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 sign up to a music distribution platform, you are not just uploading your songs; you are also handing over a bundle of data with them: your real name, your email, your bank account or e-wallet details, the ISRC and UPC codes of your tracks, and your listening stats. If the distributor sells this data to a third party, the fallout can range from minor annoyance to harm to your financial rights.
What actually gets sold?
The data can be divided into three categories:
- Identity data: Your name, your nationality, your address, and your account identifiers. Selling them opens the door to nuisance marketing messages or attempted fraud.
- Performance data: Play counts, audience characteristics, the geographic regions that listen most. Marketing companies buy this information to target artists with dubious promotional offers or "guaranteed promotion" tools.
- Rights data: ISRC codes and track ownership. Selling or leaking them can put your legal rights at risk if they are used to file fake ownership claims.
Common scenarios and the resulting harm
Here is the main thing that can happen when your data is sold:
- Marketing bombardment: You start receiving offers from stream-boosting services or PR agencies you never contacted, because your contact details have ended up in commercial databases.
- Discriminatory pricing: Some advertising platforms buy performance data to know in advance how much you need promotion, then quote you higher prices accordingly.
- False ownership claims: Leaking ISRC data to dishonest parties may be used to file false Content ID claims on platforms such as YouTube, which can freeze your earnings for a period of time.
- Reselling to competitors: Another distributor may buy your data to target you with messages pushing you to switch when your agreement comes up for renewal.
How do you know whether your distributor is selling your data?
There is no direct way to verify it, but there are signs worth paying attention to:
- Read the privacy policy carefully, and look for phrases such as "we share your data with trusted partners" without a clear definition of who those partners are.
- Check that there is an explicit opt-out to stop marketing data being shared.
- Notice whether you are receiving marketing messages from parties you did not sign up with directly after registering for the service.
- Search the forums and music communities for other artists' experiences with the same distributor.
Practical steps to protect yourself
- Use a dedicated email address: Create a separate email address for distribution platforms; that way you know immediately where your data leaked from if unwanted messages start.
- Do not enter banking details unless it is necessary: Use intermediary e-wallets such as PayPal or Payoneer instead of your direct bank account wherever the platform allows it.
- Register your works with the relevant rights bodies: Registering with bodies such as ASCAP or SOCAN or the authors' societies in your country gives you an extra layer of legal protection that makes any false ownership claim harder to succeed.
- Keep a copy of your ISRC codes: Write down all the codes in a file of your own outside the platform, so you are not hostage to a single distributor.
- Review the terms of service before signing: If you find a clause granting the distributor an unlimited right to "analyse and use" your data, that is a point to negotiate or a reason to look for an alternative.
What do you do if you discover your data has been sold?
If you arrive at reasonable evidence that your distributor shared your data without your explicit permission, here is the course of action:
- Contact the distributor in writing and demand a formal explanation of how your data is used.
- File a complaint with the data protection authority in your country or in the country where the company was established. Companies operating in Europe are subject to the GDPR, which gives you the right of access and erasure.
- Start withdrawing your works and moving them to another distributor if the agreement allows that without penalties.
- Change your login details and all the information linked to the account as soon as you decide to leave.