Our Artist Support team listens to and reviews every track to make sure that release details, artwork, and audio meet the requirements set by music services.
To ensure that your release is approved and sent to services, please follow the prompts and specifications listed at the top of the New Release page.
Find ↴ some quick tips and examples related to the most common issues we see.
Feel free to use the navigation table ↴ to locate a specific rule.
RULES AT A GLANCE
ARTWORK
THE REST
RULES AT A GLANCE
1. Any text on your album art must match what was entered within Release Details.
In other words, whatever information you choose to have on your artwork (Release Title, Artist Name, Label Name, Production Credits, etc.) must match what you entered in Release Details.
Not in the Release Details? Don’t include it on your artwork. Any additional text and/or inconsistent information will cause delays to your release.
If you find making certain changes difficult, we recommend revising the information in the Release Details as it tends to be easier than altering your artwork.
Let’s look at a few examples:
① Artist Name is abbreviated which does not match what was entered in Release Details.
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① Release Title includes additional punctuation that does not match what was entered in Release Details.
② Track Name does not match what was entered in Release Details.
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① Release Title is written with an extra space which does not match what was entered in Release Details.
② Release Title is written with an ampersand (&) which does not match what was entered in Release Details.
③ Artist Name is written with an ampersand (&) which does not match what was entered in Release Details.
④ Lyricist is considered additional text as the name was not included under Production Credits in Release Details.
Still with us? Okay, good.
2. Your artwork should not include text that can lead to ambiguity.
We want to make sure that our artists have complete creative freedom but there are instances of artwork that includes additional text (even if it’s part of the artwork itself), which may cause confusion.
This one’s a little tricky. So let’s look at a few examples:
① Without any other indicators, the graffiti is considered additional text as it may imply that the Release Title and/or Artist Name are different than what was entered in Release Details. An easy fix would be to add the Release Title and Release Artist onto the artwork to prevent confusion.
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① Without any other indicators, the sign is considered additional text as it may imply that the Release Title and/or Artist Name are different than what was entered in Release Details. Simply add the Release Title along with the Release Artist so it’s clearer.
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① Unfortunately in this instance, the design would not be accepted as it is heavy with additional text that does not pertain to Release Details.
Now that we’ve gone over the most important guidelines to keep in mind, let’s move on to the specifics!
ARTWORK
Featured Artists
If you choose to include Featured Artist(s) on your album art, you must include ALL of them. Be sure to list them in your Release Details under the Featured Artist section and not in the track names.
To indicate a Featured Artist on your album art, only use “Feat.” or “ft.” followed by their Artist Name.
Producers
If you choose to include Producer(s) on your album art, you must include ALL of them. Be sure to list them in your Release Details under Production Credits.
To indicate a Producer on your album art, only use “Prod. by” or “Produced by” followed by their Artist Name.
Explicit
If your release is explicit, you must indicate so in the Release Details and include a parental advisory tag on the artwork. Otherwise, do not include a parental advisory tag on your artwork.
Original
Only original artwork is permitted. No copyrighted content or content you don’t own the rights to can be used in your artwork.
Blurry/Low Quality
No blurry, low quality images can be used in your artwork.
Trademarks/Brands
No images or references of registered trademarks or brand logos can be used in your artwork.
Social Media
No social media, websites, or URLs can be included in your artwork.
Offensive
No pornographic content, offensive imagery, or symbolism can be used in your artwork.
Exclusive
No mention of the word “exclusive” unless it’s part of the Release Title, Artist Name, and/or Label Name.
Music Services
No references to streaming services or digital stores can be included in your artwork.
Misleading
Do not include misleading information (e.g. not including Featured Artists or including other artists not actually featured in your release) in your Release Details and/or artwork.
Physical
No references to your physical packaging or digital product can be included in your artwork.
Pricing
No pricing information can be included in your artwork.
THE REST
Audio
No extended period of silence (around five seconds) anywhere in a track is allowed.
Track Names
If you decide to include track names on the cover art, you must include all of them.
Title Casing
Track names will automatically be entered in title case. Track names cannot be entered in all lowercase. Track names can only be entered in all caps if it’s an acronym formatted with the correct punctuation (e.g. U.S.A.)
Live Release
If your release contains a majority of live tracks, your Release Title must be followed by (Live) or [Live] in the same language as your release.
Serial Release
If a release has more than one track with the same title or if it’s part of a series, ‘Pt.’ or ‘Vol.’ must be used to differentiate them (e.g. “Dazed, Pt. 1”)
