Knowledge for artists, producers and labels.
Practical guidance on releasing music, rights and royalties: what you need to sort out, where things can go wrong and how to prevent it.
Releases
ISRC and UPC explained: the codes for recordings and releases
An ISRC identifies a recording, a UPC a release. Learn how the codes are built, who issues them, when you need a new one and why you keep them when you move.
Release metadata checklist: titles, credits and rejections
Titles, versions, artists, credits, genre, language, explicit tags, P-line and C-line: check your release metadata and avoid the mistakes stores reject.
Cover art requirements for Spotify and Apple Music: a checklist
Square, at least 3000 × 3000 pixels, sharp and free of URLs and logos: the cover art requirements in one place, plus common rejections and how to fix them.
Rights
Releasing covers, samples and remixes: the rights you need
Releasing a cover, sample or remix? Learn which licence or permission you need, how public domain and AI fit in, and what to provide with your release.
Artificial streaming: what it is and how to avoid fake streams
What artificial streaming is, why streaming services act on it, how to spot dubious promotion offers and what to do if you see suspicious streams.
Royalties
Music royalties explained: masters, songs and neighbouring rights
Master royalties, songwriting royalties and neighbouring rights: what a single track earns, who collects each type and how the money reaches you.
YouTube Content ID, TikTok and Instagram explained for artists
How YouTube Content ID finds your music in other people's videos, why it needs exclusive rights, and how your tracks get into TikTok and Instagram.
Royalty splits with collaborators: how to share the income
What a royalty split is, how master splits differ from songwriting splits, what goes in a split sheet and how your collaborators get paid their share.
What does a music publisher do? Publishing deals explained
A music publisher registers your songs and collects your songwriting income, including abroad. Here's how admin and publishing deals differ.
Promotion
Business
How to choose a music distributor: questions and checklist
Commission or subscription, rights, exclusivity, notice periods, payouts and switching: the questions to ask a music distributor before you sign up.
How to switch music distributors without losing your streams
Switch music distributor and keep your streams and playlist placements: use the same ISRC, UPC and metadata, and put the new delivery live first.
Ready to release your music?
Create an account and prepare your first release.