A release is one or more songs you send out together, with a title, a date and cover art. You build it in a wizard, and you can come back to it once you’ve saved a draft, which needs a title, a date and a track.
Before you start, have the songs in your library. The wizard picks from existing songs and can’t upload new ones. If you need to add one first, see Add your first song.
Open the wizard
Go to Releases and choose New Release.
The steps run along the top of the page: Release Info, Tracks, Mastering, Distribution and Review. Mastering only appears when a song you picked is not mastered yet.
If you start from a link that already has a song or album attached, the wizard fills in the tracks and the title. The title arrives as the song or album name. This is the name listeners see in the stores, so check it.
Saving as you go
The wizard does not save as you type. Save as Draft saves everything on the form from any step, and only needs a title. The date, tracks and store choices are checked when you move past their step and when you submit.
If you press Cancel with unsaved changes, you get a choice of Keep Editing or Discard Changes.
Step 1: Release Info
Required:
- Release Title: the name listeners see in the stores. For a single, that is usually the song’s own name.
- Release Type: single, EP, album, compilation or remix.
- Release Date: it can’t be in the past. The form suggests at least one week ahead for playlist placement. The checklist on the finished release works to a longer lead time, covered in Check readiness and submit.
Primary Genre looks optional here, but you can’t submit without it. Secondary Genre, Mood and Record Label are optional. Turn on Explicit Content if the release contains explicit lyrics or language.
Under the release story you can add Recording date, Recording location, Story, Pitch, Audience, For fans of, Major markets and Press activity. None of these stops you submitting. Story is limited to 250 characters.
You can also ask an agent to fill this form in from your songs, using the invite at the top of the step.
Moving a release from another distributor
Turn on Already out on another distributor? if the music is already in stores. The date field changes to Where it is today and When it first came out, and both are required. The rest of that process is in Change, transfer or take down a release.
Step 2: Tracks
Choose Add Songs to pick from your library, or Add from Album to add every song on an album. In Select Songs you can tap play to hear the first 30 seconds. Choose Done when you have them all. Add Another Track brings the picker back.
Use the arrows beside each track to change the order, and the trash icon to remove one.
Each track row also has Track title, ISRC, Version, Preview Start and Explicit. Saving the wizard keeps them:
- Track title, Explicit and ISRC are saved to the song itself, so changing a title here renames the song everywhere.
- Leave ISRC empty unless you already have a code. The review screen shows “ISRC assigned on release” for a track with no code. A code that’s already confirmed can’t be changed, and saving tells you so.
- Version and Preview Start are saved on this release. Write Preview Start as seconds or minutes and seconds, like 30 or 1:05.
To change an AI mark, open the song’s page and use Edit details.
Step 3: Mastering
This step lists the songs that aren’t mastered. It is optional, and Next skips it.
For each song you can do one of two things:
- Turn on Already mixed & mastered if this audio is the final master. It is released as it is.
- Pick a Loudness and choose Create master to hear a free 30-second preview against your original. You only pay if you choose to use the master. The button shows the price in credits, and a confirmation appears before anything is charged.
Step 4: Distribution
Distribute To (DSPs) and Territories start with your Distribution Preferences, which is everything unless you’ve narrowed them. Use Clear, Select all or the search box to adjust them. You must keep at least one of each.
What you pick here is what gets delivered for this release, and it doesn’t change your Distribution Preferences.
UPC/EAN is optional. Enter one only if you already have a code, and check it carefully. Once saved it is locked, even on a draft, and the field shows when you confirmed it. To correct one, use Something’s wrong? beside it, which starts an email to our team.
On a transfer, this step also offers Find the existing listing. Look it up searches the stores for your release, and Use these copies in the barcode, the original date and any missing ISRCs. If nothing comes back, type the codes in yourself.
Step 5: Review
This is the last check. It shows the cover, title, artist, date, label, genre and track list. The stores and territories shown are the ones that go out.
Add the cover here. Choose art opens your library, and with one track, if that song has a cover, you also get Use the song’s cover, which reuses existing art with no new image and no charge. Picking a cover saves the draft for you, so the form has to be valid at that moment.
Then tick each of the seven acknowledgements. They cover your store selection, capitalization, your rights, samples and covers, AI disclosure, featured artists and co-writers, and promotional services. Submit for Distribution stays disabled until all seven are ticked, the release has a cover and a primary genre, and you have permission to publish releases.
Building a release costs no credits by itself. Only the things you generate along the way do, such as a master. See Understand how credits work.
What can go wrong
- “Select at least one DSP” or “Select at least one territory.” A list on the Distribution step is empty. Select at least one.
- “Release date cannot be in the past.” This also appears when you save an older draft whose date has passed. Pick a new date.
- No songs in the picker. The picker only shows songs in the current workspace. Add them on the Songs page first.
- You can’t get past the Distribution step, or the genre list is empty. These options load only for people with permission to publish releases. Ask your workspace owner.
What to do next
Before you submit, read Check readiness and submit, and What locks after you submit, because most of a release can’t be changed afterwards. To promote the release, use Create Campaign on its page. See Plan social content for a release.
