Your first release: a practical checklist

From finished mix to live on every platform — without the beginner mistakes that are hard to undo.

Releasing music is mostly preparation. Here is the order that saves the most headaches.

Lock the final master and keep the WAV (16-bit/44.1 kHz or higher). Never change it after submitting.
Write down who did what — composer, lyricist, producer, vocalist, players — and agree the ownership split in writing (see the split-sheet guide).
Prepare metadata: exact song title, artist name spelling, featured artists, language, genre, release date, credits. Spellings must match everywhere.
Cover art: square, at least 3000×3000 px, no blurry text, no logos of streaming apps, nothing you do not own.

Choose a distributor (an aggregator that delivers your music to Spotify, Apple Music, JioSaavn, Gaana, YouTube Music, etc.). Compare: upfront cost vs. commission, payout threshold, how fast they pay, and whether you keep 100% of your rights. Read the contract — especially any exclusivity and takedown terms.
Submit at least 3–4 weeks ahead so you can pitch to playlist editors through the artist dashboards (Spotify for Artists, Apple Music for Artists).
Distributors normally generate the ISRC (the song’s unique ID) and UPC for you. Keep a copy of every code.

Claim your artist profiles on each platform and add a photo, bio and links.
Prepare 3–5 short vertical clips (15–30 s) of the hook, the story, and behind-the-scenes.
Tell your community first: a short personal message to 20 people beats a post nobody sees.

Track which clip, city and platform bring listeners; repeat what works.
Ask friends to save and add the song to their own playlists — real engagement, never bought streams (fake streams can get your music removed).