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 are public performance rights?
Every time your song is played in a restaurant, broadcast on radio, or appears in a playlist on Spotify or Apple Music, you are owed a payment. That payment is called public performance rights, and it is a legal right guaranteed to the composer, the lyricist and the publisher.
This money does not reach you automatically. You have to register your works with a specialised rights society in order to collect it. If you don't, the revenue stays pending or is distributed to other parties.
Who collects these rights?
Rights societies known as PROs (Performance Rights Organizations) monitor the use of songs and collect revenue from stations, platforms and public venues, then distribute it to their registered members.
The main societies worldwide:
- ASCAP, BMI and SESAC in the United States
- PRS for Music in the United Kingdom
- SOCAN in Canada
- CISAC is the international confederation that links these societies to one another
- In Arab countries, the presence and effectiveness of these societies varies from one country to another, and the landscape is still developing
If you are an Arab artist targeting a global audience, registering with ASCAP or BMI is the most widely used and most practically useful option at present.
The practical steps to register
Follow these steps in order:
- Choose one society only: You cannot be affiliated with more than one society at the same time as a writer. Compare ASCAP and BMI on fees and benefits before you choose.
- Create a writer account (Writer): Register your personal details on the society's official site. ASCAP charges a registration fee, while BMI is free for writers.
- Register a publisher account if you need one (Publisher): If you publish your music yourself, you can set up a publishing entity in your own name or your company's name to collect the publisher's share as well.
- Register each song separately: Add each song under its full title, specifying precisely the rights share of every contributor (writer, composer and publisher).
- Add the ISRC for each recording: The ISRC is the international identifier for a sound recording, and you usually get it from your digital distributor. It helps the societies track listens accurately.
- Add the ISWC for the composition: This identifier belongs to the composition itself, and in most cases the society assigns it at registration.
What happens after registration?
The society starts monitoring the use of your songs through technologies such as audio fingerprinting and reports from stations and platforms. Once your revenue passes the minimum payout threshold, the amounts are transferred to your bank account, or via PayPal at some societies.
Distribution is usually quarterly or twice a year, so don't expect to receive the money as soon as you publish.
Important tips
- Register your song with the society before you release it or as soon as you do, not months later, so you don't lose early revenue.
- Make sure the split between contributors is correct, because an error in it can cause disputes later.
- If you distribute through Mazufa, you get an ISRC automatically for every song, which is what you need when registering with the society.
- Register with the society that covers the market you are targeting first, and the reciprocal agreements between international societies will collect your rights from the other markets.
- Keep a copy of your songwriting agreements with any co-writer, because the society may ask for them in the event of a dispute.
Summary
Public performance rights are a core part of any professional musician's income. Registering with the right rights society doesn't take long, and the return from it can continue for the life of the song. Register your works as soon as you release them, and don't leave your rights pending.