Guide · Updated September 3, 2026 · 8 min read
How to get your music on Spotify in 2026 (step by step)
Every step from finished master to live release, explained for artists doing this for the first time.
You can't upload music to Spotify yourself. It only accepts music from distributors: companies that deliver your audio and release information to streaming services for you. Every artist on Spotify, from bedroom producers to major-label acts, gets there through one.
The steps are straightforward once you know them. This guide walks through each one: choosing a distributor, preparing your files to spec, the metadata codes explained in plain words and the timing that gives your release its best shot at Spotify's playlists.
Key takeaways
- Spotify closed direct artist uploads in 2019, so you need a distributor to release music there.
- Prepare square cover art (a 3000 × 3000 px JPG or PNG is the safe standard) and your highest-quality stereo master, ideally WAV or FLAC.
- Set your release date at least 3–4 weeks out so you can pitch Spotify's editors before release. Seven days is the hard minimum for Release Radar.
- Claim your free Spotify for Artists profile as soon as your first release is delivered.
- Most rejections come from cover-art text rules and metadata errors, and both are avoidable.
Why you can't upload music to Spotify directly
Spotify briefly tested direct uploads for independent artists, but it shut the beta program down in July 2019 and told artists to use a distributor instead. That hasn't changed: Spotify has no upload button for artists' music, and any service promising to bypass distribution is not legitimate.
A distributor does three things for you. It converts and delivers your audio, artwork and release details in the technical format that Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music and the rest require. It assigns the industry ID codes your release needs. And it collects your streaming royalties (the money your streams earn) and passes them to you.
Step 1: choose a music distributor
Distributors differ mainly in pricing model (yearly subscription, pay per release or a commission on royalties), how much they help beyond delivery and how they handle support when something goes wrong. If you plan to release a lot of music cheaply, a high-volume unlimited-upload service may suit you. If you want guidance and promotion built in, look for a platform that offers more than delivery. We compare the major options in our guide to choosing a distributor.
Audora is one of those options. It delivers to Spotify and the other major platforms through The Orchard, the distribution network the major labels use. One monthly plan covers the release, the cover art and a press bio. You keep full ownership of your music. See how it works and pricing on the front page. Whichever distributor you pick, check two things before uploading: that you keep ownership of your recordings and what happens to your music if you stop paying.
Step 2: prepare your audio and artwork to spec
Spotify publishes its own delivery specs, and your distributor will enforce them (often with slightly stricter house rules). As of July 2026, Spotify's audio guidelines ask for your music exactly as it was mastered: no converting or upsampling it yourself.
One trap for designers coming from print: save your artwork in RGB, not CMYK. Files exported from print workflows default to CMYK and will bounce.
Step 3: fill in your metadata (ISRC and UPC explained)
Metadata is all the text attached to your release: artist name, track titles, songwriter credits, genre, release date and two ID codes.
- An ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) is a unique ID for one recording, like a serial number for your track. It's how streams get counted and royalties get matched to you.
- A UPC (Universal Product Code) identifies the release as a product: the single, EP or album. One UPC per release, one ISRC per track.
You don't need to buy these codes: distributors assign them automatically. If you already have ISRCs from a previous release of the same recording, reuse them so your stream history stays connected. A catalog tool that tracks your ISRCs and UPCs across releases (Audora's distribution and catalog tools do this) saves a lot of trouble once you have more than a couple of songs out.
Take metadata seriously: typos in artist names, inconsistent capitalization or missing songwriter credits are among the most common reasons stores send a release back.
Step 4: set a release date 3–4 weeks out
When your distributor submits your release, delivery to Spotify usually takes anywhere from a day to about a week, depending on the distributor and review backlogs. But don't release the moment it's possible. Schedule your release date 3–4 weeks ahead instead, for two reasons.
- Buffer for problems. If your art or metadata gets flagged, you have time to fix and redeliver without moving your announced date.
- Playlist pitching. Spotify's editorial pitching tool (step 6) only works on unreleased music, and editors plan playlists weeks ahead. A date set 3–4 weeks out gives the editors time to see your pitch.
Step 5: claim your Spotify for Artists profile
Spotify for Artists is Spotify's free dashboard for artists. Once your first release is delivered (it can be claimed pre-release, once the release is visible in Spotify's system), go to artists.spotify.com and claim your profile. You'll verify that you're the artist, usually via the distributor or your social accounts.
It's worth doing right away, because it gives you:
- streaming stats: where listeners are and which playlists feed you streams;
- control of your profile: photo, bio, artist pick and featured playlists;
- the playlist pitching tool, which is the only official way to reach Spotify's editors.
Step 6: pitch your song to Spotify's playlist editors
Inside Spotify for Artists you can pitch one upcoming song to Spotify's editorial team, the people who build Spotify's own playlists. Spotify's rules: the song must be unreleased, you can pitch one song at a time and you can't pitch compilations or songs where you're only a featured artist.
Timing matters. Pitch at least 7 days before release and Spotify guarantees the song lands in your followers' Release Radar playlists. Editorial placement is never guaranteed, for anyone, but a thoughtful pitch submitted weeks early costs nothing. Describe the genre, mood, instrumentation and the story behind the song. Specific details help editors place it.
Release day and after: getting your music heard on Spotify
Releases typically go live at midnight in each listener's local time zone. On the day, grab your Spotify link, share it everywhere you have an audience and ask people to save the song or follow your profile. Follows are what feed your future releases into Release Radar.
The first weeks matter more than the first day. Keep posting, keep a steady drip of short-form content and watch your Spotify for Artists stats to see what's landing. Consistent releasing beats one big push: each release grows the follower base that hears the next one automatically.
Common reasons releases get rejected
Stores review every release, and first-timers get caught by the same handful of rules. For example, DistroKid's artwork guidelines list the things streaming services reject on sight:
- cover art containing website URLs, QR codes, social media handles or logos, prices, or streaming-service logos;
- references to physical formats ("CD", vinyl) on digital cover art;
- blurry, pixelated, rotated or upscaled images, or the same artwork reused across releases;
- metadata problems: names spelled differently across fields, ALL-CAPS titles, missing songwriter credits or misleading artist-name tricks like putting a famous artist in your title.
Your artist name and the release title on the cover are fine. Everything promotional belongs in your marketing, not on the artwork. If a release does bounce, fix the flagged item and redeliver. That's what the buffer is for.
Questions
Can I upload music to Spotify for free?
Not directly. Spotify closed direct artist uploads in 2019, so every release goes through a distributor, and most distributors charge a subscription, a per-release fee or a commission on royalties. Spotify itself doesn't charge artists to be on the platform.
How long does it take to get music on Spotify?
Once your distributor delivers a release, it typically appears on Spotify within a day to about a week. Plan for 3–4 weeks between submitting and your release date anyway: it leaves room to fix rejections and lets you pitch Spotify's playlist editors while the song is still unreleased.
Do I need an ISRC code to release a song on Spotify?
Yes. Every track needs an ISRC (a unique ID for the recording) and every release needs a UPC (an ID for the single, EP or album). You don't have to buy them: distributors assign both automatically when you submit a release.
How do I get my song on Spotify editorial playlists?
Claim your Spotify for Artists profile, then use its pitching tool to submit your unreleased song to Spotify's editors. It's the only official route. Pitch at least 7 days before release (earlier is better). That minimum also guarantees the song reaches your followers' Release Radar. Editorial placement itself is never guaranteed.
What size does Spotify cover art need to be?
A perfect square between 640 and 10,000 pixels per side, as a JPG, PNG or TIFF in the sRGB color space. The practical standard is a 3000 × 3000 pixel JPG, which also satisfies other stores. Avoid URLs, social handles, prices and logos on the artwork: they get releases rejected.
Can I change my release date after submitting?
Usually yes, as long as the release has not gone live. You edit the date through your distributor, and it redelivers the update to the stores. Moving a date close to release can break pre-save links and playlist pitches, so pick a realistic date up front.