Checklist before your first release

Before you create and submit your first release it's worth having two things ready: your account and your material. The release itself also has a built-in checklist that won't let you submit it for review until everything is complete.

Before creating the release

Have the basics of your account sorted:

• A plan chosen. You need an active plan to create and distribute.
• A complete profile. Real first and last name, your own username, phone and country (see Complete your profile).
• At least one artist created to release under (see Set up your first artist).
• Payout details registered so you can receive your royalties later (see Add your payout details).

Payout details don't block submitting the release, but it's a good time to get them done.

What you'll need on hand

• The audio for each track, in the required format and quality (see Upload audio).
• The cover art, square and meeting the image requirements (see Add cover art).
• The metadata: title, type (single, EP or album), genre, language, and artists and collaborators with their roles.
• Clear rights: who the copyright holder and the publishing rights holder are, and which license type applies (see What rights you need to distribute).

The checklist inside the release

Every release has a Validation Checklist that shows how many checks you've passed (for example, 18/22).

The Submit for Review button stays disabled until all required checks are green. The checklist tells you exactly what's missing and in which section to fix it.

What the checklist checks

• Basic information: title, type, label, primary genre, primary language and cover art.
• Dates: release date and original release date (and pre-order date, if you enabled pre-order).
• Territories: at least one territory, or Worldwide.
• Platforms: at least one platform selected.
• Codes and legal: license type, copyright holder and publishing rights holder.
• Release artists: primary artist, composer, producer and lyricist as applicable, with their roles assigned.
• Tracks: the correct count for the type and the required roles on each track.

Rules that are easy to miss

• Track count by type: single = 1 track; EP = 2 to 6; album = 7 or more.
• On a single, the track's title, language and artists must be identical to the release's.
• Lyricist is required only if the track has vocals. If the track is instrumental, an instrument role is required instead.
• Composers, lyricists and producers need a full legal name in their artist profile (or each member's, for a group).
• The release must be in Draft (or Requires changes) to be edited and submitted.

When everything is green

The checklist shows the message that the release is ready and Submit for Review becomes enabled.

From there the release leaves your control and The release lifecycle begins: review, quality control and distribution.