Finishing a song is a major achievement, but recording the music is only the beginning. The next challenge is getting it onto the platforms where listeners can discover it.

For many Nigerian independent artists, this stage creates several questions: Which music distributor should you use? How do you upload music to Spotify and Boomplay? What files do you need? How long does distribution take? And what happens to the royalties generated by your music?

This guide explains how to prepare and distribute your music to Spotify, Apple Music, Boomplay, TikTok and other digital platforms while retaining ownership of your work.

What does music distribution mean?

Digital music distribution is the process of delivering a finished release to streaming services and online music stores.

Most major platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music, do not allow independent artists to upload commercial releases directly. Instead, artists use an approved music distributor to deliver their songs, cover artwork and release information to these platforms.

A music distributor can help with:

• Delivering music to streaming services and digital stores
• Supplying release metadata to each platform
• Assigning or processing ISRC and UPC codes
• Collecting royalties reported by the platforms
• Providing performance and earnings reports
• Updating or removing releases when necessary

A distributor is not automatically a record label. Using one does not mean giving up ownership of your master recording. However, artists should always review the distributor's fees, commission policy and terms before submitting their music.

Why platform coverage matters for Nigerian artists

A strong distribution strategy should cover both international and African streaming audiences.

Spotify, Apple Music and TikTok can help Nigerian artists reach listeners around the world. Boomplay is also important because it has an established audience across several African markets and is widely used on mobile devices.

Before selecting a distributor, confirm that it can deliver your music to the platforms that matter to your audience. These may include Spotify, Apple Music, Boomplay, TikTok, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer and Tidal.

Artists should not assume that every distributor sends music to the same stores. Platform availability can vary by distributor, territory and release type. ORB Entertainment distributes eligible releases to Boomplay and more than 150 digital platforms, giving independent artists access to African and international audiences.

Compare fees and royalty policies

Distribution services generally charge through a recurring subscription, a fee for each release, a percentage of royalties or additional fees for optional services.

A low initial price does not always mean a distributor will be less expensive in the long term. A company that keeps a percentage of royalties can become increasingly costly as an artist's audience and catalogue grow.

Before choosing a service, examine:

• Subscription and release fees
• Royalty commission
• Renewal requirements
• Takedown policies
• Payment thresholds and withdrawal fees
• Optional service charges
• What happens to releases when a subscription expires

ORB Entertainment operates a 0% royalty-commission policy across its plans. Artists retain the royalties reported for their music, subject to the applicable subscription terms and payment-processing requirements.

Give your release enough time

Uploading a release shortly before its intended release date can create avoidable problems. The distributor must first review the audio, artwork, metadata and ownership information. After approval, each streaming platform processes the release according to its own schedule.

Spotify also requires an unreleased song to be delivered in advance before it can be submitted through Spotify for Artists for editorial playlist consideration. Spotify recommends delivering and pitching the song at least seven days before release.

Submitting earlier provides more time to address errors and prepare promotion. A lead time of at least 14 days is a practical target, although some releases may need longer.

ORB Entertainment reviews submitted releases within 24 hours. This refers to ORB's internal review process; the time required for a release to appear on individual stores is controlled by each platform.

Prepare your release before uploading

Having the correct files and information ready can reduce delays.

Prepare the audio

Use the original lossless master supplied by your producer or mastering engineer. WAV is the standard choice for digital distribution. A high-quality master should generally be stereo, at least 16-bit and 44.1 kHz, free from clipping or unintended distortion, and the final mastered version of the song.

Avoid uploading an MP3 when the original WAV master is available. Converting a low-quality MP3 into WAV does not restore the audio quality lost during compression. Listen to the final file from beginning to end and confirm there is no unintended silence, noise or abrupt ending.

Prepare the release information

Have the following details ready:

• Release and track titles
• Primary and featured artist names
• Songwriter, composer and producer credits
• Genre, subgenre and language
• Explicit-content status
• Release date
• Copyright ownership information
• Existing ISRC or UPC codes, if applicable

Artist names should be entered consistently. A difference in spelling, spacing or punctuation can cause platforms to create a duplicate profile or place the song on the wrong artist page.

If a new release does not already have an ISRC or UPC, the distributor can arrange the appropriate codes during the distribution process where available.

Prepare the cover artwork

Cover artwork should be square, clear and professionally presented. For distribution through ORB Entertainment, it should be between 1,400 × 1,400 and 4,000 × 4,000 pixels and use a supported format such as JPEG or PNG.

The artwork should match the artist and release information. Avoid streaming-platform logos, misleading promotional claims, unnecessary borders and images you do not have permission to use. A 3,000 × 3,000-pixel square image is a useful recommended size because it provides strong quality across different platforms.

How to distribute a release with ORB Entertainment

The distribution process can be completed online:

1. Create an account. Register with ORB Entertainment and complete the required account and identity-verification steps.
2. Select a distribution plan. Choose the plan that fits your release schedule, catalogue and team requirements.
3. Create a new release. Enter the title, artist information, genre, language, release date and copyright details.
4. Upload the audio. Add the final WAV master for every track included in the release.
5. Add contributors and credits. Enter songwriters, producers, featured artists and other contributors accurately. When a release has agreed royalty splits, record the percentages clearly and ensure the full allocation totals 100%.
6. Upload the artwork. Add compliant square cover artwork and check its preview.
7. Select stores. Choose the supported platforms where the release should be delivered.
8. Review and submit. Confirm the spelling of every title and artist name, then check the audio, artwork, credits, date and store selection before submitting.

ORB reviews the submission and may request corrections if any part does not meet distribution requirements.

What should you do before release day?

Distribution makes a song available, but promotion helps listeners discover it. Before release day, artists can prepare a pre-save or smart link, short videos featuring the strongest part of the song, artwork announcements, behind-the-scenes content, lyrics or visualisers, and a release-day post.

Consistent promotion is usually more effective than posting only once. Artists can introduce the story behind the song, highlight collaborators and create several pieces of content from the same release.

Any paid advertising campaign should use a controlled budget, clear targeting and measurable objectives. Reach, impressions and clicks can help an artist understand campaign performance, but they should not be presented as guaranteed streams.

Use release data to plan your next move

After the song is released, review the available reports instead of focusing only on the total stream count. Look at which platforms generate the most activity, which locations respond, which promotional links receive clicks and which pieces of content perform best.

Streaming and royalty reports may not appear immediately. Platforms report information on different schedules, so artists should allow time for data to become available.

Use reliable data to improve the next campaign, release date and content strategy.

Distribution creates opportunities beyond your location

An artist does not need to travel to every city or country where the music can be heard. Once a song is properly distributed, listeners in places the artist has never visited can discover it through search, playlists, social content, recommendations and direct sharing.

Distribution does not guarantee success, but it gives the music the opportunity to reach an audience.

ORB Entertainment offers independent artists distribution to Boomplay, Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok and more than 150 supported platforms. It also provides release-management, royalty-split, promotional-asset and managed-advertising tools from one workspace while maintaining a 0% royalty-commission policy.

The song cannot reach new listeners while it remains on a phone or hard drive. Prepare the release, choose a suitable date and start distributing your music with ORB Entertainment.