Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about distributing your music with Universal Sound Group.
Good to know.
How do I distribute my music to Spotify, Apple Music and other platforms?
Log in to the Universal Sound Group portal with your access code, fill in your release details, upload your WAV or FLAC audio, lyrics and 3000 x 3000 cover art, choose your genres, platforms and countries, then submit. Our team reviews it and delivers it to the stores.
Do I keep my rights and masters?
Yes. You keep 100% of your rights. Universal Sound Group distributes and protects your music, it does not take ownership of it.
How do I get paid and what does Universal Sound Group keep?
Every artist has a revenue share agreed with Universal Sound Group. Monthly store statements are imported into the portal, and each artist sees streams, countries, platforms, gross earnings, the USG share and their own payout.
Which platforms do you deliver to?
Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, TIDAL, Deezer, Pandora, SoundCloud, Snapchat and more, 150+ stores and services in total, including regional services across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.
What is YouTube Content ID and how do I stop my own channels being claimed?
Content ID finds videos that use your recording and lets you earn the ad revenue, track the views or block the video. Add the artist channels and any partner channels to the allowlist so they are never claimed.
What is a YouTube Topic channel and an Official Artist Channel?
When your music reaches YouTube Music, YouTube creates an "Artist - Topic" channel for it. An Official Artist Channel merges that Topic channel with the artist's own channel. We prepare and submit the request. YouTube makes the final decision.
Can you distribute music videos?
Yes. Link the artist's YouTube channel to Universal Sound Group and we distribute and manage the videos through the label, with scheduling, privacy, descriptions, tags, thumbnails and analytics in one dashboard.
Can I stop a song from being available in certain countries?
Yes. For every release you can choose worldwide, worldwide except selected countries, or only selected countries. Your choices are sent to every store as excluded territories.
Do you pitch songs to playlists?
The portal helps you write and track pitches for Spotify editorial playlists and YouTube Music, with deadlines and a ready-to-send pitch. Playlist placement is decided by the platforms and curators.
What cover art do I need?
Square cover art at exactly 3000 x 3000 pixels, in JPG or PNG. The portal checks the size the moment you upload it.
Do you deliver lyrics to Apple Music and Instagram?
Yes. Lyrics are required with every track unless it is an instrumental. You can also add time-synced lyrics for Apple Music, Instagram and TikTok.
How long does it take for my song to go live?
Delivery is typically about 48 hrs after approval, but each store sets its own review time. We recommend submitting at least 14 days before your release date.
Can I white-label this platform for my own company?
Yes. The platform can run under another company's name, domain and colors. See our white-label page or contact us.