How to upload music to Spotify

Want your music to reach millions of listeners around the world? Spotify is the perfect platform to showcase your talent. In this article, we’ll guide you step by step through what you need to do, and why it works this way. Start uploading your songs and build your music career. But first, it’s important to understand how Spotify actually works.

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Can artists upload music directly to Spotify?
No, artists and record labels need a music distributor like LimeTunes™. Spotify doesn’t pay artists or labels directly. Just like in many other industries, major platforms work with distributors who act as commercial intermediaries between users and service providers.
The complexity of music rights management (composers, performers, record labels, etc.) and the technical requirements involved make distributors essential. Spotify pays us (the distributor), and we then pay you, the artist or rights-owning label.

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Who can upload music to Spotify through a distributor?
Anyone can upload music to Spotify, but not everyone can earn money from it. You must use a distributor and own the rights to your music in order to collect royalties from streams. When you upload content to our servers for distribution on Spotify or any other platform, you’re declaring that you either own or control all rights to that content and have the full legal authority to monetize it.

 

How many songs can you upload to Spotify?
There’s no limit to the number of songs you can upload through our platform. There are no restrictions on the number of releases, EP and albums, we support your entire catalog without any extra cost.

 

How long does it take for music to go live on Spotify?
As with most digital music platforms, it takes between 1 to 15 business days for a song to be published and available for streaming on Spotify. We recommend uploading your tracks at least 15 days before the official release date to ensure everything goes smoothly.

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Can you upload any kind of song to Spotify?
Not everything is allowed. For example, the following types of content are prohibited:
- Content promoting or encouraging suicide or self-harm.
- Threats or incitement to violence against individuals or groups.
- Support for violent extremist groups or their members.
- Instructions for committing acts of violence or extremism.
- Sexual insinuations directed at specific individuals.
- Content targeting minors to shame or humiliate them.
- Promotion of false or harmful medical information.
- Content promoting child exploitation or sexual abuse.
- Attempts to manipulate or interfere with electoral processes.
- Content generated with AI tools that imitates famous voices.
- Explicit sexual material.
- Or any illegal content, in short.

As you can see, not everything goes. We follow all legal regulations and platform policies and review all releases before distribution. Content that doesn’t comply may be removed from Spotify and/or result in account suspension.

 

What is Spotify and how does it work?
Spotify is an on-demand music streaming service that lets users discover songs by artist, album, genre, playlist, or label.
Launched in 2008 by Swedish startup Spotify AB, it now has over 320 million active users, including 144 million Premium subscribers.
Spotify offers two types of accounts:
- Free: With ads tailored to the listener’s profile.
- Premium: Ad-free and allows offline listening.
It also includes social features like “Follow” so you can connect with friends, artists, or verified profiles.

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How are royalties paid on Spotify?
Spotify pays distributors a share of its revenue from subscriptions and ads. The distributor then pays artists based on:
- Total number of streams.
- The share of your music in Spotify’s total monthly streams.
- The platform’s revenue for that month.

Note: Streams during free trial periods are typically excluded from payouts.

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What is Spotify for Artists?
Spotify for Artists is a free tool for musicians that lets you:
- Access detailed stats about your music.
- Manage your artist profile (bio, photos, links).
- Promote releases and playlists.

Once your music is live on the platform, you can request access to claim your profile and take control of your digital presence as an artist.