Creating and Distributing a Release

5 min read

This is the end-to-end flow for getting a new release from your catalog into stores via Hitskope. It's deliberately the canonical starting point — every specialized release article (compilations, multi-disc, Dolby Atmos, editing after distribution) branches off from these same steps.

Before you start

Have the following ready:

  • Audio files in a supported format (WAV or FLAC, 44.1–192kHz, 16- or 24-bit). Full spec lives in Supported File Formats.
  • Cover art — square, JPG/JPEG/PNG/JFIF, under 10 MB, at least 1400px wide (3000px wide is recommended). The artwork cannot contain web URLs, social handles, third-party logos without clearance, or any text other than release title and artist name. See Supported File Formats for the full content rules.
  • Final metadata — release title, primary artist name(s), track titles, contributor credits, ISRCs (if you're supplying them), language, genre, and intended release date.

Genre options are documented in What music genres does Hitskope support?. Apple's metadata expectations apply to every release — review Metadata Best Practices: Apple Music Style Guide 2.2 before you start typing.

1. Start a new release

In your Hitskope catalog, create a new release. You'll be prompted for the basic shape of the release — single, EP, album — and routed into the release editor.

2. Enter release-level metadata

Fill in:

  • Release title — exactly as it should display on DSPs (no marketing copy, no symbols Apple's style guide doesn't allow).
  • Primary artist(s) — match the spelling and capitalization of how this artist already appears on DSPs. New artist? Pick a clean canonical form; you'll be living with it.
  • Language — the language of the release's metadata.
  • Genre (primary, and optionally secondary).
  • P-line and C-line — the year and rights owner for the sound recording (P) and composition (C) respectively.
  • Label name — the label distributing the release. If a label is managing your release on your behalf, the label sets this; otherwise it's your own label or artist name.
  • Release date — the date you want the release to go live. Set this with enough lead time for DSPs to process the delivery (and, if you plan to pitch, see Hitskope DSP Pitching for the 4-week minimum).

3. Add your tracks

For each track on the release:

  • Upload the audio file in WAV or FLAC. Hitskope ingests it and runs basic quality checks.
  • Track title — same Apple Music Style Guide rules as the release title.
  • Contributors — primary, featured, remixer, producer, etc. Each contributor's role matters for downstream royalty allocation and DSP display.
  • ISRC — if Hitskope is generating ISRCs for you, leave this blank and Hitskope assigns one on delivery. If you're using your own ISRC root/prefix, you must enter each track's full ISRC manually — Hitskope does not auto-increment the suffix from your prefix. See Using your own ISRC root/prefix to generate your ISRCs.
  • Explicit flag — mark every track that contains explicit content. This drives DSP-side parental advisory labels.
  • Songwriter / composer credits — required for publishing reporting. Use real legal names where possible.
  • Preview clip start time — optional; defaults are sensible, but you can set a custom start for the 30-second sample DSPs play.

Track order is set on this screen. Get it right before you submit — once the release is distributed, changing track order requires taking it down and redelivering with a new UPC (see Changes you can and cannot make once your release is distributed).

4. Upload cover art

Drop the artwork in. Hitskope validates dimensions, file size, and format on upload. If anything fails the check, fix the source file and re-upload — DSPs reject artwork that doesn't meet spec.

5. Choose your stores

Hitskope selects all supported stores for delivery by default. Open the stores list and deselect any DSP you don't want to deliver to. The full list of stores Hitskope distributes to lives in Which Digital Service Providers (DSPs) does Hitskope support?.

A few stores have their own quirks — Beatport's genre acceptance, YouTube Content ID eligibility, Dolby Atmos delivery, Vevo publishing — and those are documented per-store in the Distribution category.

6. Set the release date and submit

Confirm the release date and submit the release for delivery. Hitskope queues the release, runs final validation, and starts pushing it to your selected DSPs.

After submission

Once submitted, the release moves into delivery/processing. A few things to know:

  • Edits during delivery — if you spot something wrong before delivery completes, follow How to edit a Release that is still in delivery. Don't try to "fix and resubmit" — pause delivery first, then edit.
  • Edits after the release is live — once a release has been delivered, what you can change without a takedown is a fixed list. The full breakdown is in Changes you can and cannot make once your release is distributed.
  • Changing the release date after distribution — you can shift the release date forward or back, within limits. See How to edit the release date after distribution.
  • DSP quirks during delivery — store-specific issues (e.g., Spotify watchlist matches, Apple profile ID mismatches) are diagnosed in the Distribution > Delivery Issues section. Start there before contacting support.

Common follow-ups

If you hit something the docs don't cover, email support@hitskope.com with your release ID — we'll get you through it.