How to release a Manipuri song: Spotify, JioSaavn, Meetei Mayek titles and caller tunes

Manipuri, which many native speakers prefer to call Meitei or Meiteilon, is the mother tongue of about 17.6 lakh people (Census 2011). It is the official language of Manipur and has been in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution since 1992.

Outside Manipur it is spoken in Assam, mainly in the Barak Valley, and in Tripura and Nagaland. In 2024 Assam made it an associate official language in four districts. Meitei communities also live across the border in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Meitei music has deep roots, from the Nat Sankirtana tradition to Pena eshei, sung with the pena, a bamboo-and-gourd instrument. Whatever you record, one SUF release carries it to Spotify, JioSaavn, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Gaana, Instagram and 150+ stores, with caller tunes on Jio, Airtel, Vi and BSNL.

A Manipuri song release follows the same steps as any other on SUF, and one release reaches every store.

1. Create your SUF Digitals account and choose a plan. Plans start at Rs 999 a year (before GST), and you keep 100% of your copyright on every plan.
2. Add your artist name and your Spotify and Apple Music profile links. First release? Mark yourself as new to the stores, and your artist pages are created with it.
3. Create a release and choose the language for the release and for each track: open "All languages" in the language picker and pick Manipuri. The stores list the song as Manipuri.
4. Upload a WAV or FLAC master (16 or 24 bit, 44.1 to 96 kHz) and a square 3000 x 3000 pixel cover in JPG or PNG. Test the cover first with the free cover art checker, which runs the same checks.
5. Credit the singers, composers, lyricists and producers, declare each song's rights and set the release date: you choose it from the Rising plan up, and on Debut it is set for you, 7 days after you submit.
6. Submit. SUF checks every release against the stores' rules before it goes out; on release day, share your free smart link, which opens the song in each fan's own music app.

Here is the honest picture: we found no store-run playlist just for Manipuri songs (as of October 2026), and JioSaavn's language menu does not include Manipuri, even though the stores list Manipuri releases under their own language.

A pitch still matters. From the Pro plan up, SUF pitches your release, or a full EP or album, to the editors at Spotify, Apple Music, JioSaavn, Gaana, Amazon Music and YouTube Music, putting a Manipuri song in front of the people who build their wider Indian, folk and devotional playlists.

Lock the release at least 14 days before release day so there is time to pitch it (Spotify only considers songs pitched 7 days or more ahead). Editors make every choice themselves, placement is never guaranteed, and SUF never buys streams or playlist spots. Meanwhile your fans' listening feeds Spotify's algorithmic playlists, Release Radar, Daily Mix and Discover Weekly; more on playlist pitching.

Manipuri has three scripts in use: Meetei Mayek, which the Manipur government officially adopted in 2021, the Bengali-Assamese script, co-official until 2031, and Roman letters, used informally.

With fans reading different scripts, write the store title in Roman letters, the way people type it into search on a phone, and put the Meetei Mayek or Bengali-script title in your release description and your YouTube and Instagram captions. Titles must not carry emoji, ALL CAPS, "feat." or promo words like Official, Lyrical, Video Song, Latest, New Song or Trending.

In the picker the language is Manipuri, the stores' name for it; if you call it Meitei, say so in your captions. Your artist name goes in English letters, spelled one way everywhere, since a second spelling becomes a second artist page, and words on the cover must match the title and artist name.

Lai Haraoba is the festival with songs of its own: the Lai Haraoba eshei are a named form of Meitei ritual song. If you are recording them, time the release for the Lai Haraoba you sing for.

For any festival or date that matters, lock the release at least 14 days before release day if you are on Pro or above, so it can be pitched, and three to four weeks before the festival if you can. On Debut the release date is set 7 days after you submit; from Rising up you pick it.

Manipur's devotional music includes Nat Sankirtana, Nupi pala sung by women, Gaur Padas in praise of Chaitanya, Dhob with its large cymbal, Khubakeshei hand-clapping songs and Manohar Sai. The folk side has Khullang Eshei, the rural love songs, along with Lai Haraoba eshei and Pena eshei.

A traditional song in any of these forms belongs to everyone, so mark it "Traditional or public domain" in the rights step; the recording must be yours. A cover of someone else's song needs the owner's licence, and a remix needs the original recording owner's permission (cover songs).

Only original songs with no samples or non-exclusive beats go on YouTube Content ID, so traditional and public domain recordings never do. Our devotional music guide has more on releasing sacred songs.

With no Manipuri store playlist to lean on, your own reach does much of the work. Caller tunes on Jio (JioTunes), Airtel (Hellotunes), Vi and BSNL come with every plan at no extra cost, and a song people keep as their caller tune earns every month they keep it (caller tunes).

Your free smart link sends each fan to the song in their own music app, ready to share on WhatsApp and Instagram. Royalties come in rupees to your bank account or UPI, with statements by track, store, country and month.

Our page on every Indian language we release in shows the full list, and plans compares what each plan includes. Neighbouring languages have their own guides: Assamese songs and Naga songs.