How to get your Music on Streaming Services in 2025 (Fast & Easy Methods)

Getting your music on Spotify, Apple Music, and all the other major streaming services in 2025 might seem like some big industry secret, but here’s the truth:

You can do it yourself, right now, for little cost.

You don’t need a label. You don’t need a manager. You just need a finished track, a game plan, and a distribution service.

Here’s how to get your music on streaming services:

1. Before You Upload Anything

Before you even think about distribution, make sure you’ve got the basics locked in:

• A final master of your track or project. Don’t skip the mixing and mastering step. It really matters on streaming. You’ll want your music to stand up competitively in volume and clarity to everything else out there. There are multiple ways to approach mastering. You can hire a mastering engineer, use AI mastering tools like Ozone or Logic’s Mastering Assistant (these aren’t always optimal, but they’re better than nothing), or learn to do it yourself.I’ve got a simple 5-effect master chain that’s a great place to start if you want your beats to sound glued together and as loud as the pros.

• A square album cover 3000x3000 pixels is the standard. Just make sure it looks good and isn’t blurry or pixelated. You’ll see it everywhere your music appears.

• Your artist name exactly how you want it listed. Consistency here matters. If you type it slightly differently every time, you could end up with your music split across multiple artist pages.

• Your track titles and metadata spelled correctly. Metadata is all the information that goes along with your track behind the scenes. This includes your artist name, song title, album name, genre, contributors (like a featured artist or producer), and release year. Distributors use this info to tag and organize your music on platforms. Typos or inconsistencies can mess up your listings and hurt how your song is categorized and discovered.

Little things like track name typos or inconsistent metadata will follow you onto every platform. Take your time here and double-check everything.

2. Pick a Distributor

You can’t upload directly to Spotify or Apple Music as an indie artist. You need a music distributor — a service that sends your tracks to all the major streaming platforms for you.

Some popular options:

• DistroKid – Fast, cheap yearly fee with unlimited uploads. Good for artists who release often.

• CD Baby – One-time fee per release. A little more setup involved, but it also includes social media monetization and YouTube Content ID. This means CD Baby collects small royalties when your music is used in Instagram Stories, TikToks, Facebook posts, or if your song appears in someone’s YouTube video or ad.

• Amuse – Has a free tier, but takes a percentage of your royalties unless you upgrade to their pro plan. On the free tier, you’ll give up a portion of your earnings, but they still distribute to major services. The pro version includes faster release times, advanced royalty splits, and access to more platforms. For artists just starting out or dropping a single every once in a while, the free tier can be a solid intro.

• TuneCore, Ditto, and others – There are a ton of distributors out there. When choosing, take into account things like yearly or per-release fees, percentage cuts, ease of use, and how responsive their customer service is when issues come up. Look for reviews from real users about delays, payouts, and technical problems with releases.

I personally use a mix of DistroKid and CD Baby. I’ve had issues with both, to be honest. In the end, most distributors can get the job done. You just need to find the one that fits your needs and workflow.

3. Set a Realistic Release Date

Once you upload your track to the distributor, try to submit it to streaming platforms at least 4 weeks before the go-live date.

Why?

Because that gives you time to:

• Pitch it to Spotify’s editorial playlists. Inside your Spotify for Artists dashboard (more on that below), you can submit your song for official playlist consideration. Spotify asks for things like genre, mood, and instruments used. Submitting early increases your chances of being noticed.

• Set up pre-saves to build momentum. A pre-save link lets fans save your track to their Spotify or Apple Music library before it drops. When release day hits, it’s already in their playlists and liked songs. This helps trigger the algorithm and shows platforms that your music has traction.

• Promote the release ahead of time. This can be as simple as a post on Instagram or as involved as a full rollout with teaser videos, performance clips, or behind-the-scenes content. You don’t need a huge campaign, but even a little heads-up can help listeners show up on day one.

4. Get Your Artist Profiles Set Up

Once your first track goes live, you’ll want to claim your artist profiles:

• Spotify for Artists

• Apple Music for Artists

• Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and others if needed

These platforms let you:

• Customize your profile with a photo, bio, and links

• View streaming stats in real-time

• Submit songs for playlist placement

• Add merch or upcoming tour dates (if applicable)

It’s all free and gives your page a professional polish. Plus, seeing your numbers in real-time is motivating — especially when you’ve worked hard on a release.

5. Bonus Tip: Don’t Rely Only on Streaming

Streaming is great for reach, but it’s not great for revenue. Most streaming platforms pay less than a penny per play. That’s why I also release on Bandcamp.

Bandcamp lets you:

• Set your own price

• Sell sample packs or merch

• Offer full albums or bonus content

• Let fans pay more if they want to

• Collect emails from your followers

Think of it this way: streaming is like putting your music on the shelf, but Bandcamp is your merch table. It’s where your biggest supporters can go deeper, grab your music in high quality, and support you directly.

Bandcamp also acts like a website if you’re just starting out. You get your own link, like sunwarper.bandcamp.com, which you can use on social media, stickers, or even physical releases. And everyone who follows you there becomes part of your mailing list, which you can use to update fans about releases, livestreams, tour dates, or anything else you’re working on.

-----------------------

Releasing music doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need a label to get your tracks on every major platform.

Just finish the music, upload through a distributor, give yourself a little runway, and get your profiles set up. Then do it again.

Each release teaches you something. The best way to grow is to keep putting music out and keep learning with each drop.

Want more tips like this?

I send out a monthly newsletter with beatmaking strategies, music release advice, and production tools, plus you get a free sample pack when you sign up:

👉 https://www.sunwarper.com/mailinglist