Music distribution FAQ: Questions, answered straight.
103 questions artists and labels in India ask about releasing music, caller tunes, YouTube, royalties, tax and rights. If yours is not here, ask in the help centre or read the guides.
Updated
Getting started
Create an account on the website, choose the plan that fits how much you release, and e-sign your distribution agreement. You can be set up and submitting your first release the same day.
There is no application to wait on and nobody decides whether you are allowed in. Every release is still checked against store delivery rules before it ships, so a release can be sent back for a fix, but that is a technical check and not a judgement on your music.
No. You can release under your own artist name as an individual, with your PAN for payouts. You do not need a company, a GST number or a label to start.
On the Debut and Rising plans your releases carry the SUF Digitals label. From the Pro plan up, your own label name goes on every release. If you want to set up a label properly, read how to start a music label in India.
A finished master as a WAV or FLAC file (16 or 24 bit, 44.1 to 96 kHz), a 3000 x 3000 px square cover, and the song's credits: singer, composer, lyricist and producer.
You also choose the language, genre and mood (and, from the Rising plan up, the release date; on Debut it is set for you), and give your Spotify and Apple Music artist links if you already have them, so the song lands on the right profile. Check your cover first with the free cover art checker. The music release checklist lists everything in order.
Yes. SUF works with artists and labels from other countries too, not only India. Pick your country when you sign up: your account records it, with your local tax ID instead of a PAN.
Plans are priced in rupees for everyone, and you pay once a year at checkout. Payouts outside India go by international bank transfer (SWIFT) or PayPal. See plans and prices.
Both. Label plans cover multiple artists under one account, with consolidated statements, per-artist deal terms and artist logins that have their own song shares and payouts.
A label plan starts to beat buying separate artist plans at around three artists. Below that, an artist plan is the cheaper deal and we would rather you bought that one. See label distribution.
Yes. Codes issued before sign-up opened still activate the account they were issued against, with the terms that were agreed at the time. Enter it on the sign-up screen along with your email and password.
If your account already has catalogue and earnings attached to it, using the code is the right route, because it claims that existing account rather than creating a second empty one.
Plans and pricing
Artist plans cost Rs 999 (Debut), Rs 1,999 (Rising), Rs 2,999 (Pro) and Rs 3,999 (Signature) a year, before 18% GST. Label plans cost Rs 4,999 (Label Starter), Rs 7,999 (Label Pro) and Rs 9,999 (Label Enterprise) a year.
Every plan includes delivery to all major stores, caller tunes on Jio, Airtel, Vi and BSNL, YouTube Content ID, smart links and free ISRC and UPC codes. The plans differ on the share you keep, how many releases you get, how fast a release goes out and how often you are paid. The full comparison is on the pricing page.
No. SUF has no free plan; the entry plan, Debut, costs Rs 999 a year before GST and you keep 80% of your royalties.
Free distribution usually costs you somewhere else: a bigger share of your royalties, slower delivery, no caller tunes or no support. Compare what you keep over a year, not only the sign-up price. Our guide to free music distribution in India does that maths.
Debut includes 25 releases a year, Rising 50, Pro 125 and Signature 250. Every label plan has unlimited releases.
A single, an EP and an album each count as one release, whatever the number of songs on it.
No. We do not charge a saved card without you telling us to. We email you before your plan is due to end and it continues only if you renew it.
If a plan lapses, the music you have already released stays live and your royalties keep being reported and paid. What pauses is sending out new releases and the service levels that came with the plan. Your catalogue only comes down if you ask for it to come down.
You can move up to a higher plan at any time from the plan page in your portal; moving down to a lower plan is not available. Partway through your plan year you pay only the difference for the days left, and the year still ends on the same date. In the last 15 days before it ends, moving up is your renewal and starts your next year on the higher plan.
A change applies from the current month of reporting onward and is never backdated. Stores report about two to three months behind, so a statement for an older month that arrives after you switch is still paid at the share that applied to that month.
A plan fee can be refunded if you ask within 24 hours of paying and no release has been submitted under that plan, less any payment gateway charges.
After 24 hours, or once a release is submitted, the fee for that year is not refundable. Email support@sufdigitals.com with your payment reference. The full rules are on the refunds page.
Yes. Every plan payment comes with a GST invoice you can download from your portal, and prices on the pricing page are shown before and including 18% GST so the amount at checkout is never a surprise.
If you are GST registered, add your GSTIN so it appears on the invoice. Payment runs on Cashfree's own secure page, so your card and UPI details never reach SUF.
Yes. Checkout runs on Cashfree's own secure page, where you can pay by UPI or card. Your card and UPI details never reach SUF.
The plan activates as soon as the payment is confirmed, and its GST invoice is in your portal to download.
Releases and delivery
Your release goes to more than 150 stores and streaming services worldwide, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, JioSaavn, Gaana, Amazon Music, and Instagram and Facebook for Reels and Stories.
It is also set up as a caller tune on Jio, Airtel, Vi and BSNL, and goes into YouTube Content ID where that is right for the song.
SUF delivers in 7 to 10 days on Debut and 3 to 5 days on Rising and Label Starter. Pro, Signature, Label Pro and Label Enterprise get delivery in the Priority Queue.
From the Rising plan up you choose the release date, at least that far away when you submit, and the song goes live on that date. On Debut the date is set for you: the earliest its 7-day delivery time allows, counted from the day you submit. Stores sometimes take a little longer on a first release, while they create your artist profile. If you want editorial playlist pitching, lock the release 14 days before release day.
Yes, from the Rising plan up and on every label plan: pick any date at least your plan's delivery time away (5 days on Rising and Label Starter, 2 on Pro and Label Pro, 1 on Signature and Label Enterprise).
On Debut the date is set for you: your release goes live on the earliest date its 7-day delivery time allows, counted from the day you submit. Choosing your own date is what lets you schedule a release weeks ahead, for playlist pitching and a pre-release countdown. See plans and pricing.
No. There is no follower, stream or Instagram requirement. Anyone can open an account, and every release is checked only against store rules and song rights.
New artists are welcome: if you are not on Spotify or Apple Music yet, tick that on the release and your artist pages are created with it.
Every release is checked by the team before it ships, within your plan's delivery time. A few are held longer for a closer look: audio that matches a song already out, a release that looks like a film or label song, every track marked AI-generated, or a cover or remix without its licence.
If anything is needed from you, the portal tells you in writing. Nothing is lost while a release is in review.
Two to four weeks ahead is the safe plan, and at least 14 days if you want it pitched to playlist editors. Spotify only considers songs pitched 7 days or more before release, and SUF needs 14 days to pitch on all six platforms it works with.
Scheduling ahead needs your own release date, which comes with Rising and up and every label plan. On Debut the release goes live 7 days after you submit.
The extra time also gives you a countdown smart link to share with fans before release day, so your first-day streams are not left to chance.
Stereo (or mono) masters as WAV or FLAC, 16 bit or 24 bit, at 44.1 kHz to 96 kHz. MP3 files are not accepted as masters.
On Pro and Signature, and on Label Pro and Label Enterprise, you can add a Dolby Atmos mix next to the stereo master: an ADM BWF WAV, 24 bit, 48 kHz. It goes out alongside the stereo release with its own Dolby ISRC.
A perfect square of 3000 x 3000 pixels, JPG or PNG, in RGB colour, sharp, with no borders. The release title, artist name and your own label logo are allowed; promotional words, links, handles, prices, QR codes and store logos are not.
The portal checks every cover live, with a progress bar, before you can submit, and tells you exactly what to fix. You can run the same check before you sign up with the free cover art checker.
Every release is checked against store rules before it ships, and you get the reason in writing in your portal. The most common reasons are a cover that breaks the artwork rules, words like Official, Lyrical or Video Song in the title, featured artists typed into the title, ALL CAPS titles and missing credits.
Fix the point and submit again from the same release page; nothing is lost. Our guide to why stores reject releases lists every common reason with the fix.
An ISRC identifies each recording and a UPC identifies the release as a product. If you do not have codes, SUF assigns both free with every release.
If the song came out before, use its existing ISRC so its streaming history follows it. More in ISRC and UPC explained.
Yes. Choose Single, EP or Album when you create the release, and add every song to it. The whole product is one release, with one UPC and one release date.
From the Pro plan up, SUF can pitch the whole EP or album to editors, not only one song. See how to release an EP or album.
Yes. Mark it as previously released and give the original release date, so stores show the right date.
If it is still live through another distributor, use the same ISRC and keep the old version up until the new one is live, so play counts carry over, and playlist places usually do. Our guide to switching distributors walks through the order.
Yes. In the portal, Support has ready forms for Correct release details (title, artist, credits, language, genre, release date, explicit marking) and Cover art update, and each change goes to the stores for you.
Some changes reach the stores faster than others, and a few, like the main artist on a live song, may need the release taken down and sent again. We tell you before anything comes down.
Yes. SUF releases in Hindi, Haryanvi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Rajasthani, English and dozens of other languages, and you choose the language for every song.
Songs in Adivasi languages such as Mundari, Santali, Ho and Kurukh can be released too: choose your language under Adivasi (tribal) languages, and the stores list the song under Hindi until they add a category for it. See releasing in tribal languages.
Not yet. SUF releases audio today: singles, EPs and albums, with Art Tracks on YouTube Music. Music video delivery is planned, with no date yet.
You can still upload your video to your own YouTube channel. If your channel is monetised and your songs are on Content ID, ask us to allowlist it first, so your own video is not claimed.
Pro and Signature for artists, and Label Pro and Label Enterprise for labels. On Debut, Rising and Label Starter the Atmos upload is not offered, and a release carrying an Atmos master cannot be submitted.
Every Atmos track gets its own Dolby ISRC, issued for you, and goes out alongside its stereo version. See plans and pricing.
If your mixes are strong and your audience listens on platforms with spatial audio shelves, yes: Atmos versions get placement opportunities stereo-only releases do not. If your stereo mix still needs work, fix that first. Atmos multiplies quality; it does not create it.
Its format, the moment you upload it: the portal checks for a real multichannel bed (at least 6 channels), 24 bit and 48 kHz, and refuses a file that fails with the reason, so you can export it again before anything reaches the stores.
Deliver it as an ADM BWF WAV conformed to the stereo master, the same length and timing, because both go out together.
Indian languages and regional music
All 69 Indian languages on our Indian languages page, including all 22 languages of India's Eighth Schedule. You choose the language on the release and on each song, and the same release reaches Spotify, JioSaavn, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Gaana, Instagram and 150+ stores.
North India: Punjabi, Haryanvi, Rajasthani, Marwari, Garhwali, Kumauni (Kumaoni), Jaunsari, Himachali (Pahari), Dogri, Kashmiri (Koshur), Gojri (Gujari) and Ladakhi. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh: Bhojpuri, Awadhi, Braj Bhasha (Brij Bhasha), Maithili, Magahi (Magadhi), Angika, Bajjika, Nagpuri (Sadri), Bundeli, Bagheli, Malvi, Nimadi and Chattisgarhi (Chhattisgarhi). West India: Gujarati, Kutchi (Kachchhi), Marathi, Ahirani (Khandeshi) and Konkani. South India: Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tulu, Kodava (Coorgi), Badaga, Beary (Byari) and Saurashtra. East India: Bengali (Bangla), Odia (Oriya) and Sambalpuri (Kosli). Northeast India and Sikkim: Assamese (Asamiya), Manipuri (Meitei), Khasi, Garo (A·chik), Kokborok (Tripuri), Naga (Nagamese), Nepali (Gorkhali), Lepcha and Sikkimese (Bhutia). Across India: Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit, Sindhi and Lambadi (Banjara). Adivasi (tribal) languages: Santali, Mundari, Ho, Kurukh (Oraon), Kharia, Gondi, Bhili, Halbi, Sora, Kui, Bodo, Karbi and Mizo.
Create a release and choose your language in the language picker, then upload your WAV master and cover, credit the song and pick the date. Haryanvi, Punjabi, Hindi, Bhojpuri and Rajasthani sit at the top of the picker, every other language the stores list is under All languages, and the rest are under More Indian languages and Adivasi (tribal) languages.
Each language has its own guide, for example releasing a Punjabi song, a Bhojpuri song or a Tamil song. The full list is on the Indian languages page.
Yes, from the Pro plan up. SUF pitches your release to the editors at Spotify, Apple Music, JioSaavn, Gaana, Amazon Music and YouTube Music, including the editors behind their language playlists, such as Hot Hits Punjabi, Hot Hits Haryanvi, Trending Now Bhojpuri and Telugu: India Superhits Top 50.
Lock the release at least 14 days before release day. Editors decide, so no placement is ever guaranteed, and SUF never buys playlist spots. See playlist pitching.
The store lists your song under the closest language it has, and your release keeps your language with SUF. For example Kutchi is listed under Gujarati, Sambalpuri under Odia, Kodava under Kannada, Lepcha under Nepali, and Magahi, Bundeli and the Adivasi languages under Hindi.
Your song, title and artist name stay exactly as you made them. If you would rather be listed under a different store language, choose that language on the release instead.
Roman letters work best for search, because most listeners type in Roman letters on a phone keyboard. Put the title in your own script in the release description and in your YouTube and Instagram captions, where your fans will see it.
Artist names on SUF are written in English letters, and one spelling should be used everywhere: a second spelling becomes a second artist page.
Yes. Choose the language most of the vocals are in for the release, and set each song's own language on the song, so an album can carry songs in different languages.
For a song with no vocals or lyrics, answer Yes to Instrumental on the song, and it goes out as an instrumental.
Spotify, JioSaavn, Instagram and other apps
No. Spotify, JioSaavn, Apple Music, Amazon Music and Gaana only take music from distributors and labels, so an independent artist releases through a distributor like SUF.
One upload to SUF reaches all of them, plus caller tunes. Step by step: how to upload a song on Spotify from India and how to release on JioSaavn and Gaana.
Instagram and Facebook are included in every SUF release, so your song appears in the music library of both apps, usually within a few days of going live.
Search for it by song title in the Reels audio picker. If it is missing, or linked to the wrong profile, use the Instagram and Facebook profile linking form in Support. Full guide: add your song to Instagram music.
Usually because it is still being processed, it is searched under a different spelling, or the account searching is a business account, which only sees a limited, licence-free music library.
Give it a few days after release day, search the exact title, and try from a personal or creator account. If it still does not show, send us the details through Support and we chase it with Meta.
Yes. Every release goes to YouTube Music as Art Tracks, which also creates your Topic channel on YouTube.
Once you have releases there, you can ask for an Official Artist Channel that brings your own channel and your Topic channel together. See YouTube Content ID and OAC.
Lyrics on Spotify come from Musixmatch, not from your distributor. Once your song is live, open a free Musixmatch Pro account, verify your artist profile with your Spotify artist link, then add and sync your lyrics there.
Changes usually show on Spotify within a few days. Write the lyrics in the script you sing them in, or in clean Roman letters for Hinglish, and keep the spelling consistent with your title.
Stores go live at slightly different speeds, so first check again a day or two after release day. If one store is still missing, use the Release missing on a store form in Support with the links where it is live.
We check the delivery to that store and chase it. Searching a store app can also lag behind the song itself, so open your smart link to test it.
Caller tunes (CRBT)
Yes. SUF sets your release as a caller tune, also called a caller ring back tone or CRBT, on Jio (JioTunes), Airtel (Hellotunes), Vi and BSNL, on every plan at no extra cost. Most international distributors cannot deliver caller tunes in India at all.
Caller tunes are one of the biggest earners for regional and devotional music in India, so this is often the most valuable delivery for Haryanvi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and devotional artists. More on the caller tunes page.
The caller tune is sent to the telecoms with your streaming release. Once the release is live, the telecoms take from a few days up to about two weeks to activate it.
That lag is normal for every distributor and is controlled by the operators, so we never promise a fixed date for a single song.
Tell us, not the telecom. Open Support in your portal with the song name and the network where it is missing, and we take it up with that operator.
Search by the exact song title and artist name first: caller tune catalogues do not correct spelling, and a song can be live on Jio before Airtel or the other way round.
On Jio, from the JioSaavn or MyJio app; every Jio user gets one free JioTune every 30 days. On Airtel, from the Airtel app, with one free Hellotune every 30 days. Vi and BSNL users set it from their operator's app or service.
Share the steps with your song link on release day. Each month a fan keeps it set, it keeps earning, which is why caller tunes pay long after release week. Guides: JioTunes for artists and Airtel Hellotunes for artists.
A share of what each listener pays their telecom to keep the tune active reaches the rights holder every month it stays set. SUF's royalty calculator uses Rs 1 to Rs 3 per active subscriber a month as an estimate.
Rates are set by the operators and change, so your statement is the real number. The caller tune royalty guide explains what moves the amount.
YouTube, Content ID and copyright claims
Content ID scans YouTube for videos that use your recording and sends the ad money from those videos to you. Turn it on for songs you own outright, with no samples, borrowed beats or public domain material in them.
SUF decides it song by song with you, because enrolling the wrong song claims videos that are not yours and causes disputes. Content ID and the Official Artist Channel are included on every plan.
Because Content ID matches the audio, not the uploader: once your song is on Content ID, it claims every video that uses it, including yours. The fix is to allowlist your channel so its uploads are not claimed.
If your channel is in the YouTube Partner Program, open Support in the portal, choose YouTube Content ID claim and pick Allowlist a channel, or ask us to release the claim on specific videos. If it is not monetised yet, the claim is what sends that video's ad money to your statement, so you may want to keep it. Our guide to copyright claims on your own song covers every case.
Tell us through the Copyright claim on your song form in Support, with the video and the claimant's name. We check who is claiming and dispute claims that are wrong with YouTube for you.
Keep your session files, project files and agreements: proof that the recording is yours settles most disputes quickly.
Only if the song is not on Content ID with both. One recording can have one Content ID owner; two claims on the same audio create an ownership conflict, and YouTube holds the money until it is settled.
If your song is already on Content ID somewhere else, tell us when you submit and SUF keeps it off its own Content ID. If you want SUF to run it, have the other company remove it first.
Report it straight away through the Copyright claim on your song form in Support, with links to the copy and to your original release. We ask the stores and YouTube to remove the copy and its claims.
Keep your proof ready: project files, the WAV with its date, your agreements and your original release date. That is what settles it.
No. SUF never puts a track declared traditional or public domain on Content ID. YouTube does not accept public domain compositions on Content ID, and a traditional song there would claim other singers' recordings of it.
Your recording still earns from YouTube Music, Art Tracks and your own channel. Read devotional music distribution before you release a traditional song.
An Official Artist Channel (OAC) brings your own channel and your auto-made Topic channel together into one verified artist page with a music note badge.
Request it from Support in your portal once at least three of your releases are live on YouTube Music and your channel has no strikes. Approval usually takes a few weeks. Guide: YouTube Official Artist Channel.
Yes. Once your song is on YouTube, creators can add it to Shorts, and the music share of Shorts revenue is paid to the song's rights holders.
It shows on your statement under YouTube with the rest of your YouTube income: Content ID, Art Tracks and YouTube Music subscriptions.
Royalties and payouts
Stores report and pay about two to three months after the month your music was played. When a report reaches us, your share is credited to your portal, and you withdraw it on your plan's schedule.
Debut pays quarterly with a Rs 1,000 minimum, Rising and Label Starter monthly with a Rs 500 minimum, Pro and Label Pro monthly with no minimum, and Signature and Label Enterprise on demand with no minimum. Money goes to your own bank account or UPI.
Open the Money page in your portal and request a withdrawal once your available balance reaches your plan's minimum. The transfer reference appears there once it is paid.
Before your first withdrawal, add your payout details: bank account or UPI in your own name, your PAN and your date of birth as on the PAN card. If you change your payout details, withdrawals pause for a short safety period.
Clearing is money that is already yours and waiting for its release date before you can withdraw it. It is not a deduction, and the date is shown next to it.
New accounts and accounts under a store review have part of their new earnings clear first, which protects everyone if a store later reverses money for fake streams. Accounts with a clean history have nothing waiting.
Because streams are counted at once and paid later. Spotify for Artists shows streams within a day or two, but stores report the money about two to three months after the month of the streams.
Your SUF portal shows daily streams separately, so you can follow a release while its royalties are on their way.
No. Payouts go only to a bank account or UPI in the same name as the PAN on your account. This protects your money and keeps your tax record correct.
Collaborators such as a producer or lyricist are paid their own share into their own accounts through royalty splits, from the Rising plan up.
Yes. Raise a query on any statement within 90 days of it appearing in your portal, and SUF answers with the underlying figures for that line.
Most questions come from the reporting delay or from many small Meta and YouTube lines; how to read a royalty statement explains both.
If a store or platform charges SUF for artificial streaming on your song, that exact charge is passed on to you, itemised on your statement with the song, the store and the period. SUF adds no fee of its own.
You can dispute it within 30 days of it appearing; if the dispute is upheld or the store withdraws the charge, it is reversed in full on your statement.
Every line shows the period, song, store, country and units, with your share worked out at your plan's rate. Your dashboard adds it up into totals, top stores, top countries and a monthly trend.
You can download statements as CSV or PDF. Our guide to reading a royalty statement explains every column.
There is no fixed rate. Each store pays from a revenue pool that changes by country, subscription type and month, and Indian streams generally pay less than US or European ones.
Use the royalty calculator for estimates in rupees across Spotify, YouTube, JioSaavn, Apple Music, Amazon Music and caller tunes. For Spotify detail, read Spotify pay per stream in India. Your statement is the real number.
Since April 2024, a song on Spotify earns recorded royalties only once it has at least 1,000 streams in the previous 12 months, from a minimum number of unique listeners. Below that, its streams are not paid.
The rule is per song, so a catalogue of many tiny songs earns less than a few songs that each pass 1,000. Promote fewer releases harder.
Yes, from the Rising plan up. Add each collaborator to a song with their share, and each one gets their own login, statement and payout from SUF.
Agree the shares in writing first. Our royalty split sheet guide has a template you can use.
No. Distribution collects royalties for the recording. The song itself, the lyrics and the music, earns separate publishing royalties, collected in India by IPRS for its members.
If you write or compose your own songs, register with IPRS and give your IPI number on your releases, otherwise that money goes uncollected. See IPRS registration and how music royalties work in India.
Tax: TDS, GST and PAN
Only where the law requires the payer to deduct it. When TDS applies to royalties, it is 10% (20% without a valid PAN) once one payer's royalties to you cross Rs 50,000 in a financial year.
If tax is withheld, it shows on your Money page as tax paid on your behalf, with a deduction statement, and the credit appears against your PAN after the quarterly return is filed. Read TDS and GST on music royalties.
Usually not. For services, GST registration becomes compulsory only above Rs 20 lakh of turnover in a year (Rs 10 lakh in some states), and where GST on a copyright licence falls under reverse charge, the music company pays it, not you.
If your music income is large, or you also earn from shows and brand work, ask a chartered accountant about your own case. This is general information, not tax advice.
Yes, for payouts in India. SUF verifies your PAN and your name and date of birth as on the PAN card before your first withdrawal, and the bank account or UPI has to be in the same name.
If a PAN is invalid or inoperative (for example, not linked with Aadhaar), any tax that has to be withheld is withheld at 20% instead of 10%. Artists outside India give their local tax ID instead.
Rights, covers and copyright
No. You keep ownership of your recordings and your songs. The agreement lets SUF distribute and earn from the releases you place with us, and nothing more; you can take them anywhere when you leave.
The one exception is a Royalty Advance, which you choose to take: if an advance is not recouped within 36 months of payment, the recordings listed in that advance agreement pass to SUF Digitals and settle the balance. Clearing the balance before then keeps them yours.
On Debut and Rising, the (P) line on your release shows SUF Digitals as the label. That is a label credit on the release, not ownership of your recording.
Yes, but only with permission from whoever owns the original song, usually its music label or publisher. A cover uses their lyrics and melody even if every note of your recording is new.
India's Copyright Act has a statutory licence for cover versions with strict conditions (notice to the owner, royalties paid in advance, no changes to the song, and nothing until five calendar years after the year of the first recording), so in practice most artists get written permission. Our cover songs guide explains both routes.
Only with permission from the owners of every recording and song you use. Unlicensed remixes, mashups and samples cannot be distributed, and stores take them down when the owner complains.
A remix of your own song, or one made with the original artist's written consent, is fine.
Yes, if your licence allows commercial streaming releases. Read the licence before you release: many cheap beat leases allow only a set number of streams and are non-exclusive.
A non-exclusive beat can be sold to other artists too, so that song must not go on YouTube Content ID; it would claim the other artists' songs. Tell us when you submit and we keep it off Content ID.
Your song is protected by copyright the moment it is written down or recorded; registration is optional but gives you strong proof. You can register at the Copyright Office online (copyright.gov.in).
The fee is Rs 500 for a musical or literary work (the music and the lyrics) and Rs 2,000 for a sound recording. Keep your project files and drafts either way. Guide: how to copyright a song in India.
Yes. The Tulsidas text of the Hanuman Chalisa, and other traditional words and tunes in the public domain, can be sung and released, and your own recording is yours. Use a traditional tune or your own: many popular melodies of these prayers were composed for a label's recording and belong to that label.
What you cannot do is copy another label's recording, tune or arrangement, or claim the traditional words and tune themselves on YouTube. See devotional music distribution.
Fully AI-generated tracks are not something we take on. Music where AI was used as a tool inside a genuinely human-made record is reviewed case by case.
Stores are tightening their rules here, and we protect the catalogue by staying ahead of them. Read what stores accept from AI music.
Artist profiles and verification
Report it through the Release on the wrong artist profile form in Support, with links to the wrong profile and your correct one. SUF asks the store to move it; do not delete and upload the song again.
To stop it happening, give your Spotify and Apple Music artist links on every release, or tick that you are not on that store yet. Full guide: fix a song on the wrong artist profile.
Claim your profile in Spotify for Artists once your first release is live or scheduled. Claiming gives you control of your profile: your stats, your picture and bio, and the editorial pitch tool.
From the Rising plan up, SUF helps with Spotify and Apple Music for Artists claims. See claim your artist profile.
We can ask the store to move them. Use the Release on the wrong artist profile form in Support, choose Someone else's music is on my profile, and give links to the songs that are not yours.
The store decides and corrects its own catalogue. It happens most with common names, which is why a unique artist name and correct profile links on every release matter.
Playlists and promotion
SUF pitches releases to the editors at Spotify, Apple Music, JioSaavn, Gaana, Amazon Music and YouTube Music, and it can pitch a whole EP or album, not just one song. Editorial pitch support is included from the Pro plan up.
Lock the release at least 14 days before release day. No one can guarantee a placement, and anyone who sells a guaranteed editorial playlist is not being honest. See playlist pitching.
No. SUF never buys streams, plays or followers, and never places songs on paid playlists. Bought streams are artificial streaming, and they get songs removed and royalties withheld.
Since April 2024 Spotify also charges labels and distributors a fee per track when it detects flagrant artificial streaming. Read fake streams and paid promotion before you pay anyone for streams.
YouTube video ads through Google Ads, Instagram reel campaigns with creators, and Spotify marketing, each with a report when the campaign ends. They are open to artists who do not distribute with SUF too.
Every campaign uses real ads and real creators, never bots. See marketing services.
A smart link is one link for your release that opens the song straight in each fan's music app, even from inside Instagram. Every release on every SUF plan gets one free, like listen.sufdigitals.com/your-song.
Before release day it shows a countdown and takes email sign-ups for a release-day alert. See smart links.
For labels
Label plans cost Rs 4,999 (up to 10 artists), Rs 7,999 (up to 30 artists) and Rs 9,999 (unlimited artists) a year before GST, each with unlimited releases. The label keeps 85%, 90% or 95%.
Every label plan includes a roster dashboard, consolidated statements, bulk catalogue import, your label name on every release, Content ID and caller tunes across the roster. See label distribution.
Yes. A label gives each artist a login, sets each artist's share song by song, and SUF pays the artist their share directly.
The label sees the whole roster and every statement; each artist sees only their own songs and money.
Yes. Label plans include bulk catalogue import: download the template from your Releases page, fill in the sheet and attach the audio and covers or one zip file.
Keep each song's ISRC so its play counts carry over, and usually its playlist places too. See switching distributors.
Yes, in early access: a distribution platform under your own brand, with your own colours, style and plan prices for your artists, with SUF handling delivery and checks behind it.
Read about it and apply on the white label page.
Royalty Advance
Yes, on the Signature plan for artists and the Label Enterprise plan for labels. Royalty Advance pays you up to 6 times your average monthly royalty share from the last 6 months of statements, upfront.
It is recouped only from your own royalty share on future statements, never from your bank account. The full terms, a calculator and the conditions are on the Royalty Advance page.
It depends on what your songs earn. The total in your advance agreement is recouped from 100% of your royalty share on statements that arrive after you are paid.
Your Royalty Advance page shows the balance going down with every statement, and you can clear it early at any time.
Signature or Label Enterprise accounts based in India, 18 or over, with at least 6 months of royalty statements on SUF and earnings in at least 4 of the last 6 months.
They also need verified payout details with PAN, a signed distribution agreement and at least one master they own on SUF. The smallest advance is Rs 5,000.
Moving, takedowns and leaving
No. There is no exclusivity period on your releases and your account has no minimum term. You can take down any release at any time, and your plan does not auto-renew.
A custom deal agreed directly with us, or a royalty advance still being recouped, can set its own terms, and if yours does, your agreement in the portal states it. Takedown instructions go to every store within 7 working days of your request, and each store removes the music at its own speed.
Yes. Deliver the same recordings with the same ISRCs, and keep them live with your old distributor until the SUF release is live. When the codes match, stores link the new delivery to the existing song: play counts carry over, and playlist places usually do.
On Signature, catalogue transfer assistance is included. Step by step: switch music distributors without losing streams.
Yes. Release each song again through SUF with its existing ISRC, the same audio, the same title and artist name, and its original release date. Stores then link it to the song already there, with its streams.
Find your ISRCs on your old statements or in Spotify for Artists. If you cannot find them, tell us before you upload and we help you look them up.
No. A takedown is free at any time, unless a royalty advance is still being recouped, in which case its balance has to be cleared first. Use the Take down a release form in Support, choose all stores or only some, and as soon as possible or a date. SUF sends the takedown to every store within 7 working days, and each store removes the music at its own speed.
A takedown stops the song earning on those stores, and its play counts and playlist places may not come back if it is released again, so think before you remove a song that is still earning.
Yes. Give us 30 days' notice and we stop taking new releases from you; your plan does not renew unless you renew it. Your releases come down whenever you ask, at no charge.
We can also coordinate a handover to your next distributor so your ISRCs and streaming history carry over. Royalties already earned are paid out on the normal schedule through the final accounting period. If you signed a negotiated management or advance deal with us, the terms of that agreement apply instead.
Account, support and policies
It is the contract between you and SUF Digitals covering the music you place with us: what we deliver, the share you keep, how you are paid and how either side can exit. You e-sign it in the portal after choosing your plan and before your first release goes out.
Your signed copy stays in your account. The current version is public on the distribution agreement page.
Distributing music you do not own, artificial streaming (bots, stream farms, paid playlist schemes), misleading metadata and repeated store policy strikes.
Artificial streaming is the fastest way to lose everything: stores detect it, withhold the money and remove the music. We terminate for it because it endangers every other artist we deliver.
From your portal's Support page, which has ready forms for the common requests (YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, release changes, artist profiles, takedowns and claims), or by email at support@sufdigitals.com.
Support replies within 72 hours on Debut, 48 on Rising and Label Starter, 24 on Pro and Label Pro, and 12 hours with WhatsApp on Signature and Label Enterprise. Before you sign up, use the help centre or the WhatsApp button on the site.
Still deciding?
Plans are annual and priced in rupees, from Rs 999 a year plus GST. Pick the one that fits how much you release.
See plans and pricing