Build a music release archive you can find and use later

Decide what the archive must help you do

Think of a future task: correct a credit, supply an approved instrumental, move a catalogue or identify which master was released. The archive should let an authorised person find the relevant material without guessing which “final” folder was used. Start with one release and a clear index rather than reorganising an entire catalogue at once.

The Library of Congress recommends identifying valuable audio, retaining useful exports and metadata, using descriptive names and maintaining readable copies in different places. Apply those preservation principles to a release record while keeping the artist’s working project and private documents appropriately protected.

Use a small release folder map

• Audio: the approved release master and separately identified approved versions.
• Artwork and visuals: final exports, relevant source references and credit instructions.
• Release record: track order, artist/profile references, identifiers and approved metadata.
• Permissions and agreements: relevant records kept in a restricted private area.
• Delivery and review: release references, corrections, approval notes and verified public links.
• Index: what each folder contains, which version is current and who can answer a question.

The names are a suggested working structure, not a required upload format for DistroBolt. Separate a file intended for public press use from a private agreement. A link to a folder should not expose everything just because one image may be shared.

Retain enough context to open the material

For a production project, discuss which session files, dependencies and exports should be retained with the engineer. Keep the software/version and relevant dependency notes where useful. Retain playable approved audio as well as an editable project where it is included and you are entitled to keep it.

An exported WAV and a session project serve different purposes. Neither possession of a file nor its inclusion in the archive establishes ownership or permission for every reuse. Use the production engagement record to confirm agreed deliverables and the recording-authority record for rights questions.

Make the approved version easy to identify

Put a short index beside the files: release title, track filename, version description, approval date and the source of the recording identifier. Keep a correction note when a replacement is approved rather than silently changing which file an old approval appears to describe. Preserve the original release history when a master is reused in another package.

A hypothetical label later receives a credit enquiry about a single. Its release index identifies the approved metadata version, original ISRC and final audio filename. The team can compare the enquiry with that record before asking DistroBolt for a correction. This is a retrieval example, not a promise that a folder automatically updates any store.

Maintain independent copies and check retrieval

Use more than one appropriate copy and avoid leaving all copies exposed to the same device failure or location loss. Choose storage and access arrangements suitable for the material. Check a selection periodically: can you read the index, open the actual audio and find the referenced artwork? A list of filenames alone is not proof that their contents can be recovered.

When testing a copy, work with a separate retrieved file and avoid overwriting the approved original. If a copy is incomplete, keep the known good material intact while you investigate. This guide does not ask you to change account security, buy storage or publish an archive; agree any such action separately.

Prepare a handover without sharing the whole archive

For a specific request, assemble only the necessary approved files and a small index. Check the recipient and access before sending. Do not include account passwords, verification codes or unrelated private contracts. For a catalogue move, use the ISRC and transfer record and the transfer guide to determine what is actually needed.

A production handover, a rights enquiry and a public press kit need different material. Keep the permanent archive as the source record and create a purpose-specific delivery set. Note what was sent and which version it represented.

Know what distribution does and what you retain

DistroBolt distributes the submitted recording under the applicable service terms. This page does not promise DAW-project hosting, indefinite retrieval of source files, a new cloud-backup service or automatic restoration of deleted material. Maintain your own usable release record and ask about the actual account information available when needed.

After each release or approved correction, update the index using the release checklist. For a later problem, give DistroBolt the recording and release references and the specific discrepancy. A clear archive improves the question you can ask; it does not guarantee recovery, delivery timing or preserved platform statistics.