Artwork gets checked as carefully as the audio. Stores show it on every screen where your music appears, so they have clear rules about what a cover can and cannot contain. Almost every artwork rejection comes from a short list of avoidable mistakes.
The technical basics
Start with the file itself. If it fails here, nobody even looks at the design.
- Square format. Streaming services display covers as squares. Anything else gets cropped or refused.
- Size. The common standard is 3000 × 3000 pixels. In CULT the cover must be a JPG of exactly that size, so export it that way from the start.
- RGB colour. Designers who work for print often export in CMYK. Screens use RGB, and a CMYK file can be refused or show shifted colours.
- Real resolution. Stretching a 600-pixel image up to 3000 does not add detail. It just makes the blur bigger, and reviewers notice.
Keep the original design file, not only the exported JPG. If you're asked to change one detail, you will want to edit the source instead of rebuilding the cover from a screenshot.
What must not be on the cover
This is where most rejections happen. Stores treat the cover as the face of the release, not as advertising space.
Links, handles and contact details
No website addresses, no @usernames, no QR codes, no phone numbers or email addresses. Even a small Instagram handle in a corner is enough for a rejection. Put that information in your bio and posts instead.
Prices, store names and platform logos
Phrases like "Out now on Spotify", an Apple or YouTube logo, or a price tag are not allowed. Platform logos are trademarks, and a cover must not suggest that a store endorses or sells the release in a particular way. The same goes for words like "free" or "new" written as a promotion.
Text that doesn't match the metadata
You don't need any text on a cover. But if you add the artist name or title, it must match what you typed in the release form. Say Theo Lark releases "Paper Moon" and the cover reads "Theo Lark ft. June" while the metadata has no featured artist: that mismatch is a typical reason for a change request. Spelling, version names and featured artists all count.
Misleading content
Covers that could make a listener think the release is something else are refused. That includes photos or names of famous artists who are not on the track, copying the look of another artist's well-known cover, logos of labels or brands you are not connected to, and a parental advisory label on a release that isn't marked explicit.
Images you don't have rights to
A photo found through an image search is not yours to use. A photographer's picture needs their permission, even if you are the person in it. Stock images need a licence that covers commercial use on music releases, so read the terms before you buy. If you used an image generator, check that tool's terms for commercial use as well. When you submit a release, you confirm that you own or have permission for every part of it, and the artwork is included.
Quality problems reviewers catch
Beyond the rules, reviewers reject covers that simply look broken:
- blurry, pixelated or visibly upscaled images;
- text cut off at the edges or pushed right against them;
- stretched or squashed photos;
- heavy compression artefacts around text and faces;
- large empty borders that make the cover look unfinished.
Stores also have rules about explicit or shocking imagery. These differ between platforms and change over time, so if your concept is provocative, check each platform's current guidelines first.
Test it at thumbnail size
Most people will see your cover at the size of a fingernail: in a playlist, a search result or a lock-screen player. Shrink it to a small square on your phone and look at it from arm's length. Fine text disappears, thin fonts turn to noise, and dark details merge together.
A cover that reads well small tends to have one clear subject, strong contrast and at most a few words. That is not a store rule, but it makes the difference between a cover people recognise and one they scroll past.
Checklist before you upload
- JPG, RGB, exactly 3000 × 3000 pixels, made from a high-resolution source.
- No links, handles, QR codes, prices, store names or platform logos.
- Any text on the cover matches the artist name, title and version in the metadata.
- No famous faces, borrowed logos or imitation of someone else's cover.
- You own the image or have written permission to use it.
- It still looks clear at thumbnail size.
If a reviewer does ask for a fix, it is usually a quick one. In the CULT portal the requested change appears on the release, you upload a corrected cover and submit again. Keeping your source file ready turns that into a ten-minute job.