How to Get Your Music on Apple Music and iTunes (2026 Guide)

How to Get Your Music on Apple Music and iTunes

You can't upload music to Apple Music yourself. Independent artists release through a music distributor, which delivers your audio, artwork, and metadata to Apple Music and the iTunes Store at the same time. Apple recommends its "preferred" distributors for independents. After your release has been live for five business days, claim your page in Apple Music for Artists.

This guide walks through every step, using Apple's own documentation: choosing a distributor, preparing files that pass Apple's checks, formatting metadata so your release isn't flagged, setting up pre-adds, and what to do once you're live.

Key Takeaways

• Apple Music and the iTunes Store are fed by the same delivery. One distributor upload covers streaming on Apple Music and downloads on iTunes.
• Apple encourages independent artists and small labels to use an Apple-preferred distributor, such as TuneCore, Symphonic, Stem, Believe, or FUGA.
• Audio: 16-bit or 24-bit, at 44.1 to 192 kHz, in WAV, FLAC, or ALAC. Native 24-bit masters can qualify for Apple Digital Masters.
• Cover art: square JPEG or PNG, 3000 x 3000 px recommended, 1400 x 1400 px minimum, RGB only.
• Editorial pitching goes through your distributor (Apple Music Connect), ideally at least 10 days before release.
• Claim Apple Music for Artists once your music has been live for at least five business days.

Can I upload my music directly to Apple Music?

No. Apple works with labels and distributors, not with individual artist uploads. Apple's distribution guide explains that distributors manage the relationship between artists and Apple Music and the iTunes Store. Apple talks to your distributor about metadata or file problems, and your distributor handles your streaming, sales, and royalty reporting.

Apple works directly only with labels and distributors that have large catalogs and the technical setup to deliver at scale. If you're an independent artist or a small label, Apple says to go through an Apple-preferred distributor.

What this means in practice: the distributor you pick is the one that controls your Apple Music release, fixes rejections, and pays you. Pick carefully.

Which distributors can deliver to Apple Music?

Almost every mainstream distributor delivers to Apple Music, but Apple keeps a shortlist of "preferred" partners that support its full feature set. According to Apple, preferred distributors:

• Run an open or application-based platform
• Support delivery of Spatial Audio, motion artwork, detailed release credits, and lyrics
• Have a low Apple Music rejection rate
• Offer analytics and surface trend data from Apple Music

As of October 2026, Apple's Partner Directory lists these preferred distributors, along with which features each one offers:

Some of these are open sign-up services (TuneCore, recordJet), while others are application-based or work mainly with labels. Distributors that aren't on the preferred list can still deliver to Apple Music as standard partners. The difference is in feature support. If Dolby Atmos mixes, motion artwork, or synced lyrics matter to you, confirm your distributor supports them before you upload.

Quick decision guide:

1. Already releasing to Spotify? Your current distributor almost certainly sends to Apple Music too. Check that Apple Music and iTunes are ticked in your store list.
2. Want Atmos, motion art, or full credits on Apple? Pick a preferred distributor that lists those features.
3. Switching distributors? Plan it carefully so your releases stay on the same Apple artist page and keep their play counts. Ask both distributors how they handle catalog transfers before you take anything down.

New to distributors in general? Our guide to getting your music on Spotify compares the main options, and the same upload reaches Apple Music.

What audio files does Apple Music accept?

Apple accepts 16-bit or 24-bit audio at 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, or 192 kHz, delivered as WAV, FLAC, or Apple Lossless. That comes from Apple's Video and Audio Asset Guide. Lossy formats such as MP3 are rejected. Your distributor may ask for a narrower range, so follow its upload specs.

Other rules worth knowing:

• Stereo is required where a stereo source exists. For mono-only recordings, send two identical left and right channels. Single-channel files are rejected.
• Lossless is automatic. Apple's packaging guide says releases appear with a Lossless badge (up to 48 kHz) or a Hi-Res Lossless badge (above 48 kHz, up to 192 kHz) based on what you deliver.
• Apple Digital Masters is Apple's high-resolution mastering program. Its best-practices document asks for 24-bit sources at the highest native sample rate. Don't upsample, and don't "bit-pad" a 16-bit file into 24-bit. It won't add quality.
• Spatial Audio (Dolby Atmos) needs a separate Atmos mix, delivered through a distributor that supports it.

Practical tip: export your master at the sample rate and bit depth you mixed and mastered at, typically 24-bit/44.1 or 24-bit/48 kHz for home studios. Send that file instead of a converted copy.

What are Apple Music's cover art requirements?

Square JPEG or PNG artwork, 3000 x 3000 pixels recommended, 1400 x 1400 pixels minimum, in RGB color. Apple rejects CMYK files and images that were enlarged to reach the minimum size.

From the Apple Music Style Guide and the packaging guide, your cover art must not include:

• Website URLs, logos, QR codes, or references to Apple's competitors
• Audio format claims such as "Dolby Atmos," "Spatial Audio," "Lossless," "24-bit," or "192 kHz"
• Pricing or sales copy ("Available for $9.99," "For Promo Use")
• References to physical formats or retailers ("CD," "vinyl")
• An artist who doesn't perform on the release, shown in a misleading way
• Blurry, pixelated, misaligned, or rotated images (unless that's clearly part of the art)

If you want motion artwork (the animated cover on Apple Music), it must be based on the album cover, start on the cover image, avoid flashing or flickering, and be delivered through a distributor that supports it.

How should I format my metadata for Apple Music?

Use Apple's exact formatting for artist names, featured artists, and titles. Metadata errors are one of the most common reasons releases get delayed or hidden. Key rules from the Apple Music Style Guide:

Singles and EPs are labeled automatically. Apple treats one to three songs, each under 10 minutes, as a Single. Four to six songs totaling 30 minutes or less count as an EP. Apple adds "- Single" or "- EP" to the title if you leave it off.

Flag explicit content honestly. Apple requires explicit tracks to carry the Explicit tag. Only flag a track as Clean if an explicit version of it also exists.

The Style Guide also lists content that may be hidden, including repetitious or snippet tracks reused across releases, sound-alike "misleading" content, and public domain recordings. If you're releasing a lot of short or near-identical tracks, read that section first.

How do I set up a pre-add on Apple Music?

Ask your distributor to set your release up as an iTunes pre-order with at least one instant-gratification track. Apple builds the Apple Music pre-add from that. According to Apple's pre-release guide, the release needs:

• At least one instant-gratification track or music video (a song fans can hear before release day)
• A sales start date at least one day in the future
• Clearance for sale in every territory where you want the pre-add

When a fan pre-adds, Apple Music adds the full release to their library automatically when it comes out, and lets them know it's available. Not every distributor supports pre-orders for every release type, so check before you lock in your rollout dates.

Build the pre-add link into your announcement posts and your release day checklist, and see our 4-week release promotion plan for timing.

Can I pitch my song to Apple Music editorial playlists?

Not directly. Apple Music Pitch is only available to labels and distributors through Apple Music Connect, so independent artists pitch through their distributor. Apple's Music Connect overview says the platform is for labels and distributors that deliver content directly to Apple.

Apple's pitch guidelines set these deadlines:

• At least 10 days before release for full consideration
• At least 7 days before release as the final deadline for late adds

What Apple's editors say they want:

1. Campaign details and rollout plans. Key dates, focus tracks, and marketing moments matter more than your bio.
2. A focused genre choice. Pitching many genres dilutes your pitch.
3. Knowledge of the platform. A slow song isn't automatically a fit for a "chill" playlist.

Action step: ask your distributor whether it offers Apple Music pitching, what it needs from you, and its internal deadline. Many need your info well before Apple's 10-day cutoff.

How do I claim my Apple Music for Artists page?

Once your music has been live on Apple Music for at least five business days, request access in the Apple Music for Artists app or website and verify that you're the artist. Steps from Apple's claiming guide:

1. Sign in at artists.apple.com (or the iOS app) with your Apple Account.
2. Choose Request Artist Access.
3. Paste your Apple Music or iTunes artist page link (Share > Copy Link on any of your releases).
4. Select one of your albums to confirm it's the right page. You must be the primary artist on it. Featured artists can't claim a page through that release.
5. Choose your role (Artist, Manager, or Label Rep) and fill in the application.
6. Connect your social or distributor accounts to speed up verification.

Only artists and managers can claim a page. A label rep's request expires if no artist or manager admin acts on it within 30 days.

What should I do after my music is live on Apple Music?

Finish your profile, add lyrics, and use Apple's free promotion tools. Inside Apple Music for Artists you can:

• Upload an artist image. Apple's image guidelines prefer 2400 x 2400 px or larger (800 x 800 minimum), JPG or PNG, with no text, borders, logos, or album covers. Review can take up to five business days.
• Add lyrics. Apple Music lets you send lyrics yourself. Our guide on adding lyrics to Spotify and Apple Music covers the steps.
• Use Promote. Create shareable social assets, playlist-add graphics, and Linkfire smart links that open in Apple Music.
• List your shows with Concerts on Apple Music so fans see upcoming dates.
• Track performance. Analytics show plays, listeners, Shazams, top cities, and playlist adds, plus New Release Insights for day-one performance.

Avoid stream manipulation. Apple warns artists against services that inflate play counts through artificial means. Don't buy "guaranteed streams" or bot-driven playlist placements.

How much does Apple Music pay per stream?

There's no fixed per-stream rate. In its Apple Music Insights post, Apple said its average per-play rate for individual paid plans was one cent in 2020. That figure includes label and publisher royalties and varies by plan and country. Your distributor pays you the recording side, and your songwriter royalties come through your PRO and mechanical collection. Our royalties guide explains how to register for those.

Apple Music release checklist

• Chosen a distributor that delivers to Apple Music (preferred, if you need Atmos, motion art, or credits)
• Master exported as 16- or 24-bit WAV/FLAC at its native sample rate
• Cover art 3000 x 3000 px, RGB, no URLs, logos, prices, or format claims
• Featured artists formatted as (feat. Name) and credited with the Featuring role
• Explicit tracks flagged; no asterisks or "(Explicit)" in titles
• Songwriter and producer credits entered
• Pre-order / pre-add with an instant-gratification track (optional)
• Pitch submitted through your distributor 10+ days before release
• Apple Music for Artists claimed 5 business days after release
• Artist image, lyrics, and concerts added

FAQ

Does putting my music on Apple Music also put it on iTunes?

Yes, if you choose both stores in your distributor. Apple's documentation treats Apple Music and the iTunes Store as one delivery: the same audio, artwork, and metadata supply both streaming and downloads.

How long does it take for music to appear on Apple Music?

It depends on your distributor's review time and Apple's processing, so Apple doesn't publish a single figure. Upload early enough to meet Apple's pitch deadline of at least 10 days before release, and ideally several weeks ahead.

Why did Apple Music reject or hide my release?

The usual causes are metadata errors (wrong featured artist formatting, emoji, extra words in titles), low-quality or non-compliant artwork, misleading or sound-alike content, and audio that doesn't meet spec. Your distributor will receive Apple's reason. Fix the issue and redeliver.

My songs went to the wrong artist page. How do I fix it?

Contact your distributor. Apple communicates with distributors about metadata issues, and they can redeliver the release with the correct Apple artist ID.

Can I get a verified profile without a distributor?

No. You need music live on Apple Music before you can claim a page in Apple Music for Artists, and that requires a distributor or label.

Do I need Dolby Atmos to get on Apple Music?

No. A standard stereo master is all you need. Atmos is optional and requires a separate immersive mix and a distributor that supports it.

Related Guides

• How to Get Your Music on Spotify
• How to Add Lyrics to Spotify and Apple Music
• How to Promote a Music Release: 4-Week Plan
• Free Music Release Day Checklist