How To Upload Music To Spotify Step-By-Step

If you want to learn how to get your music on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and all of your favorite streaming platforms we'll show you step-by-step in this guide.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored guide that contains links which may generate commissions for the authors, at no extra cost to you

Whether you're a music artist who wants to learn how to upload music to Spotify (and all other streaming platforms) or a music fan/listener that wants their personal music collection all in one place, you'll learn what to do below.

We'll start with how independent artists can get their music on Spotify for independent artists first, and then get into uploading your music collection to Spotify for listeners after that.

How to Get Your Music on Spotify as an Artist

If you're an independent music artist that wants their original songs uploaded to streaming sites, it's a pretty straight-forward process.

You simply have to use any reputable digital music distribution company (like TuneCore) and they'll get your music on every single major music platform on the internet, easy-peasy.

That's really the only way to do it. You can't self-upload to Spotify - the company doesn't allow it.

But for a small yearly fee you can upload as much music to Spotify as you want via a digital music distributor.

TuneCore has the best pricing - starting at only $14.99/year for unlimited releases. (They also offer a free account, but that won't get your music on sites like Spotify.)

There's a lot you need to consider and collect before getting started, so read on to find out exactly how to do it properly in the modern music industry.

Music on Spotify

Before You Put Your Music on Streaming Platforms...

If you've got some really great music ready to be showcased to the world, great!

But first, make sure your song was well-recorded/produced and is properly mixed and mastered for streaming services. You want to be sure your audio quality will be able to "compete" with the rest of the professional music on the platform.

And before you start a "release," there are some things you need to have ready to go:

high quality song recordings (44.1khz, 16-bit WAV files, NOT MP3 files)
album/song artwork
album/song title
main artist name plus any featured artists names
names of the producer/composer and all songwriters
Any ISRC/Barcode information (don't worry if you don't have this already)

Step-By-Step: Uploading Your Music to Streaming Sites and Digital Music Stores

Once you've got all the stuff above together, you're ready to start the release process with a distribution service .

It can take a while before the songs will actually show up on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Pandora and other sites - each platform will have a different timeline.

That's why it's a good idea to submit your music for release at least a month or two BEFORE you want it to appear live on the streaming sites, so that they're available everywhere all at once.

Here's what to do, step-by-step:

Sign up for a free account with TuneCore (they're one of the best and most affordable music distributors)
Choose your release type (album vs. single, cover version, remix, etc.)
Set your release date (most stores take days-weeks to go live)
Upload your song file(s) and album artwork
Enter artist details and songwriter/producer information
Choose which streaming sites/music stores you want your music available on (pro-tip: choose all of them)
Select any additional options you want (like publishing admin or other "extras")
Finalize your release (double check all your information is correct - especially spellings)
Choose your yearly plan subscription option and submit your release!

Once you've done all that, just sit back and let the magic happen.

What to Do After Your Music is Uploaded to Spotify, Tidal and Apple Music

Of course, your job isn't done yet. No one will know about your new and upcoming releases on music streaming services if you don't promote them!

There are tens of millions of songs on Spotify and thousands of new songs get uploaded to Spotify every single day.

That's a lot of music.

So it's important to learn about music marketing and promotions . The only way people will find your songs is if you're active in promoting them.

You don't want to be annoying and spammy, but you do need to start promoting yourself and your music to potential listeners.

There are many things you can do like paying for Spotify or YouTube ads, pitching your song for placement on a major (or minor) Spotify playlist, and sharing content on social media.

But most importantly, when you start to cultivate a fan base, continue making new music. You have to consistently upload new songs to music streaming platforms to satisfy your listeners . Just make sure they're top-notch songs - music releases should be quality over quantity.

How to Upload Music to Spotify for Fans and Listeners

Spotify

If you're a music fan with a large collection of music it can be pretty handy to have it accessible via Spotify. Whether they're rare classics, live recordings, unpopular artists, remixes or anything else, you can have them accessible all in one place.

Just one note - this feature is only available to Spotify Premium subscribers - it won't work for free accounts.

Here's how...

How to Upload Music to Spotify Using a Laptop or Desktop Computer

There are many reasons you may not be able to find all your favorite music on streaming services. If you've got a music collection on your laptop (PC or Mac) you can upload music to Spotify using "local files," so you don't have to use another music player app.

Here's what you do, step-by-step:

Open the Spotify desktop app
In the top corner, click on your profile picture (if you don't have a pic, it will be an outline of a person's head and chest)
Click on "Settings" in the drop-down menu
Scroll down until you see the "Library" heading
Click on the button for "Show Local Files" (it should turn green)
If your music is in a folder other than the default folders in Spotify ("Downloads" and "My Music") click the "Add a Source" button
Browse to the folder where your music is stored and click "Open" - the folder should now show up in the list

Now you've got all of the music files in the selected folders available on the Spotify desktop app under the "Your Library" section.

You can organize these files into playlists of your own making, but they cannot be added to the "Liked" playlist in Spotify.

Uploading Music to Spotify on iPhones and Android Phones

Unfortunately, there's no way to upload music files to Spotify using your smartphone. You have to use the Spotify desktop app.

But don't worry, you can still access your music library via your phone's Spotify App.

The first thing you'll need to do, however, is pull out your laptop and download/install the Spotify app.

Then follow the steps above (1-7) to import your local files to Spotify via your laptop/desktop.

IMPORTANT NEXT STEP: Make sure you then add your imported local music files into one or more playlists on the desktop app.

Once you've imported your local music files into Spotify using the process above AND added the songs to new playlists you've created, complete the following steps on your iPhone or Android mobile device:

Open the Spotify App
Tap the "Settings" icon (the gear icon) in the top right of the screen
Scroll all the way down to where it says "Local Files"
Click the button for "Show audio files from this device" (it should turn green)
Next, tap the "Your Library" tab in the bottom right of the screen
Find the playlist(s) you created with your local files on the desktop app
Tap on the playlist
Tap the 3 vertical dots near the middle of the screen
Tap the "Download" option to download the playlist to your device
Enjoy your personal music files via the Spotify phone app!

That's simple enough, right?

And now you can enjoy all of your music collection in one, convenient place! Just make sure you're organizing all your music files in a way that makes sense using Spotify's listener playlists. The process for uploading your music files to other music streaming apps is very similar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the common things asked about getting music on Spotify.

How Long Does it Take to Get Music on Streaming Sites

Depending on the store, the wait time before your music goes live can vary.

With something like iTunes, releases can start showing up within a day or two. Radio style sites like Amazon Music, Deezer and iHeartRadio can take up to 6-8 weeks! But others are more middle of the road. Google Play, for example, takes 1-2 weeks while Spotify takes about 5 business days.

Most other stores will fall in the 1-3 weeks time frame.

Can You Upload Original Recordings to Spotify Yourself?

No, unfortunately you cannot get your music on Spotify yourself. You have to work with a digital music distributor company.

There used to be a self-upload service that was being trialed on the Spotify For Artists website, but that's no longer available. Spotify For Artists is now a portal to help you make the most of your music career with stats/analytics and helpful content. There are several music distribution options for independent artists.

What is Spotify For Artists?

Spotify for Artists is a platform that was started by the company to help independent music artists and their careers thrive. It's a place where you can edit your artist profile, get detailed analytics about your original music's performance. You can also use the platform to pitch your songs for inclusion on Spotify's editorial playlists. It's an essential platform for any independent artist that chooses to upload music to Spotify.

How Does Spotify Pay Artists?

Spotify collects subscription fees and ad revenue. It then splits this money with the "rights holders" of the content it streams (i.e. music) and pays them out as music royalties. Whoever owns the publishing and master recording rights to the song will get paid based on the number of streams that particular song received. Spotify doesn't pay to artists directly, however. This is most often handled by an artist's record label, performance rights organization or distributor.

Can Spotify Play Offline?

Yes, Spotify's apps have the ability to play offline. You simply have to "download" the songs/albums/playlists/podcasts you want access to offline. Go to the page of the audio you want to download and click on the three vertical dots. There should be an option called "Download" you can choose. Once you do, it will download to your device and be available offline.

Can Spotify Play Local Music?

Yes Spotify can play your local music files. You simply add them into Spotify's desktop app via your laptop. From there you can organize the files into playlists and access them via Spotify along with the millions of other songs you're able to stream. Follow our step-by-step guide above to do it.

Conclusion

And there you have it! Your complete guide on how to upload music to Spotify - for both music artists and music listeners. We hope you found this step by step breakdown helpful.

If you're a listener, make sure you organize your music on Spotify into good playlists for easy access.

And if you're an independent music artist that has great new songs to release, make sure you're choosing a distributor you can trust to work with .

Disclaimer: The above is a sponsored post, the views expressed are those of the sponsor/author and do not represent the stand and views of Outlook Editorial.