When you are trying to get your music up on Spotify, you might wonder if it is possible to upload it directly to Spotify. I’ve researched this topic and wrote about it for you here.
It is not currently possible to upload music directly to Spotify. Instead, you need to sign up with one of Spotify’s preferred music distributors and submit your music, artwork, and artist information through that distributor.
Once you have uploaded your music to Spotify by using a music distributor, you can then claim your Spotify artist profile to get the blue verified checkmark and the ability to check your Spotify streams and stats.
If you’re wondering what a music distributor is, and how you can get set up with one so that you can start uploading your music to Spotify, you are in the right place, my friend. 🙂
Can You Upload Directly To Spotify?
Instead of allowing artists to upload music directly to Spotify, Spotify relies on music distributors to act as a middleman between the artist and Spotify.
For a short time in 2018, Spotify actually introduced a beta feature that allowed independent artists to upload their tunes directly to the platform without the need for a distributor.
However, less than 1 year later, Spotify shut this beta program down and artists again had to rely on music distributors to get their music live on the platform.
Spotify stopped the direct upload feature due to:
- Difficulties they had monitoring the rights associated with music distribution
- A desire to support their distributor partners
Basically, they thought it was more trouble than it was worth and decided it was easier to let the music distributors deal with things like rights monitoring and making sure that the artists submitted their releases correctly.
So… how can you upload your music to Spotify then?
I’ll show you (and don’t worry it is quite easy). 🙂
How To Upload To Spotify As An Artist
Luckily for you, getting your music into Spotify got a lot easier in the last few years.
I’ll show you exactly how to upload to Spotify as an artist since they no longer allow direct uploads.
The very first step is to get set up with the perfect distributor.
In the past, there were only a small handful of music distributors and you had to pay them a fee for every song you want to be distributed per year.
Obviously, that can add up to a ridiculous amount and made getting music on Spotify more of a pipedream than anything.
Thankfully, a company called DistroKid came along and started offering unlimited song uploads for a small annual fee without taking a percentage of any of your earnings away.
How To Choose A Music Distributor
The main things you are going to want to look for in a music distributor is if they offer unlimited song uploads, are affordable, don’t take any of the income your music away, and they get your music up on the stores fast.
My personal recommendation is DistroKid (they are also at the top of Spotify’s list of music distributors btw).
They tick off all the boxes of what you should look for in a music distributor, but, to learn more about them, you can check out my big fat DistroKid review for everything you will ever need to know about them.
However, if you would like to shop around first, I’ve gone ahead and compared DistroKid to some other popular music distributors as well:
- DistroKid vs TuneCore
- DistroKid vs CD Baby
- DistroKid vs Amuse
- DistroKid vs Ditto
- DistroKid vs UnitedMasters
- DistroKid vs SoundCloud
How To Claim Your Spotify Artist Profile
Once you have chosen the right music distributor and uploaded your music to Spotify, you are now ready to make things more official by claiming your Spoitfy artist profile.
Before you can claim your artist profile, you must make sure that you’ve uploaded your music to Spotify. This is important.
With that said, if your music is already live on Spotify and you just want to get yourself that beautiful blue verified checkmark and access to check your Spotify stats via Spotify For Artists, the hardest part is already behind you!
There are 2 methods to claiming your Spotify artist profile:
- Through your music distributor
- Manually claiming your profile with Spotify
The easiest by far is to claim your profile through your music distributor. If your distributor is legit, they can give you instant access with just a few clicks.
To learn how to do this fast af with DistroKid, check out my article called Does DistroKid Make A Spotify Account For You?
You will find a detailed walkthrough on that page, as well as a lot more information on the overall process.
However, if you are not using DistroKid, or would like to learn how to manually claim your profile, you can check out my article called How To Claim Your Spotify Artist Profile. 🙂
How To Get The Most Out Of Your Spotify Artist Account
Spotify is awesome because they have so many different ways for artists to grow their streams and start seeing success in the world of streaming.
P.S. This is one of the reasons I don’t think it is important for a music distributor to have the ability to upload to a zillion stores… All that really matters today is Spotify and Apple Music.
With Spotify in particular, the Spotify artist account that you can get access to is great because it allows you to access some new features and really dig into your data.
A key feature that you get access to is the ability to pitch your music to Spotify editors.
You may already know that editorial playlists are the holy grail of playlist placement but did you know Spotify offers other types of playlists and that there is a way you can start to get the editor’s attention?
Spotify also has a growing number of algorithmic playlists and getting on any of these algorithmic or editorial playlists will significantly increase the number of streams you see.
So how do you get on these bad boys?
The honest secret is this…
Release music often.
This is exactly why I really think it is important to choose a music distributor that provides unlimited song uploads for a small fee, like DistroKid.
Otherwise, releasing lots of music can get real expensive, real quick.
How do I know this?
Simple!
I’ve done this myself by releasing my own music on a monthly basis.
At first, I started getting on some Algorithmic playlists and slowly that caught the attention of the Spotify editors.
I’ve now gotten my music on over 10 official Spotify editorial playlists and have racked up over 2 million streams.
If you want to know how I did this in detail, I put together a free course called the 6 Secrets To Spotify Success.
In this free course, I cover:
- How to get the most out of your latest release, overnight
- The exact step-by-step process of how to build a music marketing strategy required to make you sweet streams
- How to grow your Spotify streams, monthly listeners, and fans even if you’re totally new
If that sounds neat to you, then check out the 6 Secrets To Spotify Success, for more.
Otherwise, good luck on your next release, my friend! 🙂
