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Music release checklist for independent artists

A release through a distributor has a lot of small parts. Here is what to do four weeks before, on release day, and after, so nothing is missed.

By , a composer with 300+ tracks on audio stock and 12 years in production. Updated 4 October 2026. 2 min read.

In short. Deliver the release to your distributor at least four weeks ahead. Pitch one song to Spotify editors at least 7 days before release. Register the songs with your performing rights society. On release day, check every store link. Afterwards, write down the UPC, the date and the link in your catalog.

Four weeks or more before

The music

  • Final masters, as WAV, in the order of the release.
  • The release type is right for the number and length of tracks. See Single, EP or album.

The cover

  • Square, JPG or PNG, RGB. Apple asks for 3000 × 3000 pixels or larger.
  • No advertising on the cover: no web addresses, store logos or dates of future releases. Apple Music doesn't accept them.

The details

  • Titles spelled exactly as they should appear, the same everywhere.
  • Artist names and featured artists, spelled the same as on your earlier releases.
  • Songwriters and producers, with their shares.
  • Explicit or clean, for each track.
  • Lyrics, if you want them shown.
  • ISRC for each track and a UPC for the release. Your distributor gives both for free if you don't have them. A track that came out before keeps its ISRC. See ISRC, ISWC and UPC.

Delivery

  • Upload to your distributor with a release date four weeks ahead or more. Stores need time, and editors need time to listen.

One to three weeks before

  • Pitch one song in Spotify for Artists at least 7 days before release. Then it also goes to your followers' Release Radar. You can pitch one song at a time.
  • Register the songs with your performing rights society. See Registering library music with your PRO; the steps are the same for any song.
  • Prepare a pre-save link if your distributor offers one.

Release day

  • Open the release on each store. Check the cover, the titles, the order and the artist page.
  • Check that the release landed on your artist profile and not on someone else's with the same name. If it didn't, ask your distributor to move it.

After the release

Write down in your catalog, for the release:

  • the release date;
  • the UPC;
  • a link to the release;
  • the tracks on it, in order.

For each track, mark the release as Live on the distributor. If the same track later comes out on an EP or a compilation, that is a new release with its own UPC. The track keeps its ISRC.

Sources