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.
What is double taxation on music earnings?
When your song is streamed on Spotify or Apple Music in a foreign country, that country may deduct tax from your earnings before they reach you. Then your own country taxes you again on the same income. This is double taxation, and it is a real problem facing many independent artists who distribute their music globally without knowing that part of their income is being taken twice.
The good news is that many countries have signed “double taxation avoidance agreements” (Double Tax Treaties / DTTs) with one another, and these treaties may reduce the withholding rate or remove it entirely — but in most cases you do not benefit from them automatically.
How does the withholding actually happen?
Streaming services work through digital distributors, and when revenue is transferred from a given country, some countries apply a withholding tax on intellectual property royalty payments. For example, the United States imposes a withholding rate that can reach 30% on non-American artists who have not completed the correct tax paperwork, according to what the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) publishes on its website. Countries such as Japan, Canada and South Korea also apply their own withholding rates on intellectual property royalties.
What are double taxation avoidance agreements?
They are bilateral treaties between two countries that set out which of them has the right to tax a particular type of income, and at what rate. For music royalties, most of these treaties provide for reducing the withholding rate or cancelling it if the artist proves tax residency in the other contracting country.
To check whether a treaty exists between your country and any other country, you can consult the tax treaty database published by the OECD on its official site, or check your own country's tax authority website directly.
Form W-8BEN: an important step for artists distributing in the US
After reviewing the data, the offer sets out the available destinations and the revenue share, services, rights and deductions before the contract.
Practical steps to avoid double taxation
- Check with your digital distributor: Ask your distributor whether it collects tax information from you and which forms are required. Some distributors ask for this information at sign-up.
- Complete form W-8BEN if you are targeting the US market: Make sure to update it every three years, as the IRS instructions require.
- Keep a tax residency document from your country: A certificate issued by your country's tax authority proving that you are a tax resident there; it is an essential document in any refund claim.
- Register your works with the performing rights organisation (PRO) in your country: These societies exchange payments internationally through a network of organisations including CISAC, and being affiliated with an accredited society makes it easier to collect your earnings from other countries.
- Review your statements regularly: Compare what you should be collecting with what actually reached you. Large gaps may point to a deduction you did not notice.
- Consult an accountant who specialises in artist taxation: If your earnings generate meaningful income, or you are active in multiple markets, professional advice remains the legally safest option.
How do you reclaim tax that has already been withheld?
If you discover that tax was withheld at a higher rate than the treaty allows, you are generally entitled to file a refund claim. The procedure differs from country to country, but the general path involves: collecting the withholding documents from your distributor, obtaining a tax residency certificate from your country, then filing the claim with the tax authority of the country that withheld from you within the statutory deadline, which generally ranges from one to three years from the date of withholding. Some countries allow this claim to be filed online.
Summary
Double taxation is not an unavoidable fate; it is usually the result of incomplete paperwork that can be corrected. Learn the tax requirements before distributing your music internationally, complete the required forms with your distributor, and review your statements regularly. And if your tax affairs are getting more complex, do not hesitate to bring in a specialist.