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 should this matter to you?
When you hand your music to a digital distributor, the relationship looks simple: you pay or give up a percentage, and the distributor puts your songs on Spotify, Apple Music and others. But behind that simplicity lies an important legal fact: the distributor is a company that can be sold and acquired, and what happens to its ownership may affect the future of your music.
What actually changes when a new investor comes in?
A sale of shares does not necessarily mean immediate disaster, but it opens several doors that may affect your account, your earnings and even whether your songs remain on the platforms. Here are the most common scenarios:
- A change to the commission structure: The new investor may push the company to raise commission rates or add new fees, unless your contract expressly prevents it.
- A change to the payment policy: Payout cycles may stretch from monthly to quarterly, or minimum withdrawal thresholds may be added where there were none before.
- A merger or full acquisition: If an investor buys a controlling stake and later sells the company to a third party, you may find yourself distributed by a company you never signed a direct contract with.
- A shutdown of the service or liquidation: If the company fails financially after the deal, your music may be pulled from the platforms without adequate notice.
What happens to your songs on Spotify specifically?
Spotify does not deal with the artist directly in most cases, but with the distributor that holds the contractual relationship with it. That means any disruption to the distributor's position is reflected in your list of songs:
- If the distributor ceases operating or loses its agreement with Spotify, your music is removed from the platform until you redistribute it through another distributor.
- The accumulated streaming statistics on your artist profile usually stay, but deleted songs lose their place in the recommendation algorithms.
- The ISRC and UPC codes tied to your current distribution may need to be reissued with the new distributor if you do not own them independently.
How do you protect yourself before the problem happens?
Real protection starts before you sign any distribution contract, not after you hear the acquisition news. Here are practical steps:
- Read the assignment clause: Look in your contract for phrases such as "Assignment of Agreement" or "Change of Control". This clause determines whether the distributor has the right to transfer its obligations to another party without your consent.
- Own your ISRC and UPC codes: Make sure these codes are registered in your name or that you can extract them, because they let you redistribute while reducing the risk of losing the song's digital identity.
- Keep copies of all your distribution data: Download the earnings reports and statistics from the distributor's dashboard regularly, because they may disappear when the company does.
- Follow the news about your distributor: Acquisitions and mergers are usually announced on the specialist sites, and following them gives you enough time to act.
- Choose a distributor that gives you full control of your files: Some distributors let you pull your music and move it at any time with no fees or restrictions.
What do you do if you learn that a sale is under way right now?
If your distributor announces an investment or acquisition deal, act immediately with the following steps:
- Check your contract for the notice period required to terminate the service.
- Start looking for an alternative distributor and set up a backup account.
- Contact the distributor's support team directly and ask in writing about the deal's effect on your contract.
- Do not pull your music before you are sure the alternative distributor is ready to receive it, because the gap between the two distributions means the songs are temporarily absent from the platforms.
Summary
Your music is a set of digital assets tied to a web of contractual relationships. Understanding what happens behind the scenes when your distributor's ownership structure changes gives you the ability to act at the right moment. Real independence for an artist starts with reading the contract before signing it.