Practical guides for artists, producers and record labels who want to distribute their music properly: ISRC and UPC codes, metadata, release timelines and the requirements of each platform. Written by the Andina Music team from what we see every week in the releases we deliver.
Published guides
What is an ISRC code and what is it for?
How to read it, who assigns it, when you need a new one and why it’s the key to getting paid and to switching distributors without losing your music.
ISRC vs UPC: what’s the difference?
The recording code versus the product code, with the everyday cases: single and album, deluxe edition, remix and migration.
Music metadata: a guide for artists and labels
Every field of a release, the style rules the platforms enforce and a checklist to run before you deliver.
How to plan a music release
A six-to-eight-week timeline: master, artwork, codes, delivery, artist profiles, editorial pitching and release day.
Distribution
What a distributor does, how a release is prepared and how long the platforms take. Start with digital music distribution and, depending on your case, continue with distribution for artists or distribution for labels.
Spotify
To appear on Spotify you need a distributor to deliver your release; then you can claim your profile in Spotify for Artists and pitch each track to editorial playlists at least seven days ahead. Audio, artwork and metadata requirements, common mistakes and what happens when you switch distributors: get your music on Spotify.
Apple Music
Apple Music receives releases through approved distributors, applies a strict style guide for artwork and titles, and plays lossless audio. How Apple Music for Artists works, pre-adds and the differences from Spotify: get your music on Apple Music.
YouTube
A distributed release automatically generates the art track on YouTube Music and on your Official Artist Channel. To monetize the use of your recording in third-party videos there’s YouTube Content ID, available for eligible content.
ISRC and UPC
The ISRC identifies each recording; the UPC, each release. Both are reused when you switch distributors and are the basis for platforms to assign plays and royalties correctly. If you don’t have codes, Andina Music assigns them at no extra cost. Guides: what is an ISRC and ISRC vs UPC.
Metadata
Title, primary artist, featured artists, songwriters, producer, label, genre, language, explicit flag and original release date. Always use the same artist name and the same credits to avoid duplicate profiles. Full guide: music metadata.
Royalties
How streaming income is calculated, when the platforms report and what your statements show: music royalties and reports.
Switching distributor
Move to a new distributor while keeping ISRC, UPC, metadata and artist profiles, with the new delivery and the takedown coordinated: switch music distributor.
Labels
Managing several artists, catalogs, consistent metadata and reports by project: distribution for labels.
Copyright
Claims, disputes and ownership of rights on platforms. If you have a copyright problem with your music (a wrongful claim, an unauthorized use or a dispute), describe it in the contact form with the ISRC, UPC and the affected URL. For urgent legal matters only: legal@andinamusic.com.
