You’ve got a new tune and want to get it on Apple Music – you’re in the right place. This article will cover an overview of getting your music on Apple Music.

Uploading directly to Apple Music isn’t as simple as it sounds. Getting direct deals with Apple is possible, but you’ll need an extensive catalogue as well as having to meet Apple’s ongoing requirements. It’s tough.

But, don’t sweat. There is another, simple way! You can use a distributor with a pre-established relationship with the Apple platform to distribute music on your behalf, like LabelGrid.

Using a digital distributor is most straightforward and cost-effective for you, your artists and your labels.

But if you’re unfamiliar with the world of distribution, here’s a quick overview of what a distro does.

What is a digital distributor?

A digital distributor helps streamline navigating the often-complex relationships between different companies involved in the music industry. This includes facilitating payment exchanges between streaming services and download stores and managing artist agreements between streaming services and record labels.

Most distributors will offer additional services such as performing and publishing rights management, metadata translation, promotion, royalty splits and more. Some distributors will also help you distribute other types of content, such as music videos or concert films.

Distributors help artists get their music into Apple Music and other online stores. In 2022, there’s a wealth of companies that can help you. But, artists and labels should work with distributors who provide excellent service and have a good reputation.

Distributing to Apple Music with LabelGrid 

Here’s how to deliver your music to Apple Music using LabelGrid’s digital distribution service. 

If you aren’t already a user of LabelGrid, you’ll need to sign up for a free trial before adding any releases.

To distribute music, you’ll need to have the following ready:

  • A master copy of at least one track in WAV format
  • Artwork for the release in JPEG format 3000×3000 pixels 72dpi preferred
  • You must have rights to distribute this track (copyright ownership)
  • You must have already completed ‘Setting up your label’
  • Please read over our meta-data style guide to understand best practices for track titles, artist names, cat numbers, ISRC’s, UPC’s, album descriptions, etc.

Creating a release in LabelGrid

To add a new release, navigate to Catalog > Create new release. Start to populate the required information. The information you provide LabelGrid is sent to Apple Music – Apple Music will display your release data on their streaming service and platform. 

Scheduling music for delivery to Apple Music

LabelGrid gives you total flexibility over your release dates, the stores you want the music distributed to and any exclusivity to a specific store. When you’re ready, find your release in the catalogue manager and press send to shops. 

Select Apple Music in the Distro Outlets menu, and press submit. 

LabelGrid has made it so simple to distribute music. Once you’ve pressed submit, LabelGrid will schedule your release ready for streaming on Apple Music on your chosen release date. 

If you’re ready to distribute music to Apple Music, sign up for a LabelGrid account today. Also, if you’re looking to distribute music for a plethora of artists, we’ve written an extensive article on setting up your own music distribution company.