How to upload a song on Spotify from India (2026 guide)

No. Spotify tested direct uploads for artists in 2018 and closed the test in 2019. Since then, every song on Spotify arrives through a distributor or a record label, which delivers the audio, artwork and song details to Spotify and collects the royalties Spotify pays.

The same distributor usually delivers to JioSaavn, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Gaana, Instagram and the other stores at the same time, so one upload puts your song everywhere.

• Final audio: a WAV or FLAC master, 16 or 24 bit, at 44.1 kHz or higher. MP3 files are not accepted as masters.
• Cover art: a perfect square of 3000 x 3000 pixels, JPG or TIFF, RGB colour, with no website addresses, social handles, prices or store logos on it.
• Song details: title, your artist name exactly as you want it to appear, featured artists, composer, lyricist, producer, language, genre and whether the lyrics are explicit.
• Rights: you must own the recording or have permission. Cover songs need a licence for the territories you release in, and remixes need the original owner's permission.
• A release date: two to four weeks away, so there is time to pitch to playlists.

1. Choose a plan. On SUF Digitals, plans start at Rs 999 a year. See plans and pricing.
2. Sign the distribution agreement inside the portal. You keep 100% of your copyright.
3. Upload your audio and cover. The cover is checked against Spotify and Apple Music artwork rules before you can submit, so it is not rejected later.
4. Fill in the song details. If you already have a Spotify artist profile, add its link so the song lands on your existing profile instead of a new one.
5. Pick your release date and submit. Your release is reviewed for audio, artwork and metadata problems.
6. Delivery. Your release goes to Spotify and 150+ other stores. Your smart link is ready from approval, with a pre-release countdown.
7. Go live. On release day your song appears on Spotify. SUF emails you when it is live, with share cards for stories and posts.

Distributors charge in three ways: a yearly plan, a fee per release, or no fee but a bigger share of your royalties. Compare the total: the fee plus the share you give up.

Delivery itself takes from 24 hours to about 10 days depending on your plan. The real deadline is pitching: Spotify only considers songs for editorial playlists if they are pitched at least 7 days before release, and SUF asks for releases to be locked 14 days ahead so it can pitch on all six platforms it works with. That is why a release date two to four weeks out is the sensible default.

A same-week release can still go live, but it gives up editorial consideration completely.

Spotify for Artists is where you pitch unreleased songs, add a Canvas (the short looping video), set an Artist Pick and see who is listening. Claim it as soon as your first release is delivered. The Rising plan and above include help claiming Spotify for Artists and Apple Music for Artists.

Pitch the song with honest, specific details: genre, mood, language, instruments and the story behind it. Read the full Spotify pitching guide. On the Pro and Signature plans, SUF also pitches your release to Spotify and five other platforms through its own playlist pitching.

Spotify does not pay a fixed amount per stream. It shares revenue in each country based on your share of streams there, and a song only earns recorded royalties once it reaches at least 1,000 streams in the previous 12 months and a minimum number of unique listeners, a rule Spotify has applied since April 2024 (Spotify's track monetization rules).

Streams from Indian listeners pay less than streams from the US or Europe. See how much Spotify pays per stream in India, or estimate your own numbers with the royalty calculator.