How to Upload Music to Spotify: A Songwriter’s Guide

You can’t upload a song straight to Spotify yourself. Spotify gets its music from labels and distributors, services that deliver your song to Spotify, Apple Music and other stores and send the royalties back to you. So the real question is how to get your song to a distributor, and what to have ready before you do.

Here is the whole path, from a finished song to a link you can share. Your artist profile on Spotify is created automatically with your first release, so you don’t need to set one up in advance.

What you need before you upload

Item	What distributors usually ask for
The audio	A finished, mixed and mastered track as a WAV file. 16-bit, 44.1 kHz is the usual standard.
Cover art	A square image. 3000 × 3000 pixels is the common target. No website addresses, logos of stores, or blurry text.
Song details	Title, artist name, songwriter credits, genre, language, and whether the lyric is explicit. Spell your artist name the same way every time.
Codes	An ISRC for each recording and a UPC for the release. Most distributors create these for you.
Rights	You need to own the song or have permission. If it uses someone else’s song or a sample, sort out the license first.

The audio is where most songwriters get stuck. A distributor needs a finished recording, so a melody idea or a voice memo has to become a full track first, either by producing it yourself or working with a producer.

How to choose a distributor

Distributors charge in a few different ways.

A yearly fee for unlimited releases while you keep paying. DistroKid and TuneCore work this way.
A one-time fee per release, often with a share of royalties. CD Baby works this way.
Included in another subscription, where distribution comes with a tool you already pay for.

Prices change often, so check each service’s own pricing page. Before you choose, ask four questions.

What share of the royalties does it keep, if any?
Do you keep all the rights to your song?
What happens to your songs if you stop paying?
Can you take a song down, and how long does that take?

Pick one distributor for each release. Sending the same song through two distributors usually causes duplicate listings and royalty problems.

In Mouta Studio

Mouta’s distribution is included in paid plans at no fixed extra fee (Pro releases 5 tracks a month, Pro+ 15). Here is how it answers the four questions.

Our distributor first deducts 0%, 5% or 20% depending on the platform type, and Mouta keeps 10% of what remains. From US$100 paid by a standard streaming platform, you get US$85.50.
You keep the copyright in the music you write. The FAQ lists the licenses Mouta receives.
Released tracks stay live and keep earning for up to 1 year after your subscription ends.
You can ask for a takedown at any time, and Mouta sends it to the distributor within 10 business days.

It accepts original songs only, no covers or adaptations, and each release includes the song’s .llg, the record Ledger keeps of how the melody was written. See pricing for the details.

Your release timeline

Working back from the release date gives you time to do each step properly.

When	What to do
4 to 6 weeks before	Finish the master and the cover art. Pick a release date and choose a distributor.
3 to 4 weeks before	Upload the song, cover art and details to your distributor. Most recommend at least three weeks so every store has time to process it.
After the stores accept it	Get access to Spotify for Artists, so you can edit your profile and see your stats.
At least 7 days before	Pitch the song to Spotify’s editors from Spotify for Artists. Doing this in time also puts it in your followers’ Release Radar.
Release day	Share the Spotify link everywhere you post. Early listens from people who care help the song more than a big number later.
The weeks after	Watch where listeners come from in Spotify for Artists and start working on the next song.

Once a distributor sends the song, it usually shows up on Spotify within a few days. Uploading weeks ahead is less about Spotify and more about giving yourself time to pitch.

Pitching to Spotify playlists

Spotify for Artists lets you pitch one unreleased song at a time to Spotify’s editors. Pitch at least seven days before release day. Earlier is better. Tell the editors what the song is about, what it sounds like, and anything that makes the release special.

Editors choose only a small share of the songs they receive, so treat a playlist as a bonus. If you pitch in time, the song also shows up in Release Radar for the people who follow you.

How you get paid

Spotify pays royalties for the recording to your distributor, and your distributor pays you. Since 2024, a track needs at least 1,000 streams in the past 12 months to earn recording royalties on Spotify.

Royalties for the song itself, the melody and lyrics, are collected separately. If you wrote the song, look into registering it with a performing rights organization and a publishing administrator so those royalties reach you too.

Still finishing the song? Start with how to write a melody for your lyrics, or compare tools in the best songwriting apps.

Common questions

Can I upload music to Spotify for free?

Some distributors have free plans, and most charge something, either a fee or a share of royalties. Read what a free plan keeps before you choose it.

How long does it take for a song to appear on Spotify?

Often a few days after the distributor delivers it, but it can take longer. Upload three to four weeks before your release date so you are not waiting on it.

Do I need a Spotify for Artists account to release music?

No. Your distributor handles the release. Spotify for Artists is where you manage your profile, see your stats and pitch songs, so get access as soon as your first song is accepted.

Can I change a song after it is released?

Small details can sometimes be fixed through your distributor, but the audio usually can’t be swapped. To change the recording, you normally take the release down and release it again.