Social Media Pack album extra to have your tracks added to TikTok’s Music ID service. You’ll receive 80% of all UGC-generated revenue going forward.

Important note: releases uploaded before June 12th, 2024 with "TikTok & other Bytedance stores" selected will receive UGC-generated royalties (minus 20%) through the December 2024 royalty payment period. If you'd like to continue monetizing UGC on TikTok after December 2024, add Social Media Pack to your release from the album page.

TikTok’s Music ID database is a system that identifies when certain music is used in any content on their platform. DistroKid’s Social Media Pack album extra adds your music to TikTok’s Music ID service and gets you paid every time your music is used on TikTok as user-generated content. Read more about the other social platform monetization programs offered with Social Media Pack here.

UGC usage on TikTok varies by release, but on average UGC monetization can account for up to 60% of revenue from TikTok.

Here’s how it works:

• First, opt-into Social Media Pack 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 into Social Media Pack, DistroKid will add your music to TikTok's Music ID database.
• When TikTok detects new user-generated content on their platform with your song, that is added to a tally of total UGC creations utilizing your song.
• TikTok pays per creation attributed to your song at a set rate based on an ads revenue royalty pool.
• The ad revenue (minus 20%) will go to you and these earnings will be shown in your DistroKid "Bank" tab.

Distribution to TikTok & Other ByteDance Stores will make your music available on a variety of apps and services in the TikTok family. These services include: 

• TikTok 
• Luna
• CapCut

Yes! 

We can distribute your music to Roblox. 

Every day, millions of people go to Roblox to create, play, work, learn, and connect with each other in experiences built by their global community of creators.

To distribute your work to Roblox, just make sure "Roblox" is selected on the DistroKid upload form.

To add previous releases to Roblox:

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

Please note: 

• The Roblox Creator Store is curated. Opting your release  in does not guarantee that your release will go live on the platform.
• Roblox does not accept explicit content.
  • See here for more information on Roblox’s Community Guidelines.
• You must fully own 100% of your publishing rights and not be registered with a Performing Rights Organization (like ASCAP, BMI, etc.)
• Music on Roblox is not monetized at this time.

Once you've opted in, DistroKid will deliver your music to Roblox for their songs library. 

When creators on Roblox search for songs to use in their games and experiences, your music (if accepted by Roblox) will be available for discovery in the Roblox Creator Store.

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.