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 reads on the sign-up page
The other distributor is a music distribution service that works on the annual subscription model, which means the continued presence of your music on the platforms is tied to continuing to pay the subscription. When you stop paying or cancel your subscription, your songs are automatically deleted from Spotify, Apple Music and others, and the accrued earnings you haven't withdrawn may be lost with them.
How does the subscription model work at the other distributor?
Unlike distribution services that take a share of your earnings, some distributors rely on a fixed annual fee for the basic plan with no deduction from your earnings as long as your subscription is active, and the amount of that fee is published on each distributor's pricing page and changes from time to time. The problem starts when that continuity breaks.
According to the other distributor's policy published on its official site, when the subscription expires without renewal:
- The process of pulling the songs from all streaming platforms begins within weeks.
- Any new revenue from those songs stops as soon as they are deleted.
- Earnings not withdrawn before cancellation may be at risk of being lost if the claim for them goes past certain time limits.
Why exactly do artists lose their earnings?
Streaming platforms like Spotify do not pay earnings immediately; there is usually a lag of 60 to 90 days between the date of the listen and the date the amount reaches your account at the distributor. If you cancel your subscription today, the earnings of the past two or three months have not yet reached your account at the other distributor.
Some artists cancel their subscriptions thinking they have withdrawn all their earnings, when pending amounts are still on their way. And when they try to claim them later, they find restrictions imposed on cancelled accounts.
The practical steps to protect your earnings before any decision
- Withdraw your balance first: Before cancelling any subscription, make sure you have withdrawn the full available balance in your account.
- Wait for the full payment cycle: Review the cancellation terms and the reporting and payment schedule before you stop your plan, and follow up on any late earnings until they are settled.
- Document everything: Keep records of total plays and earnings reports before cancelling.
- Contact technical support: If you know there are pending earnings, contact the other distributor's team before cancelling, not after.
- Consider the option of keeping your releases: The other distributor offers a paid option to keep your songs live after the subscription ends, called "Leave a Legacy", which is worth assessing if you have material that gets steady listens.
Is there an alternative that protects the artist from this problem?
The subscription model is not the only one on the market. Some distribution services don't tie the survival of your music to the survival of an annual subscription. Mazufa, for example, works on the fees and deductions set out in the offer and the contract, without tying the survival of the content to renewing an annual subscription, which removes that pressure from the artist.
Before choosing any distributor, read carefully the cancellation policy and what happens to accrued earnings, because these are the details that determine the nature of the relationship with the distributor.
Summary
Cancelling the other distributor's subscription is not just the press of a button; it is a decision with direct consequences for your music and your earnings. The artist who understands the payment cycle, withdraws their balance at the right time, and assesses the distribution model suited to their stage avoids losses that can be avoided.