Prepare the master
Export the final mix as an uncompressed WAV file — the standard is 24-bit / 48kHz. Listen to the file all the way through, from beginning to end, on headphones and on a phone speaker. Check the start and the end for clicks, and don't leave extra silence at either end.
Cover art that passes review
Your cover art travels with the release to every store. The spec is 3000×3000 pixels, RGB. Keep text minimal and readable at thumbnail size, and avoid platform logos, account handles, prices and links — stores reject cover art that carries them.
Metadata and codes
Metadata is how the world finds you: an artist name spelled the same way on every release, the real title with no decoration, and the correct language and genre tags. The codes — ISRC for the recording and UPC for the release — are assigned during preparation; you don't need to buy them anywhere.
Choose the release date
Give yourself room. A date several weeks out leaves space for review, delivery and pitching before day one. Line the date up with anything you control — a video, a show, a run of posts — so the release lands with support behind it rather than alone.
Request your invite
Mazufa works by invitation only. Completed applications enter a human review queue as capacity allows. Submitting does not create an account; those accepted may receive a dedicated preparation invite.
After acceptance
After preparation, your release is packaged to spec and delivered to every platform, and its data is pitched to the appropriate editorial and algorithmic surfaces. From there, watch your dashboard: streams, saves and playlist adds, per platform and per country.
The fingerprint code every recording carries — it tracks streams and earnings worldwide.
Your release barcode — one per single, EP or album.
Digital service provider — Spotify, Apple Music, Anghami and every store on earth.
The question that worries every artist before changing distributor
You built a base of followers on Apple Music after months or years of work, then decided to change distributor or take your catalog down temporarily. The logical question: do those follows disappear? The short answer is “it depends how you do it”, and the full answer is in this article.
How does the follow system work on Apple Music?
When a listener taps “Follow” on your artist page on Apple Music, that follow is linked to your Apple Music Artist ID, an internal identifier that Apple creates automatically the first time your content is uploaded through any approved distributor. This identifier is completely separate from the distributor itself.
Scenario one: changing distributor while keeping the same ISRC and UPC
This is the best scenario. If you move from one distributor to another and keep the same ISRC code for each track and the same UPC code for the album, Apple Music will usually link the new release to your existing artist page. In practice:
- The follows stay as they are, with no loss.
- Reviews and ratings stay attached to the album if the UPC matches.
- The songs stay in listeners' playlists, with less risk of interruption.
Scenario two: deleting the entire catalog and re-uploading it with new codes
This is where the real problem starts. When you delete your releases and re-upload them with different ISRC or UPC codes, Apple Music treats the content as entirely new releases. What happens in practice:
- Apple may create a separate new artist page, especially if the artist name or its spelling has changed.
- The follows attached to the old page do not transfer automatically to the new page.
- Songs saved in listeners' libraries become unavailable and appear greyed out.
- Songs in listeners' playlists disappear or are replaced by an error message.
Scenario three: the gap between the two distributors
Even if you keep the ISRC, if there is a period in which the content is removed from Apple Music before it appears through the new distributor, days or weeks may pass with the songs unavailable. During this period:
- The follows do not disappear, because they are attached to the artist page and not to the release.
- But new listeners will not find your content, which stops follower growth.
- The algorithm may reduce recommendations of your page during this period.
Practical steps to protect your followers when changing distributor
- Keep the same ISRC codes: Before leaving your current distributor, export a list of every ISRC code for your releases and make sure the new distributor uses them exactly.
- Keep the same UPC codes: If the old distributor issued the codes in your name, you can move them. If they are the distributor's property, you will need new codes and you will lose the release data attached to them.
- Do not delete the content before it is ready with the new distributor: Send the catalog to the new distributor first, wait until the songs appear on Apple Music, then ask the old distributor to remove its copies.
- Contact Apple Music for Artists: If two pages appear under your name, you can request that they be merged through the Apple Music for Artists portal or through your distributor.
- Tell your audience in advance: Let your followers know on your social networks that the content may disappear temporarily and will be back soon.
A final piece of advice
Prevention is far easier than a cure. Before any decision to change distributor, plan the move carefully: document every code, set the dates precisely, and make sure the new distributor supports you in moving the data. At Mazufa, ISRC and UPC codes always belong to the artist, which makes the move less risky for your catalog and your audience.