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.
Why do these forms matter to you at all?
When you put your music on Spotify or Apple Music through any distributor, you are dealing with American companies subject to US tax law. That law requires these companies to withhold a percentage of your earnings and send it to the US tax authority (IRS) — unless you give them an official document proving your tax status. That document is either W-8BEN if you live outside the United States, or W-9 if you live in it.
The problem is that many distribution platforms ask you to fill in this form while you are creating your account without explaining what you are signing or what deductions follow from it.
The difference between W-8BEN and W-9 in plain terms
- W-9: For US citizens or US tax residents. You give the platform your US tax number and take on responsibility for filing your own tax return in the United States.
- W-8BEN: For non-residents of the United States. It proves you are resident in another country, and may reduce or remove the withholding rate based on a tax treaty between your country and the United States.
What happens if you do not fill in the form?
If you ignore the form or are late submitting it, most distribution platforms will automatically withhold 30% of your earnings and send it to the IRS as backup withholding (Backup Withholding). That means you could lose a third of your music income without knowing why.
What do the platforms not say clearly?
Based on the information publicly available in these services' help centres, here is what is usually missing from the front end:
- The withholding rate is not uniform: It varies with the type of income (performance royalties, mechanical royalties and others) and with the double taxation treaty between your country and the United States.
- The form has a limited validity: W-8BEN is valid for three years only and then needs renewing, and some platforms do not alert you when it expires.
- Withholding does not mean you are done: In some cases you may also be required to file a tax return in your own country, because the tax withheld in the United States may not be credited automatically there.
- Identity verification can be delayed: If the system rejects your form for technical reasons and your account stays without an approved form, withholding starts at the maximum rate immediately.
Practical steps to protect your earnings
- Step 1 — establish your status: If you live outside the United States and have no US tax residency, your form is the W-8BEN.
- Step 2 — look up the double taxation treaty: Check your country's ministry of finance website or the IRS website to find out whether a treaty exists between your country and the United States, and what reduced withholding rate results from it.
- Step 3 — fill in the form accurately: Enter your name as it appears in your passport, your country of tax residence, and your permanent address. Any error can invalidate the form.
- Step 4 — keep a copy: Save the form you submitted and the date it was accepted, as you may need it when reviewing your accounts or dealing with your financial adviser.
- Step 5 — watch the expiry date: Set a reminder after two and a half years to renew the form before it expires.
- Step 6 — consult a tax specialist: This article is for general awareness only, and is not legal or tax advice. If your music income is significant, consult a specialist in international income tax.
Mazufa and the question of tax
At Mazufa, we believe an artist should understand the whole path their earnings take — from the first stream on the service to the amount that reaches their bank account. So we make a point of explaining the tax requirements at sign-up, because an agreed revenue share is worth nothing if a third of it is withheld elsewhere without your knowledge.
If you have a specific question about your form or your tax status, talk to our support team or use a licensed tax adviser in your country.