Uploading your music on UnitedMasters is simple and fast! Before uploading your music, please ensure you set up your Wallet for payment. You can read this helpful article for more information on Wallet Basics.
Once you have ensured your Wallet is set up, you can click 'Release Music' on the left-hand side of the screen to get started!
If this is your first time releasing through UnitedMasters, you'll see a pop-up which explains the basics of using the upload tool and distributing through UnitedMasters. This pop-up also includes a helpful explanation of our team's role in the process - namely, identifying any potential issues and sending your release back for edits if need be.
Once you complete this pop-up, it won't appear again automatically, but you can access it anytime by clicking 'LEARN ABOUT MUSIC DISTRIBUTION' in the top-right hand corner of the screen.
GETTING STARTED
From here, you can begin to upload your release! Begin by entering the release title and genre. Please be advised that we have a metadata watchlist, which flags any names or titles that may be connected to a popular artist - if your title matches an item on the list, your release may be stopped.
You can then enter a record label if you'd like, but please be advised that entering the name of a popular label will likely result in your release being rejected until you can provide proof that you are signed to that label. If you don't enter anything in the record label field, it will be automatically filled in with your artist name.
Then, select whether the release is new or a re-release. If it is a re-release, you can enter the existing UPC for the release to help ensure any existing streaming data transfers over! With a re-release, the upload tool will also ask for the project's original release date.
Next, it's time to upload your cover art! You can upload your cover art by dragging and dropping a photo into the cover art space, or by clicking 'UPLOAD COVER ART'. Please be sure to follow the tips included on the upload screen to ensure your art can be accepted by streaming services.
Then, click 'Next' to head to the next step!
ADDING TRACKS
Next, the upload tool will prompt you to upload your audio files. Like your cover art, you can upload music by dragging and dropping the file into the box, or by clicking 'UPLOAD AUDIO FILES'. Be sure to follow the tips to ensure a smooth release process!
Once you've uploaded your first track, the tool will expand and you can upload further tracks, if the planned release is an album or EP!
After uploading all of your audio files, click 'NEXT' to move forward.
TRACK DETAILS
Next, it's time to fill in the details for each individual track. You can start on the left-hand side, where you can select a price for music streaming stores such as iTunes, select which track you'd like to edit, and add additional tracks!
Once you've selected a track on the left-hand side, the details for that individual track will appear. First, you'll want to fill in the track title - if you're only releasing one track (and not an EP or album), the track title should be the same as the release title from the first step. The information you'll see in this section is as follows:
CONTAINS 3RD PARTY AUDIO - if you've purchased a beat or used any samples in your track, we'll need a license for the audio in order to approve the release. If you select 'YES', you'll have the option to add the license in the upload tool!
EXPLICIT CONTENT - here, you'll select whether the track includes explicit content. If 'NO', the tool will ask if the track is a radio edit (meaning that there is profanity in the original track, but it has been censored for this particular upload). If that's the case, select 'YES' for radio edit, and the track will be released as a clean version - if the track originally contains no profanity, select 'NO' for radio edit, and the track will be marked as not explicit.
INSTRUMENTAL/NO LYRICS - choose 'YES' if the track is instrumental, and 'NO' if the track contains lyrics!
ADD ISRC - if this track has an existing ISRC (e.g. if it's a re-release of a song that has been distributed before), you can add it here! If not, no worries - one will be automatically assigned.
SONGWRITER/COMPOSER - here, you'll enter the names of any songwriters on the track. Be sure to enter them on separate lines - if there are multiple songwriters, add one name at a time, and click 'ADD ADDITIONAL SONGWRITER' to include multiple names.
FEATURED ARTIST - if this track features any other artists, enter their names here! Like songwriter/composer, please be sure to click 'ADD ADDITIONAL FEATURED ARTIST' if you'd like to add multiple features on the track.
PRODUCERS - if you'd like to add any producer names, add them here!
PRICE (FOR THIS TRACK / FOR MUSIC STORES) - this tool will allow you to select a price for the individual track on music stores such as iTunes.
Once you've filled in this information for each track on your release, click 'NEXT' to proceed!
SPLIT PAY
The next screen will allow you to split royalties with other collaborators. If you have an agreement to split royalties with anyone else, UnitedMasters can pay them directly! For more information on how Split Pay works, visit this section of our help site.
MASTERING
Next, you can choose to master your tracks with our offering powered by Roex! Each track costs a one-time fee of $4.99 to master, and mastering can enhance and balance the quality of your sound.
If you choose to master your tracks, you can click 'PURCHASE MASTERED TRACKS' at the bottom right of the screen to enter your card details for the purchase!
If your tracks have already been mastered, or you'd like to pass on the offering, no worries - just click 'SKIP MASTERING' at the bottom right. You're almost finished uploading your music!
CHOOSE A RELEASE DATE
The last step before submission is choosing a release date for your music! Here are the review timelines for each level of UnitedMasters membership.
- As a SELECT member, our team will review your release within 2 business days.
- As a DEBUT+ member, our team will review your release within 5 business days.
- As a DEBUT member, our team will review your release within 10 business days, and a release date will be automatically selected for you upon submission.
Though we do stick to these review timelines, please be advised that streaming services can take some extra time to ingest the data of your release into their systems. Therefore, regardless of your UM membership, we recommend that you submit your music at least three weeks in advance of your preferred release date. This allows our team time to review, allows you time to make any edits if they are requested by our team, and allows DSP systems to ingest the data well before your release goes live. Submitting the release early will result in a smoother process, and a higher likelihood that your release will go live on your preferred date.
Once you've selected a release date, click 'NEXT' to head to the final step!
SUBMITTING YOUR RELEASE
Lastly, it's time to submit your release for review by our team!
You can review the details for the release, as well as each individual track, on this screen. Please double-check that you've entered all of the information correctly, and followed the specifications we set out for you - these specifications are determined by DSP standards, so ensuring you've followed them closely will make it easier for our team to deliver your release to DSPs as soon as possible!
Finally, we'll need you to check a few boxes to confirm that you're following our Terms of Service for this submission. In this section, you'll agree that you have the rights to submit all content included in the release for commercial use, that you recognize that any streams deemed artificial could result in deductions from your royalty payments, and that you agree with our Terms & Conditions.
After agreeing to these terms, click 'SUBMIT' in the bottom right-hand corner.
CONGRATULATIONS! You have successfully submitted a release on UnitedMasters! Per the above information, our team will review the release on the appropriate timeline for your membership level, and let you know if any changes are required before we can approve and deliver the release to streaming services. You'll receive a notification once the release has been reviewed - if further changes are required, you can make the edits in your account and resubmit. If the release is approved, you're all set to go live on your selected release date!
If you have any questions about the release process, or anything else, don't hesitate to submit a request for support.
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