Day 0Checklist
Four foundational lessons to secure your identity. Expand each entry for the full breakdown before moving to Stage 01.
Why it matters
Your name is the single string of text every algorithm, journalist, and curator uses to find you. If three other artists share it on Spotify, you've already lost the search game. Fix this once, on Day 0, and you never fix it again.
How to run the audit
- Search the name on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and SoundCloud. Note any collisions.
- Check Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube handle availability - try to ensure they match.
- Buy the .com even if you don't plan to build a site yet.
When to rebrand
If there is an established artist with even partial overlap and meaningful streams, rebrand now. Trying to outrank them later costs years of SEO and confused fans.
What a PRO actually does
When your song plays on radio, in a venue, on a TV show, or via streaming, performance royalties are owed to the songwriter. A PRO (ASCAP, BMI, PRS, SOCAN, GEMA…) is the only entity legally allowed to collect and pay those out to you.
Picking one
- US: ASCAP (free, faster sign-up) or BMI (free as of 2022, larger catalogue).
- UK: PRS for Music.
- EU: GEMA (DE), SACEM (FR), SIAE (IT), etc. - register in your country of residence.
- You can only be a member of ONE PRO at a time. Pick and commit.
After you join
Every single song you release needs to be registered with your PRO - including features and co-writes, with splits matching what you locked in with collaborators. Unregistered songs collect nothing.
Why DistroKid (our default)
Flat annual fee, unlimited uploads, fast turnaround to Spotify (usually 24–72 hours), and it lets you keep 100% of royalties. Other valid options: TuneCore, Amuse, CD Baby
Pick the right plan
You need 'Musician Plus' (or higher) to schedule a future release date. The basic 'Musician' plan releases ASAP, which kills your pitch window.
Account hygiene
- Use a long-term email address you'll still own in 10 years - royalties accrue forever.
- Enable 2FA immediately.
- Connect your payout method (PayPal, bank transfer) and confirm a test withdrawal.
- First release? Select 'No, this is my first release on Spotify' (and the same for Apple Music). Don't paste any links or URIs - they don't exist yet. DistroKid will tell the DSPs to generate brand-new profiles for you.
Profile signals
Make sure the artist name in DistroKid is character-for-character identical to what you want on DSPs.
The trap
First-time artists upload a single, schedule it for release in a week or two, then discover they can't pitch it. Their S4A profile doesn't exist yet, and the artist URI Spotify generated behind the scenes is hidden. If you just wait for release day, the song goes live on a blank profile and you've already missed the editorial pitch window.
The escape hatch
- Upload to DistroKid with a release date AT LEAST 3–4 weeks out (requires Musician Plus).
- Wait 2–3 days for DistroKid to approve and deliver the song to the DSPs.
- Go to DistroKid's Spotify URI Looker-Upper (distrokid.com/uri/spotify), select your unreleased song, and copy the hidden Spotify Artist URI it reveals.
- Use that URI to claim your Spotify for Artists profile. Repeat the equivalent step for Apple Music for Artists.
- Once claimed, set up your profile (photo, bio) AND pitch the unreleased track to Spotify editorial - both must happen before release day.
Why 4 weeks (minimum)
Spotify's editorial team recommends pitching at least 7 days before release. The first ~week is eaten by DistroKid delivery + URI lookup + S4A claim approval. Anything tighter than 3–4 weeks and you've burned your one pitch.