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 problem most musicians never think about
When you choose a distribution platform and upload your songs to it, everything looks safe. But distribution platforms are commercial companies that can run into financial trouble or shut down. In that case fundamental questions arise: do your songs stay on Spotify and Apple Music? Who receives your accumulated earnings? And how do you move your catalogue before you are cut off from the platforms?
This article answers those questions directly, and gives you steps you can apply now, before the problem happens.
What happens to the songs technically?
Streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music usually do not deal with artists directly, but with the distributor. When the distributor goes bankrupt or shuts down:
- Your songs are removed from the platforms within weeks to months, because the distributor will not renew its agreements with the platforms.
- Accumulated earnings that have not been paid out may be frozen and treated as part of the bankrupt company's assets, which means you may wait a long time or not recover them in full.
- Listening data and analytics reports disappear when the dashboard shuts down.
- Ownership of the song stays with you as the original rights holder, but digital access stops.
The positive side: the intellectual property rights in your songs do not pass to the distributor simply because it goes bankrupt; you are still the owner of the original work.
Where does your money go?
When a company goes bankrupt, it enters legal proceedings that set the order of priority for paying creditors. As a musician, you are usually an unsecured creditor, which means you are at the end of the queue. In documented cases, artists did not recover their accumulated earnings in full. For that reason, do not leave large earnings accumulating in the distributor's account for long periods; withdraw them regularly.
Practical steps to protect yourself before the problem happens
- Withdraw your earnings regularly: Set a monthly or quarterly schedule for withdrawing whatever has accumulated in your account. Do not wait until you reach a particular threshold if the distributor allows free withdrawal.
- Keep complete copies of your files: Save the original high-quality audio files (WAV or FLAC) on an external hard drive and on a trusted cloud service. Do not rely on the distributor alone as storage for your files.
- Record your UPC and ISRC codes: These codes are your songs' digital identity. Keep them in a separate file. If you move to another distributor using the same codes, you preserve historical listening data on some platforms.
- Read the service agreement before signing up: Look for clauses on termination of service, liquidation of assets, and how long songs stay on the platforms after the subscription ends. Serious distributors set these points out explicitly.
- Do not put your whole catalogue with a single distributor where possible: Some distributors allow different works to be distributed through different parties, which reduces the risk.
- Follow news about your distributor: If reports of late payments or repeated complaints from other artists start to appear, take it seriously and start preparing a migration plan.
What do you do if your distributor has just declared bankruptcy?
- Document everything immediately: capture the dashboard, the earnings reports, the ISRC codes, and any official correspondence.
- Contact the distributor in writing and ask for a clear statement of the amounts owed to you.
- Find an alternative distributor and move your catalogue as soon as possible to avoid a longer absence from the platforms.
- If the amounts are substantial, consult a lawyer specialising in bankruptcy law in your country.
Why does choosing a distributor with clear terms matter to you?
At Mazufa, we make sure the terms of service are clear and that the artist keeps full rights and files at all times. But whichever distributor you choose, real protection starts with you: documenting, withdrawing earnings regularly, and keeping your own original copies.
Your music deserves serious protection. Do not wait for the problem to happen before you start thinking about it.