Quick answer: Before uploading to DistroKid, TuneCore, or any distributor, confirm the song rights, recording rights, metadata, credits, audio files, artwork, identifiers, and collaborator approvals.
Pre-upload workflow, with a fictional file-check example. Distributor field names and technical requirements vary by service and plan.
Use this when you are ready to upload
This checklist starts after choosing a distributor: compare the proposed upload with the approved audio, artwork, credits, identifiers, and rights record. For platform selection, use the distribution comparison; for the agreements themselves, use the paperwork checklist.
Have one person perform the check against the same saved release record. The upload form should not become a new negotiation about the deal.
1. Confirm the agreed rights record
Check that the composition agreement has been reviewed and signed as intended and that the complete ownership picture totals 100%. Keep the publisher, administrator, PRO, and confirmed IPI data needed for later registrations with it.
Use each destination's share conventions when registering. You will not necessarily enter every private rights detail in the distributor's public metadata fields. A distributor payout split is a separate instruction.
2. Confirm master ownership and producer terms
The master recording needs its own review. Who paid for the recording? Who owns the final audio? Are there producer points, featured artist approvals, label obligations, or beat-license limits? If the producer has a master royalty, do not bury that inside the publishing split.
Use the master rights vs publishing rights guide if the team is mixing these concepts together.
3. Check the fields that reach the stores
| Field | Compare with | Resolve before submission |
|---|---|---|
| Title and version | Approved release record and exact audio. | Explicit and clean editions must not be swapped. |
| Artist and features | Confirmed names and intended artist profiles. | Identify similarly named artists and incorrect profile mappings. |
| Credits | Approved public credits. | Keep legal registration names and display names labeled separately. |
| Recording code | Existing ISRC for this unchanged recording, or the distributor’s assignment process. | Do not invent a code or reuse one for a different recording. |
| Release product code | The selected service’s UPC/EAN guidance. | Existing-code support can depend on the platform or plan. |
DistroKid and TuneCore explain their identifier processes separately. Follow the current instructions for the selected account.
4. Check audio and artwork by opening them
Listen to the actual upload file through the ending. Check the version, clipping or export faults, silence, and whether the filename describes the audio. Open the artwork at full size and verify the selected distributor's current format and content rules.
Keep the approved master, clean version, instrumental, and any promised delivery files separately labeled. An instrumental or session backup does not belong in the main release slot unless that is the version you intend to release.
5. Resolve third-party uses
Check the intended distribution against any beat, sample, loop, cover, or tool license. Permission for a cover's composition does not itself clear a sampled master or an audiovisual use. An interpolation uses recreated material rather than copying the earlier recording, but composition permission can still matter.
Keep license evidence and restrictions in the private release folder. If a permission is unresolved, identify the responsible person and hold the affected release rather than treating a metadata checkbox as clearance.
Catch a version mismatch before pressing submit
Fictional upload check: “Blue Hour”
The release record calls for the explicit studio master. The selected audio is named BlueHour_Clean_Master.wav, while the form is marked explicit and carries the original recording's code.
The uploader opens the file, confirms the mismatch, and pauses submission. They select the approved audio, verify the intended identifier and explicit flag, then save the confirmation. Changing the filename alone would not have fixed the audio or metadata.
6. Save and review the submission
- Keep the approved audio, artwork, and public metadata used for upload.
- Save the distributor's submission reference, selected stores, date, and payout instructions.
- Keep agreements and licenses in access-controlled storage alongside the release record.
- Review the resulting artist profile, credits, artwork, and audio when the release appears.
- Use the distributor's correction process for a mismatch; update the source record and affected destinations.
A saved submission is evidence of what you sent, not a guarantee of a particular store's approval date.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a split sheet before uploading to DistroKid or TuneCore?
You should complete one before uploading if multiple people contributed to the composition. It keeps release metadata and registrations aligned.
Do DistroKid and TuneCore provide ISRCs?
Both platforms provide workflows involving ISRCs and UPCs, but artists with existing identifiers should review each platform's guidance before uploading.
Is distributor revenue the same as publishing income?
No. Distributor revenue usually concerns the master recording. Publishing and composition royalties use other systems and registrations.
Can I upload before the producer agreement is finished?
It is risky. Confirm producer fees, points, credits, samples, and master terms before release.