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?
In recent years, investment firms have bought stakes in a number of digital music distribution companies. To the average artist this looks like distant news, but the consequences can reach right through to their songs on Spotify and other platforms. Understanding what happens behind the scenes gives you the ability to make better decisions before the problem arrives.
What actually changes when the distributor is sold?
When your music distributor sells a stake in its company or merges it with another entity, your songs on Spotify do not change immediately, but three fundamental things enter grey territory:
- Your legal contract: The contract you signed with the original distributor may transfer automatically to the new entity, including any terms you did not previously pay attention to.
- Your financial accounts: The mechanisms and schedules for paying out earnings may change, and there may be a transition period in which payments are late.
- Track metadata and ISRC codes: In some merger cases, artist data was moved between different systems, which caused metadata errors or a temporary break in availability.
Do your songs disappear from the platforms?
In most cases the songs do not disappear immediately, because the technical relationship with Spotify stays in place through the same account. But there are documented scenarios in the industry that led to:
- Temporary suspension of some content while databases were migrated.
- Songs deleted because of a conflict in ownership data between the old system and the new one.
- Loss of historical listening data, or its reset.
- Delays in matching earnings to the right songs.
These are documented risks worth paying attention to, not inevitabilities in every case.
What are your legal rights in this situation?
The answer depends first on what your contract says. So do the following:
- Read the assignment clause: Most distribution contracts include a clause allowing the distributor to transfer the contract to a third party without needing your consent. If that clause is there, you are legally bound to the new entity.
- Check the early termination clause: Some contracts give you the right to terminate the agreement if ownership of the company changes materially.
- Document everything: Keep copies of your contracts, your earnings statements and your ISRC codes before any change.
Practical steps to protect your songs
- Register ISRC codes in your own name: If you can obtain ISRC codes registered directly to you or to your brand, that gives you an extra layer of protection that stays with you regardless of the distributor.
- Keep the original audio files and their metadata: The original file in WAV or FLAC quality with complete metadata makes redistributing through another party straightforward.
- Track your earnings regularly: Compare the listening numbers on Spotify for Artists with the payments you receive. Any unexplained gap calls for taking it up with the distributor directly.
- Do not distribute everything through a single party: Some artists distribute their catalogues across more than one distributor to reduce the risk of depending on a single party.
- Read any notice you receive from the distributor carefully: Notices about "updated terms of service" or "a change in policy" are often tied to acquisition deals.
How do you choose a lower-risk distributor from the start?
When choosing your music distributor, look for these qualities:
- Full transparency in the contract terms, with the fees and deductions set out in the offer and the contract.
- A clear policy that keeps ownership of your codes and your rights in your hands.
- The ability to end the service and pull your songs at any time without penalties.
- A stable business model that does not depend on successive funding rounds that could lead to the company being sold.
At Mazufa, we believe the artist should have full control over their music and its data at any time, and that is one of the foundations we built our model on.
Summary
A distributor selling its stake is not necessarily a disaster, but it is a moment you should be ready for. Read your contract, document your data, track your earnings continuously, and make sure ownership of your music stays in your hands however the commercial parties around you change.