Updated on October 21, 2026 by Samantha Yeo
So you’ve put the final polish on your latest track, and are ready to share it with the world. Neat! Your initial question might be, “How can I get this onto Spotify?” After all, it’s one of the largest music streaming platforms in the world. In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk you through the process of uploading your music to Spotify and other major platforms in just minutes with BandLab Distribution.
Just keep in mind, you’ll need at least one original track and a BandLab Pro or Max plan to kick things off.
Skip ahead:
- Picking the right distributor
- About BandLab Distribution
- How to upload your music to Spotify
- Music distribution best practices checklist
How to post music to Spotify: Picking the right distributor
Music distributors are the middlemen between you and the platform you want to share to. They facilitate the process, making it simple, fast, and trouble-free – so you won’t have to handle the complexities of how to post music to Spotify on your own.
For emerging artists working within tight budgets and limited resources, selecting the right distributor is important. This is because not all distribution services are created equal. Some may siphon off the money you make, others might be complicated to navigate, and a few may review your submissions at a snail’s pace. This can extend the time it takes for your music to become available on platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.
When making your decision on which music distribution service to use, consider factors like the speed of their system, user-friendliness, and your comfort level with the earnings and processing fees they impose.
Why use BandLab Distribution?
So, why choose BandLab Distribution? With your subscription, you unlock more than just a music distribution service. You also gain access to a whole suite of artist-centric tools, services, and perks to fuel your music career. This includes Fan Reach for growing your fanbase, and unlimited BandLab Opportunities for landing record deals, sync placements, radio play, and more!
Plus, you’ll enjoy an expedited review process, speeding up the process of getting your music sent out to online stores and digital service providers (DSPs). This means your music can be released to the world in record time. What’s more, you get to share an unlimited number of tracks AND retain 100% of the profit.
How to upload your music to Spotify
Getting your music onto Spotify via BandLab Distribution is simple! Follow these steps, and you’ll soon have your tracks streaming on the most popular streaming platform in the world.
Step 1: Upgrade to a Pro or Max plan
BandLab Distribution is only available to users with an active BandLab Pro or Max plan. Sign up now and gain access to other tools and services to fuel your music journey such as BandLab Opportunities and Fan Reach.
Step 2: Upload your track, title, release date, and cover art
Once you’ve successfully created your account, the next step is to upload your music. You can submit a single track or multi-tracks as an album or EP. Navigate to the Services tab on BandLab web and click on Digital Distribution. From there, click the Create Release button to get started. On your phone? Tap the star icon in the top right corner of the BandLab app feed to find Digital Distribution, then tap the plus icon to start.
Choose your WAV file and key in the requested information such as your track title and release date. You’ll want to upload eye-catching cover art that accurately represents your new release. The cover art should be a minimum size of 640 x 640 pixels. You can find more information on Spotify’s cover art guidelines here.
Step 3: Add contributors
Collaborated with other artists on this new release? Good news – you can easily credit them as contributors. Don’t miss this step, as it guarantees that everyone gets the recognition they deserve!
Step 4: Await the stamp of approval
Once you’ve hit submit, we take care of rest. Your music will undergo a review process to ensure everything is in order before it gets sent to Spotify and other major platforms. The wait time is typically up to two business days. Need a deeper dive? Check out this guide on how to use BandLab Distribution.
Step 5: Watch your music go live
Once Spotify has your music, it typically takes them 24 to 48 hours to roll it out. Sit tight and you’ll be raking in money before you know it. Keep in mind, though, that from 2024, Spotify will only pay artists once each track hits 1,000 plays per year.
Step 6: Collect your earnings
Spotify will typically distribute payments on a monthly basis. The best part is, with an active Pro or Max plan, you get to keep 100% of your earnings.
Best practices: A checklist from BandLab’s Distribution team
Now that you know how to get music on Spotify via BandLab Distribution, the rest is up to you! The key to your first 1,000 streams and beyond lies not only in publishing your music but also in making it known. Ready to add rocket fuel to your next release?
It’s common for releases to get rejected for reasons that are completely avoidable! We sat down with BandLab’s Distribution team to identify the most common mistakes, and what you can do to make sure your release gets through the first time.
1. Keep your cover art clean
Cover art is the number one reason releases get rejected, so it’s the first thing worth getting right. Streaming platforms have strict rules about what can appear on it.
Only your artist name, release title, and label name are allowed. Anything beyond that, including social media handles, “out now” banners, or promotional text of any kind, can get your submission declined.
Your cover art also needs to be unique to your release. Stock images, generic templates, or artwork reused across multiple tracks can get flagged by retailers. This is the first thing listeners get of your music, so make it count.
2. Get your credits right
It might not be the most exciting part of releasing music, but getting your credits right can be the difference between a smooth approval and an unnecessary delay. Incomplete composer or lyricist credits are one of the most common issues our Distribution team comes across, and it usually comes down to something as simple as a missing first or last name.
Every field in your release form exists for a reason. Retailers require complete and accurate information before they’ll accept a submission, and that includes songwriter credits, producer credits, and any featured artists. If someone contributed to the track, make sure they’re credited correctly.
It’s also worth double-checking your ISRC codes and giving yourself enough lead time on your release date. Submitting too close to your intended date is a common mistake that can push things back further than expected.
BandLab’s release forms include prompts and information icons next to every field that explain exactly what’s needed. Read through them before you hit submit. The creators who move through the approval process quickly are the ones who get this right the first time.
3. Make sure you own the rights
If you want to get songs on Spotify and beyond (and keep them there) this is possibly the most important step! Before you distribute any track, you need to hold all the rights to the music you’re submitting. That includes any beats, samples, or instrumentals used in the track.
A scenario our team comes across regularly: a creator finds a beat on YouTube, writes and records over it, and submits it for distribution. What they don’t always realise is that without a proper license from the beat’s producer, they have no legal right to distribute or monetize the track. Retailers will catch this, and the release can be pulled down even after it’s gone live.
If you’re working with someone else’s beat, make sure you have a license in place before submitting. BandLab’s release form lets you upload your license and rights documentation directly, giving our team the context they need to verify your submission and keep things moving.
Pro tip: Want to play on the safe side? The BandLab Sounds library has over 250,000 royalty-free loops and samples, completely cleared for use in your releases!
4. Understand retailer guidelines
Streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music each have rules every release has to follow before it can go live. These guidelines apply across the board to every artist and distributor submitting music, and getting familiar with them goes a long way in avoiding unnecessary rejections.
For example:
- Most platforms require cover art to meet a minimum dimension threshold. Good news: If you distribute on BandLab, our built-in AI Cover Art Upscaler will resize your artwork for you!
- Most platforms will also reject any release containing explicit content that has not been correctly labelled with a content advisory
These rules apply regardless of who you distribute through. The same logic applies to earnings. Rates are set by the platforms themselves, and your distributor has no say in them. Most platforms use a pro-rata model, distributing pooled revenue to rights holders based on their share of total streams. Understanding this makes it easier to plan your releases and know what to expect from your payouts.
Follow the steps in this checklist and getting your songs on Spotify, Apple Music, and every other major platform without rejection is a piece of cake. Ready to release your music to the world?
About BandLab
BandLab is the social music platform and DAW where anyone, anywhere, can make music on any device, collaborate with other creators, and share it with the world.
