How to Release an Independent Song to Spotify After Creating It with AI

Why you cannot upload directly to Spotify

Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer and Tidal do not let individual artists upload tracks straight into their apps. Instead, they receive music from approved partners called distributors, or aggregators. Think of a distributor as the delivery service that ships your finished song to every store at once and collects your streaming royalties on your behalf.

This is standard for every independent artist on the planet, not a limitation of AI music. Once you understand that one middle step, the whole process becomes simple:

• You create and export the finished song and cover art.
• A distributor takes your files and metadata and delivers them to the stores.
• The platforms (Spotify, Apple Music and the rest) host your track and pay royalties back through the distributor.

Step 1: Export a proper master and cover art from Kleep

Before you touch a distributor, you need two clean files: the audio and the artwork. Quality here matters because stores reject low-grade uploads, and a crisp master is what makes your track sit comfortably next to major-label releases.

From your finished song in Kleep, download the audio as an MP3. Kleep exports MP3 only (no WAV). MP3 download comes with Premium, or for 30 days after buying a credit pack (credits and Premium). Many distributors accept MP3, but some prefer WAV, so check your distributor's audio requirements first. Then prepare your cover art:

• Audio: upload the downloaded MP3 as-is - do not re-compress or convert it after download.
• Cover art: a square JPG or PNG; most stores ask for at least 3000 x 3000 pixels. Kleep's cover art (Premium) is 1024 pixels, so upscale it or redesign the cover at full size before you submit.
• No stray text: most stores reject artwork with URLs, prices, social handles or blurry logos.
• Use artwork you have rights to: an image you created or licensed, not a random photo from the web.

Treat the export like a physical product. The master and the cover are the two things every store actually looks at before your song goes live.

Step 2: Choose a distributor

This is the one paid piece of the puzzle, and it is inexpensive. Distributors generally use one of two pricing models: a flat annual subscription that lets you keep 100% of your royalties, or a free tier that takes a small cut of your earnings instead.

Popular distributors independent artists use include DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby and Amuse. Any of them will get your AI-created song onto every major platform. When comparing them, weigh these factors:

• Pricing model: flat yearly fee versus a percentage of royalties.
• Number of releases: some plans cover unlimited songs per year, others charge per release.
• Payout speed and thresholds: how and when you actually receive your money.
• Extras: free ISRC and UPC codes and Spotify verified-artist help.

One extra to skip: many distributors offer YouTube Content ID as an add-on. We recommend not opting AI tracks into Content ID. AI-generated music can resemble other AI output and uniqueness is not guaranteed, so a Content ID registration can trigger wrongful claims against other creators' videos, or disputes over yours.

Also read each distributor's policy on AI-generated music. Distributors and streaming services have their own AI-disclosure rules, and many ask you to declare AI use when you upload.

You do not need the most expensive plan to start. For a first single, the cheapest option that reaches Spotify and Apple Music is perfectly fine.

Step 3: Fill in your metadata correctly

Metadata is the information that tells the stores what your song is and who made it. Getting it right the first time avoids delays and rejections. Your distributor collects all of this during upload:

1. Artist name. Pick your stage or project name and use exactly the same spelling on every future release so your catalog stays under one profile.
2. Track title. Match it precisely to your cover art. Do not stuff it with extra words or keywords.
3. Genre and mood. Choose the closest fit - this helps playlists and algorithms place your song.
4. Release date. Set it at least a week or two in the future so you have time to pitch to playlists before it goes live.
5. Songwriter and language. Credit yourself as lyricist only if you wrote the lyrics yourself, follow your distributor's guidance for AI-generated music, and set the correct lyric language.
6. ISRC and UPC codes. These unique identifiers are assigned automatically by your distributor - you do not have to buy them separately.

Double-check every field before you submit. A typo in the artist name is the single most common reason a debut ends up on a duplicate, empty profile.

Can you release an AI-generated song? Rights and royalties

This is the question every creator asks, and it is a fair one. Kleep assigns you any rights it holds in your songs, and commercial use is allowed on every plan, including free credits. Purely AI-generated music may not be protected by copyright, and uniqueness is not guaranteed (terms). Commercial use includes releasing your songs on Spotify and earning streaming royalties, but listen critically before you release. Our guide to commercial use of AI music covers the basics.

A few practical points to keep you safe:

• Release only your own tracks. Distribute music you actually created, not someone else's work re-uploaded.
• Do not impersonate real artists. Avoid names, cover art or vocals designed to pass as an existing famous performer.
• Keep your files. Hold on to your exported master, artwork and the song link in Kleep in case a store asks where the track came from.
• Read your distributor's terms. They ask you to confirm you have the right to distribute what you upload. Commercial use of Kleep songs is allowed, but say honestly that the track was made with AI where the form asks.
• Follow AI-disclosure rules. Distributors and streaming services have policies on AI-generated music; check them before each release, since they change.

Step 4: Avoid rejection, then promote your release

Most rejections come down to a handful of avoidable mistakes: artwork with banned text, misspelled or duplicated titles, silence or dead air at the start of the track, or metadata that does not match the file. Fix those before you submit and approval is usually smooth. Delivery to stores typically takes anywhere from a day to a couple of weeks, which is why setting a future release date matters.

Getting live is only half the job - now people need to find it. A realistic first release will not rack up millions of streams overnight, so focus on the fundamentals:

• Pitch to Spotify editorial through your distributor or Spotify for Artists before the release date.
• Share the pre-save link on your social channels to build early momentum.
• Make a short video clip to promote the song on reels and shorts.
• Add it to your own playlists and ask friends to save and follow.
• Build a catalog. Consistent releases matter far more than any single upload.

Want more reach before your next drop? Kleep can also publish a song to YouTube or SoundCloud for you (publish to YouTube and SoundCloud). Hear what other genres sound like on Explore and check plans on pricing.

From AI idea to Spotify release

The path is shorter than it looks: create the song, export a clean master and cover, pick a distributor, fill in accurate metadata, and hit submit. Within days your AI-made track can be sitting on Spotify and Apple Music alongside everything else you love to listen to.

Ready to make the song you are going to release? Open Kleep and start creating now.

Frequently asked questions