Store fields and previews: why each store differs

Every store takes the same release but files it a little differently. Apple puts featured artists in the title; Spotify puts them in the artist line. TikTok rejects a song under 60 seconds; Deezer refuses a track without an explicit flag. You fill in one master record, and change a field for one store only where that store needs it.

The store grid

Open a release and press Open the store grid (or Store grid on the Releases list). Rows are fields; columns are Spotify, Apple, YouTube, TikTok, Meta (Instagram and Facebook), Amazon, Deezer and Tidal.

• ✓ uses the master value.
• A highlighted value is different for that store.
• + is a store-only field that isn't set yet.
• Striped means the store doesn't take that field.

To change a field for one store, click its cell, choose Same as master or type the value, add a reason under Why (optional) if it helps your bandmates, and press Save. Setting it back to the master value removes the difference.

Owners and label managers can edit every release; artists can edit their own. Everyone else sees the grid read-only.

Fields only some stores have

• Spotify: Editorial pitch note and Canvas (the short looping video behind a song).
• Apple Music: Motion artwork and Apple Digital Masters.
• YouTube: Content ID (on by default; it finds your recording in other people's videos), the official video link, and the owning channel, which merges your topic channel with your own.
• TikTok, Instagram and YouTube Shorts: In the sound library (on by default) and the clip start for each track.
• Hi-res and Atmos: a 24-bit master for Apple, Amazon, Tidal and Deezer; a Dolby Atmos mix for Apple, Amazon and Tidal.

Deliver here is a field like any other. Set it to No to skip a store for this release.

How each store writes a title

Type the title, version and featured artists in their own boxes, never all in the title. Each store then writes them its own way:

The readiness cards

Each release page, the store grid and the wizard show one card per store, checked against that store's own published rules. A card says Ready, Needs a look, Blocked, Overridden or Not delivered (when Deliver here is No).

Each problem is one of:

• Blocker: the store would reject it. Delivery stops until it's fixed.
• Warning: the store might push back, or it looks wrong.
• Tip: worth doing, like adding lyrics or a Canvas.
• Look yourself (👁): something only a person can judge, like whether the cover has a web address on it.

Every problem has a Why that quotes the rule, links to the store's page, and gives the date we last checked it. A rule that only a distributor publishes, not the store itself, says so.

Rules that differ by store

The store preview

Under the cards, the preview draws the release the way Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and TikTok lay it out, so a wrong title or a missing version shows up before release day. Flip between stores with the tabs.

The side form, Fields for a store, lets you try a different title, version, artist, explicit flag, date or clip start. The drawing and that store's checks update as you type, but nothing is saved until you press Save for that store. Discard drops the changes.

These drawings are ours, not the stores' pages; each one says so, and none uses a store's logo.

Overriding a blocker

Sometimes a rule doesn't fit, for example a band name that is really written in all capitals. Owners and label managers can ship anyway:

1. On the release page, open Override… on that store's card.
2. Say why, in 5 to 300 characters. The reason stays with the release.
3. Press Ship anyway.

The card then says Overridden, with your reason. The override covers only the blockers there at that moment: a new one blocks again. Remove override takes it back. The store can still reject the release, so override only when you're sure.

About the picturesThey show Copper Kettle, the made-up band from our guide. Every name, code and dollar in them is invented. Numbered red dots on a picture match the numbered steps.