So, you want to get your art out to the world and NEWM Studio is your music distribution service of choice… Well, there are a few things you need to know in order to make the music distribution process flow smoothly. So, we’ve put together a straightforward, no-frills guide to all the Best Practices you should follow to ensure your music is released successfully. 

P.S. if you’re looking for specific information, embrace the power of ctrl + f 😉

Intellectual Property Rights & Music Promotion 

First things first, artists need to be the original copyright holders of the content they submit for music distribution. If you’re using content owned by someone else, you’ll need to provide a government-issued photo ID and verifiable licenses to release it. Also, steer clear of paid third-party services that promise guaranteed streams. Platforms can easily detect artificial streaming, and if that happens it’ll mean getting removed without warning and losing out of streaming revenue. 

Ineligible Content

Some content just won’t fly when it comes to distribution, and submitting ineligible material could lead to delays or removal. Content that violates intellectual property rights, contains misleading information, or is of low quality may be rejected, hidden, fail to generate royalties, or be removed from platforms. This includes:

• Unauthorized content (e.g., sound-alikes, slowed/reverbed versions, ringtones, DJ mixes, bootlegs).
• Use of trademarked artist names or misleading cover versions.
• Public domain recordings unless delivered by verified partners.
• Hate speech, pornography, or content glorifying harm/violence.
• Low audio quality, duplicate submissions, or production library music (e.g., royalty-free or stock music), backing tracks, continuous clips of noise generators, and sound/audio effects.
• Spoken word, audiobooks, or podcasts.
• Functional noise recordings unless in Dolby Atmos format and exceeding two minutes.
• Content that violates the rights of any third party, including privacy, publicity, copyright, trademark, patent, or other intellectual property rights.
• Unauthorized content, including sound-alikes, slowed/reverbed versions, backing tracks of others’ songs, unauthorized DJ/extended mixes and samples, ringtones, and bootlegs (e.g., unofficial recordings, radio broadcasts, live albums, leaked recordings, interviews, etc.).
• Snippets (small clips) unless they serve as an intro/outro to an album.
• Unauthorized use of copyrighted music within generative AI music.
• Hate speech/music, pornography, content glorifying harm or violence, or any other objectionable/inappropriate content.
  
  

Content Guidelines for Music Distribution

To make sure your music gets accepted and distributed without a hitch, it’s important to follow the right formatting and metadata guidelines. Streaming platforms have strict rules in place, and any mistakes can lead to delays – or even your release getting rejected. Below, we’ve outlined everything you need to know to make sure your tracks are up to par:

Audio Guidelines

• Silence before/after music must be under 20 seconds.
• Tracks must be at least 30 seconds and no longer than 30 minutes.
• Supported formats include:
  • Stereo: AIF, AIFF, FLAC, MP3, WAV (up to 192 kHz, 16-bit, 24-bit; file size: 1 MB to 1 GB per track), and spatial audio formats like Dolby Atmos.
  • Spatial Audio: Dolby Atmos Music, Sony 360 Reality Audio.
    
    

Metadata Guidelines

Artist Names in Metadata

• The standard, full artist name and proper spelling are required—no additional information is accepted.
• Artists must be listed in the metadata and credited with the correct roles.
• Only artists should be listed as artists of any role—not record labels, production houses, etc.
• Artist names in metadata, on artwork, and on agreements must match exactly.
• Artist names cannot be generic words/terms (e.g., “singer,” “Christmas Hits”) or genre names (e.g., “relaxing jazz,” “workout”).
• Compound artist names are only allowed if they are an official artist name or band (e.g., Simon & Garfunkel). Otherwise, artist names should be entered separately.
• Aliases or translations must not be included in the same field; translations must be submitted separately.
  
  

Titles in Metadata

• Titles must not be generic (e.g., “Track 1,” “HipHop Instrumentals,” “Christmas Album,” “Children’s Songs”).
• Titles must not be misleading, mimic popular content, or include popular search terms, celebrity names, brand names, etc.
• Titles must not include additional information (unless needed to identify the content), track numbers, unusual punctuation, release type, or audio format info.
• Titles in a series should be formatted consistently using abbreviations “Pt.” and “Vol.” (e.g., “Title, Vol. x” or “Title, Pt. x”).
• Version info (outside of originals) may be added at the end of a title in parentheses.
• Titles composed solely of special characters, punctuation marks, or emoticons are not supported.
  
  

Lyrics in Metadata

• Lyrics should only reflect the lyrics/speech heard in the audio.
• Lyrics should not include unusual punctuation, additional info, or translations.
• Explicit words should not be hidden using special characters or letter substitutions.
  
  

Artwork Guidelines for Music Distribution

Your cover art plays a big role in how your release is perceived, but it also needs to meet platform standards. When it comes to distribution, there are specific rules about what can and can’t be included; following these guidelines will help ensure your artwork gets approved without any issues:

• Text on artwork is optional. If included, it must only display the release title, artist name, and (if applicable) label name.
• Artwork must not include additional information (e.g., roles, instruments, “produced by” credits, tracklists, logos, barcodes, social media info, production info, advertisements, audio format logos, release dates, contact info, URLs, etc.).
• Text on artwork must match metadata and agreements exactly (language, spacing, etc.).
• If one main artist name appears on the artwork, all main artists must be included.
• If a featured artist appears on the artwork, the main artist and other featured artists must also appear.
• Artwork must not mislead or infringe on copyrights/trademarks.
• Artwork must not be low-quality, offensive, pornographic, or include advertising, contact info, URLs, QR codes, barcodes, or addresses.
• Each release must have unique artwork. If an image is reused, the release title must be included on the image.
  
  

Formatting Requirements:

• Format: JPG, JPEG, PNG, BMP, TIF, TIFF, GIF
• Dimensions: Minimum 1400 x 1400 px, Maximum 4000 x 4000 px
• File size: Minimum 100 KB, Maximum 10 MB per image
  
  

Categorization Guidelines for Music Distribution

Proper categorization ensures your music is labeled correctly and reaches the right audience. Streaming platforms rely on metadata to filter explicit content, sort tracks by language, and place songs in the right genre. To avoid misclassification or distribution issues, follow these key guidelines when tagging your release:

Explicit Content

• If the audio, artwork, or title contains explicit content, the “Explicit” tag must be selected in the metadata.
• Parental Advisory labels should only be used for explicit content.
  
  

Language, Lyrics & Genre

• The predominant language in the audio should be selected for each track.
• Tracks without lyrics/speech must be marked as instrumental.
• If a track contains lyrics/speech, it should not be marked as instrumental.
• Choose accurate genre labels (up to four).
  
  

Support & Troubleshooting

By following these guidelines, you’ll help make sure your release is processed smoothly and reaches your audience without any hiccups. That said, some of the most common reasons a release might be declined are missing metadata, incorrect credits, or artwork violations. 

If you’ve double-checked everything and are still running into issues, don’t hesitate to reach out to our Artist Relations team at [email protected] for extra support throughout the music distribution process.