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 the minimum stream threshold and how does it work?
Some music distribution platforms have started requiring a track to reach a certain number of streams within a set period before earnings are transferred to the artist's account. This condition is known as the “minimum stream threshold”. In 2024 Spotify announced that tracks with fewer than 1000 streams a year would not accrue payable revenue. The problem does not stop there; some third-party distributors add a minimum payout threshold of their own on top of that.
What does raising this threshold mean for your actual earnings?
Imagine you have made 800 streams on a particular track, and your distributor's policy allowed earnings to be paid out from 500 streams, and then the distributor raised that threshold to 1500 streams. In that case:
- The earnings built up on that track stay held in the distributor's account and are not transferred to you.
- If the track does not reach the new threshold within the set period, those earnings may be returned to what is known as the “general pool” and distributed to other artists under Spotify's mechanism.
- Older tracks that have stopped growing will be hurt more than recent, active ones.
Why do the platforms raise this threshold?
The stated reasons usually include cutting the administrative cost of processing very small payments, and fighting fraud through AI-generated tracks streamed in tiny volumes to collect payouts. But the real impact falls mostly on small independent artists.
Practical steps to protect your earnings
- Read the distribution agreement before signing: Look specifically for clauses on the “minimum payout” and the “policy on returning unclaimed earnings”. These clauses sit in the terms and conditions, not on the marketing page.
- Follow your distributor's notices regularly: Any policy change should be communicated by email; do not ignore “terms update” messages.
- Focus your marketing effort on specific tracks: Instead of uploading dozens of tracks with scattered streams, focus on fewer tracks and push them past the required threshold.
- Work out the required threshold in advance: If Spotify requires 1000 streams a year and your distributor requires 500 streams to release the balance, then in practice you need to clear the higher of the two figures, which is 1000 streams.
- Choose a distributor with a clear payout policy: Some distributors do not apply a minimum of their own and pay out everything that has accumulated regardless of size — check this point explicitly before signing up.
What if your earnings are already being held?
If you find that you have an accumulated balance that has not been paid out because of a change to the threshold, take these steps:
- Contact the distributor's support and ask for a detailed statement showing the amounts held for each track.
- Ask explicitly: are those earnings being held, or have they been returned to the general pool?
- If the new policy harms you significantly, weigh the cost of moving your catalogue to another distributor against the earnings you are losing.
- Always keep a record from the Spotify for Artists dashboard so you can compare stream numbers with what the distributor reports.
An important point when choosing your distributor
It is always important to review the full terms of any distribution service to understand the payout policy in force, including the commission rate and the payout thresholds. Transparency in these clauses is a basic right for every artist.
Summary
Raising the minimum stream threshold is not just a technical number; it is a decision that can withhold earnings you made through real work. The answer is reading contracts carefully, following policy changes, and focusing your marketing effort intelligently. The informed artist is best placed to protect their financial rights.