This article is designed to help you get your audio files ready for distribution. Whether it’s a single or an album you’re releasing, music stores like Spotify, Apple Music, and Boomplay have specific requirements for the audio files they accept. That makes sense, right? They want music with high-quality sound, which makes you and them look better and for your audience to listen to good quality music.

All audio files need to meet specific specs to properly upload your music to Afrotunes for distribution to the digital stores.

1.Stereo Formats: AIF, AIFF, FLAC, MP3, M4A, OGG, Or WAV, up to 192kHz, 16-bit, 24-bit
2.Track File Size: 1MB to 1GB

If the description above seems strange, below are some key points to clarify that we need to share with you.

The two most used audio formats are WAV and MP3 files, so which one is better? one would ask. Most musicians upload WAV files to music distributors because WAV files are lossless, uncompressed, broadcast CD-quality music files. On the other hand, MP3 files are compressed with loss to a certain extent.

Your music may get remastered or reprogrammed by the distributor or the digital stores during distribution. In this case, the lossless WAV files will be committed to the original quality of your music.

The next thing is the audio resolution. It is not as important as the audio format but still can be an essential factor to your audience. In the 1980s, most Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD) used 16 bits per sample. However, with the advancement of the digital world, DVD-Audio and Blu-ray Disc can support up to 24 bits.

Now we have a question, which audio resolution should you choose when recording? Our advice is better to record at 24-bit and convert to 16-bit than to record straight to 16-bit. This is because the conversion process gathers the errors into the last 8 bits and gets rid of them.

After you upload your tracks to your Afrotunes account, you can click the play button and listen to confirm your audio file.

Don’t be afraid that your song's playback isn’t as high in quality as your original file. This lower quality is only in the playback feature and does not affect the file going to stores. We deliver the highest-quality file that each store accepts, the same file you uploaded.

For your music distribution, there are a few things you need to prepare in advance: audio files, metadata (album title, track titles, artist name(s), release date, etc.), and cover artwork. In addition, you have to make sure the submitted assets comply with the requirements of music stores.

Today we will be talking about the cover artwork. Unfortunately, some artists do not know how to design the correct cover artwork. While some get their music content disapproved due to incorrect cover artwork and have no idea how to fix it. Therefore, uploading your artwork in the appropriate format is a defining step for music distribution.

Let us start with the most fundamental issue, formats. The accepted cover artwork needs to meet several technical criteria:

1. Format: JPG, JPEG, PNG, BMP, TIF, TIFF, or GIF
2. Dimensions: 1400x1400 px - 4000x4000 px
3. Size: Minimum 1Mb, Maximum 10Mb Per Image

Apart from the above basic requirements for your cover artwork, there are some other details that you have to keep in mind when designing your cover artwork:

1. No blurry or pixelated images
2. No URLs
3. No logos or branding that you do not have rights to use
4. No references to physical packaging or pricing
5. No pornographic (Explicit) imagery

In addition, the cover art should include either the release title or the artist's name(s) on it. Otherwise, the cover artwork will be unacceptable. In some instances, the artists release a single of an upcoming album in advance of the album release. If this is the case, the release title on the cover should return the same name as the single.

Shall you meet any problems with cover artwork during distribution? Please write to support@afrotunesdigital.com, and we will get back to you soon. Afrotunes would like to assist with your cover arts, but we need to hear your voice before that.

When planning a new release, you need to set the release date in advance to ensure your release goes live on all digital stores simultaneously and at the chosen date. We recommend you upload your music at least 2-3 weeks before the release date to ensure everything goes right.

Some artists may argue why it would take so long for the music distribution process? Below are some main reasons for this.

Firstly, all music distribution platforms will review your music upon submission. This process ensures that the contents (the assets and metadata) meet the basic requirements, including the audio file, cover artwork, and copyright issues. This procedure usually takes around 2-3 business days.

Once the distributor approves your music, the song(s) are forwarded to the digital stores for assessment according to their requirements and guidelines. This procedure typically takes around 2 days to 3 weeks, depending on the store. For example, it would take about three business days for Boomplay to approve the new releases.

Furthermore, you need to set aside enough time for your music promotion campaigns. Most distributors take around 2 to 3 weeks to get your music to the stores. You can utilize this period for the pre-save and pre-order campaigns.

Last but not least, reserve enough time to correct the possible problems and errors that may arise. It can be the audio flaws or cover artwork problems. If you submit your music 2 to 3 weeks in advance, this should be enough time to correct all the errors and meet your target release date.

For example, suppose you wish to release your new album on 19th November. In that case, you’d better upload your music to Afrotunes no later than 28th October.

Usually, with us at Afrotunes, it would only take ten days for your music to be live on all digital outlets. However, we sincerely suggest all the artists submit their new music 3-4 weeks in advance. This will spare you enough time to address any possible inconveniences during the reviewing process.

ISRC is the International Standard Recording Code. ISRC is an internationally recognized identification tool for sound and music video recordings. It is a unique number representing your track and sets it apart from every other track. It represents a recording's distinct identity and allows tracking key details as the track sales, streams, and plays on radio stations.

Digital platforms use the ISRC to identify and allocate royalties to your track. So, to avoid royalty losses, keep the ISRC consistent when you distribute the same track across different distribution platforms. In other cases, some artists may wrongly distribute the same track to a platform twice and offer different ISRCs. The result is the release may be presented as two separate works. If so, the overall streams of the two releases may get taken down from the stores.

To avoid the above situation, you can establish a sheet to record all the original ISRCs of your releases. Then, if you have to distribute a previous track or album again, remember to write down the original ISRC to avoid the possibility of royalty losses.

With us at Afrotunes, we provide you with an ISRC for free and automatically insert it. However, if you want to use your own ISRC, feel free to do so.

Ready to get started? Sign up today with Afrotunes to get your music heard.

What is your strategy for music distribution and promotion? For example, you may have ten or more tracks in your catalog, which means you could release a full feature album at one time. But should you do that or release a single first?

In the modern music industry, we never lack artists who can make good music but artists who know how to make the best out of their music. So, choosing the best way that suits your music development can make your music career journey easier.

This question of how to release music does not have a catch-all answer. Your decision as to what format you release your music should focus on where you are in terms of your musical career. If it will be your debut work as an independent artist, releasing a single first is better. You may spend less budget and receive the same result as a full feature album.

Most major digital platforms will not give much attention to promoting independent artists. This means your full-length album may disappear soon after its release date. So, you can release a single first and modify your distribution strategy with the feedback you receive.

However, the artist should consider the genre: hip-hop artists may wish to produce mixtapes with 15 to 20 tracks. It is a way to show their talent and is also a tradition in hip-hop culture.

If you are releasing physical works, maybe an album is a better way to go. But unfortunately, only a few international artists will release physical single CDs or Vinyl because it is just not enough for the ears of physical records listeners.

With us at Afrotunes, you can release a single or an album (or even a compilation with up to 20 tracks) to major digital platforms. In addition, you will have access to your music analytics. As a result, you can easily have an insight into your music performances and adjust your music strategy and direction.

Sign up with Afrotunes for free to start your music distribution today.

Have you come across the phrase: Music Distributor? Maybe not, but we have to say a music distributor plays an irreplaceable role in the modern music industry.

To make it clear, the music distribution we are addressing is digital music distribution. Instead of transporting albums to a physical store, the digital distributors will distribute music in digital formats (usually mp3 or WAV).

Most artists can make good music without knowing how to get their music heard. Below are some of the main reasons why you should work with a music distributor instead of managing it all by yourself:

1. Most international music platforms (including Boomplay) do not allow individual artists or smaller labels to upload music directly. It is only possible to upload music to these platforms via one of their partner music distributors.

2. Can you imagine managing the distribution of all your tracks by yourself on over 100 platforms? You can save time and effort by working with a music distributor who will handle the whole distribution process for you.

3. A transparent analytical reporting system is essential to access your music performance and fanbase growth. It is never easy to make decisions without the support of data. A digital platform may not offer you enough data, but a distributor with your interest at heart will do it for you.

With the help of a music distributor, your music will appear on online music platforms, video platforms, and social media platforms. It is then the distributor's job to ensure that royalties generated by your music are collected and passed back to the artists and rights holders.

At Afrotunes, we accept all musicians and labels. The only thing you have to do is make sure your music is in a standard deemed acceptable by the online stores. Don’t worry; we’ll provide you with the necessary guidelines to ensure your release sale through our quality control process. We will then distribute your music to all the major digital platforms worldwide and help you reach a broader audience.