How to Get Your Music on Spotify the Right Way - And Keep It There
Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and every other major DSP have been tightening up. They’re taking a harder look at what gets submitted, what stays on their platforms, and what gets pulled. If you’ve been distributing music for any length of time, you’ve probably heard whispers about catalogue reviews, release rejections, or accounts being suspended.
We want to be straight with you about what’s happening – and what you can do to make sure none of it touches you or your music.
What's Actually Going On
The platforms are responding to a real problem. There’s a growing volume of content designed not to be listened to, but to game the system – tracks artificially structured to rack up streams, titles stuffed with trending search terms like “Lofi Chill Study Beats 2026”, and fake artist associations designed to piggyback on someone else’s audience.
This kind of content hurts everyone. It dilutes royalty pools, pollutes search results, and makes it harder for genuine artists doing real creative work to get heard. DSPs are investing heavily in detecting it, and they’re making distributors, including us, responsible for what gets through.
That matters to you, because the risk isn’t just rejection of a single track. Repeated violations can mean your entire catalogue gets reviewed, or your account suspended. Even if you’ve never done anything deliberately wrong, it’s worth understanding exactly where the lines are.
What You Should Always Do
Only distribute music you genuinely own or have licensed
This sounds obvious, but the details matter. If your track uses a sample, a licensed beat, or any third-party audio, you need the right license to distribute commercially, not just to use the file.
Purchasing a beat or downloading from a sample library doesn’t automatically give you distribution rights. Check the terms carefully. Some licenses are for personal or non-commercial use only. If you’re unsure, ask the rights holder directly before you submit.
Use accurate, honest metadata
Your metadata: the track title, artist name, genre, album name, ISRC, and everything else – is how platforms index and present your music. It should accurately describe what you’ve made.
That means no titles designed to appear in searches for unrelated content. No keyword stuffing. “Gaming Background Music Lofi Chill Beats 2026 Study Sleep” is the kind of title that gets flagged. It doesn’t help your music reach real fans, it just tricks an algorithm, temporarily. The platforms have got good at spotting it, and the consequences aren’t worth it.
Give your music a real title. Name the actual artists who performed on the release. Get your metadata right before you submit, because corrections after the fact create extra work for everyone.
Submit genuine, complete works
Your music should be what it says it is. A track that’s been artificially shortened to sit just above a streaming threshold, say, a catalogue of 100 tracks all running exactly 31 seconds, is a red flag. Short tracks are fine if there’s a genuine artistic reason for them. Fragmenting recordings purely to generate more stream events isn’t.
Make cover songs proper new recordings
If you’re distributing a cover, your version must be a completely new recording. No portion of the original sound recording can be used. If you’re also adapting the lyrics, translating them, or creating a mashup, you may need additional clearances beyond a standard cover license. Check what you need before you submit.
What You Should Never Do
Don't use SEO-gamed titles or metadata
We mentioned this above, but it’s worth repeating clearly: do not use titles or metadata designed to game DSP search results or playlists. Don’t stuff your titles with popular genres, moods, activities, or years. Don’t use terms like “Relaxing”, “Focus”, “Workout”, “2026” as searchable hooks when they don’t genuinely describe your music.
This applies to artist names too. Don’t add well-known artists to your release if they haven’t contributed. Don’t create deliberate associations with established artists through misleading naming.
Don't upload mass volumes of low-value content
If you’re building a large catalogue, make sure every release has genuine artistic intent. Mass uploads of generic, formulaic, or minimally varied recordings – created primarily to inflate stream counts or catalogue size – are exactly what DSP content quality reviews are designed to catch.
Horus Music has built its reputation on supporting serious artists. We’re not in the business of distributing content designed to game royalty systems, and we can’t protect accounts that do.
Don't assume passing initial submission means you're clear
Quality checks happen at multiple points, at submission, and after release. Passing the initial process doesn’t guarantee long-term acceptance. Platforms can and do review back catalogues, especially when they identify patterns that suggest manipulation.
Don't modify copyrighted recordings and assume that clears the rights
Pitch-shifting, speed-changing, or otherwise altering a copyrighted recording does not remove the rights requirement. If the underlying recording isn’t yours to use, modifying it doesn’t make it yours.
Why These Rules Protect You
Here’s the honest case for all of this: if DSPs lose confidence in the quality of submissions from a distributor, they can take action against that distributor’s entire catalogue, not just individual bad actors. That affects every artist on the platform, including you, even if you’ve done nothing wrong.
By keeping our submissions clean, we protect the ability of every artist we work with to stay on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and everywhere else. It’s not just about following rules – it’s about keeping the ecosystem intact for artists who are doing the real work.
We’ve been distributing music since 2006. We’ve seen the platforms evolve, we’ve seen policies tighten, and we’ve seen what happens to artists who cut corners. It’s not worth it.
The Quick Reference
Do:
- Only distribute music you have the rights to
- Check sample and beat licenses before submitting
- Use accurate, honest titles and metadata
- Submit complete musical works with genuine artistic intent
- Make cover songs new recordings – no portion of the original
- Check Content ID eligibility separately from standard distribution
Don’t:
- Use SEO-gamed titles or keyword-stuffed metadata
- Upload mass volumes of generic or formulaic content
- Fragment tracks artificially to generate extra streams
- Add artists who didn’t contribute to your release
- Assume modifying copyrighted audio removes the rights requirement
- Assume passing initial submission means permanent acceptance
Ready to Distribute the Right Way?
If you’re serious about your music, you’re already doing most of this instinctively. Our job is to make sure it’s clear, and to protect your catalogue by holding the whole ecosystem to the same standard.
Got questions about whether your release is good to go?
We read every submission, and we’re here when you need a straight answer.
Submit your release through Horus Music or get in touch with our team if you want to talk through anything before you submit.
