Most release delays have nothing to do with the music. They come from a cover with the wrong size, a name spelled two ways, a missing songwriter or a release date set too close. If four things are ready before you open the upload form, the rest is usually simple.
The final WAV
Upload the approved master, not the last mix you happened to export. It sounds obvious, but a folder with "final", "final2" and "final_real" is how the wrong file goes out.
Before you upload, listen to the whole file from the first second to the last, on headphones, at a normal volume. Check that:
- it is a WAV file, exported from the master session or delivered by your mastering engineer
- the start is clean, with no clicks, count-ins or long silence you did not intend
- the ending fades or stops where it should and is not cut short
- there is no audible distortion in the loudest parts
- it is the right version, for example the explicit or the clean one
Name the file clearly, with the artist, title and version. If your distributor lists specific audio requirements, check them now rather than after an error message.
The cover: JPG, exactly 3000 x 3000 pixels
For CULT, artwork is a JPG file of exactly 3000 x 3000 pixels. Not 2999, not 3000 x 3200 cropped by eye. Open the file properties and check the numbers.
Beyond the size, platforms have long-standing rules about what a cover can show. In general, avoid:
- website addresses, social media handles, phone numbers or prices
- logos of streaming platforms or stores
- text on the cover that does not match the artist name or title in your metadata
- blurry, stretched or pixelated images
- images, photos or fonts you do not have the right to use
The last point matters as much as any technical one. You must own, or have permission for, everything on the cover, including the photographer's work and any illustration. Keep that permission in writing.
Also check the cover at small size, the way people will see it on a phone. If the title becomes unreadable at thumbnail size, it may be better to leave it off.
Correct names and credits
Metadata is how platforms decide where your song appears and who gets credit for it. Prepare it in a text file before you start:
- Artist name spelled exactly as on your existing profiles, with the same capitals and symbols.
- Song title with normal capitalisation, and no extra information such as "official audio" or the year.
- Featured and primary artists in the artist fields, not typed into the title.
- Songwriters and composers with their full real names, which many platforms require.
- Producers and other contributors you want credited.
- Language of the lyrics and whether the song contains explicit content.
If anything in the recording is not originally yours, such as a sample, a beat bought online or a cover of someone else's song, sort out the permission or licence before you upload. The artist keeps their rights, and that also means taking responsibility for the materials submitted.
A release plan with a realistic date
Choose a date that leaves time for review, possible corrections and processing on each platform. In the CULT portal, any changes the team asks for appear on the release, and after approval you can follow its status on each platform. How long all this takes depends on the review, on how quickly you make requested changes and on each platform's processing, so do not pick next Friday for a song you have not uploaded yet.
As general practice, many artists upload several weeks before the release date. That window is also when you prepare everything around the song:
- short clips and a cover image for social media
- a message for the people who supported your last release
- a pitch to playlist editors, if the platform allows pitching unreleased songs (check its current rules and deadlines)
- a list of blogs, curators and radio contacts to send the song to on release day
Mira Vale, a singer releasing her first single "Night Shift", might set the date five weeks out, upload in the first week, and spend the remaining time on content. If a correction is requested, she still has room to fix it without moving the date.
Before you press submit
Run through it one last time: the right WAV, a JPG of exactly 3000 x 3000, names and credits checked against your text file, rights to everything in place and a date with breathing room. Ten minutes here saves weeks of back and forth later.