Audio files for music distribution: check your final master

Start with the approved recording

Use the final stereo master approved by the artist and relevant rightsholders. A listening preview, messaging-app attachment or screen recording is not a dependable delivery source. Ask the engineer for the original export if you are uncertain which file is final. Keep the mix, instrumental, clean edit and master clearly separated so a similar filename cannot decide what reaches listeners.

Understand the destination and the upload form

Spotify currently accepts FLAC and qualifying PCM WAV masters, prefers the highest-quality native stereo source and specifies at least 44.1 kHz with appropriate 16- or 24-bit depth. It advises against reducing a higher-quality native master before delivery. Those destination specifications do not prove which formats DistroBolt’s current intake accepts. Check the actual upload field before exporting; ask the team if the native source and form requirements differ.

Inspect the file before uploading

• Open the actual exported file in a reliable player. Listen to the beginning, transitions and complete ending, then check the whole recording for unintended edits or silence.
• Confirm that it is the approved mix and language version. Do not rely only on a filename or loudness difference.
• Record the format, sample rate, bit depth, channels and duration. Changing an extension does not convert the underlying audio.
• Check that channels are correct, the ending has not been cut and there are no accidental clicks, clipping or export failures.
• Keep a private master record with version, approval date and the person who approved it. Keep working stems separate from the delivery file.

A simple handover example

An artist receives “Song-final.wav” and “Song-final-v2.wav”. Rather than guessing, they ask the engineer which approved export contains the corrected ending, listen to that file and record its exact name and duration beside the track title. The upload record then refers to that approved file. This example is a version-control method, not a universal naming convention or an extra DistroBolt service.

Match files to release information

Build a track-by-track list before uploading an EP or album. Put the approved filename, title, version, explicit flag and existing identifier where applicable on the same row. Do not attach a different recording to an existing code just because its title is similar. Use the ISRC and catalogue guide for identifier decisions and the clean-version checklist when supplying alternate edits.

If an upload fails

Retain the exact error message, release reference and relevant technical properties. Check the file against the current form instead of repeatedly converting and uploading it. Describe the problem to DistroBolt without sending account credentials. An accepted upload is only one stage: review, delivery and store availability still need checking. See what to check when a release is not live.

Need help with the sound?

Human Mastering is optional work with its own scope and terms. Distribution is not automatic repair of a damaged export. Agree any corrective work before commissioning it, keep the approved replacement distinct and review the streaming loudness guide before changing a good master solely to chase a number.