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 does this matter to you?
Many Arab artists discover too late that the distributor they work with has changed their account settings, whether the currency or the country of registration, without any prior notice. This change is not limited to a technical effect; it has direct consequences for your earnings, your presence on Spotify, and your identity as an artist within the platform.
What actually changes on Spotify?
When the distributor changes your country or currency in the back end, several effects follow:
- The payout rate per stream: Spotify calculates earnings based on the market linked to the account. Changing the country can mean moving from a market with a high payout rate to a lower one, and that is reflected directly in your monthly earnings statement.
- The payment and conversion currency: If the currency registered on your account with the distributor changes, your earnings may be subject to different exchange rates or extra conversion fees that were not there before.
- Geographic availability of the songs: In some cases, the country settings affect the markets in which your songs are available, especially if the distributor ties the territorial distribution settings to the account profile.
- Spotify for Artists data: The geographic breakdown of listening in the dashboard can be affected, which distorts the picture of your real audience for you and for any marketing party you work with.
- Withholding tax: Some countries apply a withholding tax on music payments. Changing the account's country can put you within a different tax bracket without your knowledge.
Why do distributors do this?
The reasons are not always deliberate, but they remain unacceptable when they happen without notice. The most common reasons:
- The distributor restructuring its operations and moving an entire user base to a legal entity in another country.
- Updates to the payment system that require unifying the settlement currency.
- Compliance with legal or tax requirements in the distributor's country, not in yours.
- Data migration errors when the account management platform changes.
How do you spot that the change has happened?
Many artists don't notice the change until weeks later. Here are the early warning signs:
- A sudden drop in earnings despite stream counts holding steady or rising.
- A change in the payment currency on the monthly statement.
- New conversion fees appearing that were not there before.
- An email notice from the distributor mentioning an "account update" in vague terms.
- A discrepancy in the geographic listening data inside Spotify for Artists.
Practical steps to protect yourself
Don't wait until you notice the problem. These are preventive measures you can take now:
- Read the terms and conditions in full: Look specifically for the clauses on changing the payment currency or the country of registration, and whether the distributor is obliged to notify you in advance.
- Review your earnings statements monthly: Compare the earnings rate per thousand streams month by month; any sharp deviation is worth investigating.
- Document your current account settings: Save a screenshot of your country, your currency and the payment details registered in the distributor's dashboard, with a clear date.
- Contact the distributor in writing as soon as you discover any change: Email is better than chat because it creates a formal record.
- Ask for a detailed earnings report: It should show the number of streams, the market, and the payout rate for each market separately.
- Know your right to move your music: Most distributors allow a catalogue transfer, but check the advance-notice terms and the time limits in your contract.
What should any distributor you trust have?
When choosing a distributor or assessing your current distributor, these are the basic transparency criteria:
- Documented advance notice of any change to the payment terms, the currency or the country.
- Detailed earnings statements that clearly show the markets and the payout rates.
- A clear policy for transferring the catalogue with no penalty and no withholding of earnings.
- Support that answers your questions within a reasonable time.
At Mazufa, we believe the artist deserves to know exactly where their earnings go and how they are calculated.