Music release checklist

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Metadata

0/6

Final track and release titles, spelled and cased exactly how they should appear
Primary artist name consistent with your other releases (one spelling, everywhere)
Featured artists and remixers credited in the title where the stores expect them
Genre and language set
Explicit / clean flag correct on every track
Cover art at 3000×3000, no store logos, no misleading text

Codes

0/4

An ISRC on every recordingOne per recording — a new mix or edit needs its own.
A UPC / EAN on the release
An ISWC on each composition, if you have it
Codes validated for format and check digits before delivery

Splits & rights

0/5

Master (recording) splits agreed and adding up to 100%
Publishing (songwriter) splits agreed and adding up to 100%
A signed split sheet everyone has a copy of
Samples and interpolations cleared, or confirmed there are none
Writers registered with a PRO and the work registered to it

Delivery

0/4

Final master at the distributor's required quality (usually 16-bit/44.1kHz WAV or better)
Release date set with enough lead time for playlist pitching (3–4 weeks)
Pre-save / pre-order decided and set up
Store and territory selection confirmed

Links & promotion

0/5

A smart link ready so one URL points to every store
Canvas / visualizers and short clips prepared for social
Press kit updated so it reflects this release
Pitched to editorial playlists through the distributor before release
Release-day posts scheduled, with the link in every bio

Why it matters

A release fails quietly, not loudly

Nothing errors when a split is unsigned or an ISRC is missing. The release goes out, the streams come in, and then a statement arrives that does not add up — or an argument starts about who is owed what, months after anyone remembers the conversation.

The checklist exists because every item on it is cheap to do before the date and expensive to fix after it. Working down the list once is the difference between a release you can account for to the cent and one you are reconstructing from memory.

Questions

The things people ask first

When should I start the checklist?

Three to four weeks before the release date, not the week of. The single biggest reason a release underperforms is a date set too soon to pitch editorial playlists, and that window closes early. Everything else on the list is easier when it is not also last-minute.

Do I need an ISRC and a UPC for every release?

An ISRC on every recording and a UPC on every release, yes. The ISRC is how each recording is matched to the money it earns; the UPC is how the release is matched to its sales. Most distributors assign them for free, but a recording delivered without a valid ISRC is a recording whose royalties can end up unmatched.

What is a split sheet and why is it on here twice?

Because there are two kinds of split and they are different money. The master split divides the recording income; the publishing split divides the songwriting income. A song can be 50/50 on one and 70/30 on the other. Agreeing both in writing before release is how you avoid the argument that happens after the first statement arrives.

Is anything saved or uploaded?

Your ticks are saved in your own browser so the list is still filled in when you come back, and nothing is uploaded. Clearing your browser data clears the list.

Check the codes on this list Check the splits add up