The release
Everything around the song, done properly.
Anyone can get a track onto Spotify. Whether it reaches anyone is decided by everything else: the artwork, the words, the credits, the campaign and the timing. Audora does that work with you, and delivery is the last step of it.
A release is a list of things done well.
- Every release gets the same plan: what's made, what's written, what's scheduled, what's still waiting
- Some of it is ours to do and some is yours, and the list says which
- Your to-dos can go in Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar, each on its date. Check one off in Audora and it gets a ✓ there too
- Art, copy, credits and the campaign are all in place before the date
- The Canvas comes made: the release's Canvas to-do turns your cover into three 8-second loops on the strongest part of the song, ready to upload in Spotify for Artists
- Delivery is one line near the bottom, because by then the work that matters is done
Everything made for the release belongs to you, with full commercial rights.
The weeks before the date are the ones that count.
- That's when people hear it's coming, the pre-saves come in and the posts are ready
- Playlist editors only consider a release they have before its date, so we build that lead time in
- Your campaign is planned backward from the date
- Albums and EPs can take pre-orders: pick a pre-order date, and fans pre-order the record and pre-add it on Apple Music, with the tracks you choose playing at once
- A release link takes pre-saves before release day and opens the release from release day on, wherever it's shared
- A private listen link lets press and radio hear the record before it's out
- Out through the same distribution network the major labels use
On any paid plan, the release, its artwork and its press copy all come out of your monthly plan. There's no yearly fee per release. See plans.
Everything the stores need, on file.
A release goes out clean when the small things are in order: every credit, art at the right size, the genre filed. Your catalog holds all of it, finished and correct, so setting the date is the last step.
| On file | What it is |
|---|---|
| Where it goes | Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Deezer, TIDAL and Pandora, and 140+ stores in all |
| Artist, albums, tracks | The structure of your catalog: singles, EPs and albums |
| Audio files | Your masters, stored as you sent them and yours to download, up to 24-bit 192 kHz. Each one also plays in the app and goes into your Promo videos |
| Versions | A clean edit, instrumental, acoustic or live take, or a remix of a song, starting from its credits, lyrics and store answers. A single holds up to three songs, each with its own audio and ISRC |
| ISRC and UPC | The codes stores use to track the recording and the release. Audora creates your ISRCs and they're yours to keep |
| Credits | Who wrote it, played on it and produced it, down to the arranger and the mastering engineer, and the order the artists are billed in, delivered with the metadata |
| Royalty splits | Who shares in what the release earns, and how much. Each collaborator is invited by email, and Audora pays each person their share |
| Genre, mood and technical details | What the stores need to file the track correctly |
| Cover art | Final art with your logo placed on it, sized for submission and yours with full commercial rights |
| The stores' rules | The cover, the audio and the credits, checked before you submit so the release goes out once. The words on your cover are checked against the release's title and artist name. Link your Spotify and Apple Music artist pages and the release lands on your page, even when another artist shares your name |
We take nothing from your royalties on any plan. If you cancel and we keep your music distributed, we recover only our distribution costs from what it earns. Everything above that is still paid to you.
Switching from another distributor.
Your released records come in for you, each release with its cover and date and each track with its ISRC, so your catalog is complete here from day one. Then press Move to Audora on any of them. Audora delivers it in the right order: here first, the old copy taken down second, so your music never goes dark.
- The same recordings with the same ISRCs, so your streams and playlist places stay with the song
- The original release date, so the stores keep showing it as out since then
- A single moves on its own; an EP or album moves as one record
- Two weeks after it's live with Audora, we tell you it's time to take the old copy down at DistroKid, TuneCore or wherever it is, and we check that it's gone
- A move costs what a release costs
Step-by-step: how to switch distributors without losing streams · DistroKid alternatives · who owns your ISRCs
Music distribution, answered.
Why does a release take three weeks?
Three weeks is the editorial window. Spotify's playlist editors only consider a release that's delivered before its date, so we build that time in and use it for your campaign. In a hurry? You can pick a date from one week out.
Can fans pre-order my album?
Yes, for albums and EPs. Set an optional pre-order date in the release form: fans can pre-order the record and pre-add it on Apple Music, and the tracks you choose play at once while the pre-order runs. Singles go out on their release day.
Where will my music be available?
Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Deezer, TIDAL and Pandora, and 140+ stores in all , delivered in one go through the same distribution network the major labels use. Distribution is available on the paid plans.
Who owns what I release?
You do. Your masters stay yours, and every image, bio and piece of cover art you make here is yours with full commercial rights. Releases go out with Audora as your label, which gives us no ownership and no cut of an active artist's royalties. Audora creates the ISRCs for your recordings and they're yours to keep, so your streams and playlists move with you if you ever leave.
When do I get paid?
Streams earn royalties on each platform's own reporting schedule (typically a few months behind the streams themselves) and are paid out under the distribution terms. We take nothing from your royalties on any plan. If you cancel and we keep your music distributed, we recover only our distribution costs from what it earns. Everything above that is still paid to you.
Can I change a release after I send it?
Yes. While it is with us, take it back: it becomes a draft again, what you paid for it carries over, and you send it again when it's ready.
What if a store asks for a change?
You get an email, and the ask waits on the song, at the field it is about. Make the change, then press Done, send it back. We pass it on to the stores.
Can I move music that's already out through another distributor?
Yes. Bring your released music in, then press Move to Audora on the record. Audora delivers it with its ISRCs and its original release date, and two weeks after it's live with Audora we tell you to take the old copy down. Your plays and playlist places stay with the recording.
Who delivers my music?
The Orchard, the distribution network major-label releases go through. That's distribution, not a record deal: your release stays yours, Audora is the label of record only because stores require one, and releasing this way doesn't sign you to any label. Beyond delivery: We watch what's performing and put our best artists in front of the industry.