What "publishing" actually means
There is no upload button on Spotify for artists to add a song directly. Every track you hear got there through a distributor, a service that takes your mastered audio, artwork, and metadata and delivers it to all the streaming platforms at once, then collects and pays out your royalties. Publishing your music in India means going through one of these. You do not need a record label to do it, and you keep ownership of everything.
The five steps, start to finish
- Finish and master your track. Platforms accept WAV or high-quality audio. A weak master costs you streams, so get this right before anything else.
- Prepare your metadata. Song title, artist name, songwriter and producer credits, genre, language, and cover art (3000×3000px, no blurry text). Clean metadata is what makes you searchable and payable, most first-timers get this wrong.
- Pick a distributor and upload. Choose based on how often you release and whether you want a flat fee or a revenue split. See the distributor comparison.
- Set a release date four weeks out. This window lets you pitch Spotify's editorial team through Spotify for Artists and open a pre-save, both of which need lead time.
- Register your composition with IPRS. The distributor collects your recording royalties, not your songwriting royalties. You claim those separately by registering with IPRS, money most Indian artists leave on the table.
Which platforms your music needs to be on
Indian listening is split differently from the West, so do not just chase Spotify. A good distributor delivers to all of these at once, the ones that matter here are:
- Spotify and Apple Music, where discovery and playlists happen.
- JioSaavn, Gaana, and Wynk, huge in India, especially outside metros. Confirm your distributor delivers here.
- YouTube Music and Content ID, often the biggest earner for Indian artists through ad revenue and claims on re-uploads.
- Instagram and Facebook, so people can use your track in Reels, a real discovery channel.
For a full breakdown of each, see music platforms for independent artists in India.
What it costs
You never pay Spotify or Apple. You pay the distributor, and there are two models: a flat annual fee for unlimited releases (best if you release often), or a revenue split with nothing upfront (best if your volumes are low). Some distributors have a free tier that simply takes a cut. Run your real numbers, the right choice is the cheaper one at your actual streams. Whichever you pick, a distributor takes a fee or a share, never ownership of your master or publishing.
After it is live: getting it heard
Publishing is the easy part. Getting streams is the work. Pitch curators and blogs (we track 1,100+ reviewers you can reach for free), follow a proper release plan, and understand what streams actually pay before you count on them, our royalty calculator shows you in rupees.