To release a song on Apple Music from India, you upload your track to a music distributor, add your song details and cover art, choose a release date, and the distributor delivers it to Apple Music for you. Like Spotify, Apple Music doesn't accept uploads directly from individual artists — you go through an approved distributor. The whole process takes about 10 minutes, plus a 1–2 week lead time before release.
The flow mirrors our Spotify release guide — most distributors push to both platforms in a single upload.
What you need before you start
- Your mastered track as a WAV file (16-bit or 24-bit).
- Cover art: 3000×3000px square, no URLs or logos.
- Your artist name, exactly as it should appear.
- A distributor account (this guide uses Grootin).
- A release date at least 1–2 weeks out.
The 7 steps
- Start a new release and choose Single.
- Upload your WAV file and wait for the accepted checkmark.
- Add metadata — title, artist, genre, language, credits — spelled correctly.
- Upload your 3000×3000px cover art.
- Set royalty splits if you collaborated (see royalty splits).
- Select platforms — keep Apple Music ticked along with the other 150+.
- Pick a release date (a Friday is ideal) and submit.
Apple Music for Artists
Once your release is delivered, claim your Apple Music for Artists profile. It's free, gives you Shazam and play stats, and lets you edit your artist image and bio. Apple Music typically pays more per stream than Spotify or JioSaavn in India, so it's worth setting up properly — see how much Indian artists earn from streaming.
Common questions before release
Get your metadata right the first time, give yourself lead time to pitch playlists, and don't take a song down and re-upload it — that resets its history. New to the whole process? Start with music distribution in India.