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 nobody talks about
Imagine opening Spotify for Artists in the morning to find that your songs have vanished from your profile, or have appeared under another artist's name, or that your follower count is back to zero. This is not a hypothetical scenario; many artists report this situation, and the most common cause is that the distributor merged their accounts or relinked them automatically without going back to them.
How does the automatic merge happen?
Spotify has an internal system that links songs to the artist profile through a unique identifier called Spotify Artist URI. When the distributor sends the release metadata, it chooses, manually or automatically, either to create a new profile or to add to an existing profile. The problem occurs in three common cases:
- An update to the distributor's platform: Some distributors update their systems and relink releases with a new mechanism that gets the artist's identity wrong.
- Duplicate artist names: If your name is shared with another artist on the platform, the system may merge the two profiles automatically.
- Migration between the distributor's accounts: If the distributor moves its library between internal administrative accounts, it can reassign the URI incorrectly.
What happens to your songs specifically?
A wrong merge does not only mean a cosmetic problem; the consequences are practical and painful:
- Historical statistics disappear: The stream, monthly listener and follower data tied to the old URI may be lost or may not transfer in full.
- Playlists break: Any playlist that includes your songs will lose the links if the URI changes, which means playback stops for listeners immediately.
- Loss of profile followers: Followers are tied to the profile, not to the songs, and when two profiles are merged or one is replaced by the other, some of them can disappear.
- Confusing the algorithm: Spotify builds its recommendations on a long history for the profile; starting from zero means the algorithm will treat you as a new artist.
- Problems with revenue: If the identifier changes and the distributor links payments to it, settlement of your earnings may be delayed or put on hold.
How do you spot the problem early?
Early detection limits the damage. Watch for these signs regularly:
- Check Spotify for Artists weekly and compare your profile link to make sure the URI has not changed.
- Save your full profile link (spotify.com/artist/XXXXX) somewhere safe and keep a periodic screenshot.
- Subscribe to Google Alerts for your artist name to catch any unexpected appearance under other profiles.
- Check the distributor's dashboard immediately after every update or new release.
Practical steps to solve the problem
If you find that a merge happened without your permission, act in this order:
- Step 1 – document everything: Take immediate screenshots of the current state, go back to your release log, and save the old URI if you have it.
- Step 2 – contact the distributor in writing: Send a formal email setting out the problem with the dates and links, and explicitly ask for the original URI to be restored.
- Step 3 – submit a request through Spotify for Artists: Use the Spotify for Artists Support tool and report a "wrong artist profile", uploading the evidence.
- Step 4 – ask for escalation: If the distributor does not respond within the period stated in its support policy, ask to speak to a supervisor and point out that the matter directly affects your revenue.
- Step 5 – consider changing distributor: Distributors that make changes to your accounts without notifying you in advance are a recurring risk to your career.
How do you protect yourself in future?
Real protection starts before the problem happens. Choose a distributor that gives you full transparency over your release metadata, that notifies you before any change to your profile, and whose terms do not permit changing a URI or relinking accounts without your explicit consent. At Mazufa, you remain the full owner of your release metadata and your profile on the platforms, and no changes are made to your distribution without your knowledge.
Your music deserves respectful management, not technical surprises that erase years of work.