Your cover needs to look clear at a small size, match your release information, and meet your distributor’s file rules. Check all three before you upload. Requirements differ between distributors and can change, so use your distributor’s current instructions for the final file.
The quick checklist
- Use a single square image in the format and dimensions your distributor requests.
- Check that the title and artist name, if included, match your release information exactly.
- View the cover at full size and as a small thumbnail. Check faces, edges and lettering.
- Make sure you have permission to use every photograph, illustration, font and other element.
- Remove website addresses, QR codes, prices and third-party logos if your distributor prohibits them.
- Save a copy of the final artwork alongside your master and release information.
Choose the size and file format
Start with the requirements of the distributor you intend to use. For example, DistroKid asks for a square JPG in RGB, with a minimum of 1,000 × 1,000 pixels and 3,000 × 3,000 pixels as its ideal. Those are DistroKid’s instructions, not a universal rule for every distributor.
Check the final file after any conversion. Changing a file extension alone does not convert the image. If you save a PNG as a JPG, open the new JPG and inspect it for unexpected color changes or compression artifacts.
Make the image work as a thumbnail
Look at the artwork on a phone-sized screen. The subject should remain recognizable, and any text should be readable without zooming. Fine detail that looks good on a large monitor may disappear in a small listing.
If you need artwork, you can create a square cover from a description. Check any lettering carefully: a title or artist name can come out differently from what you entered. You can also leave the image without text and add it separately.
Check the crop and image quality
Inspect all four edges. A square crop can remove a face, instrument or part of a title. Zoom in on important details and look for blur, jagged edges and visible compression. Making an image larger does not necessarily restore detail that was missing in the original.
Use the highest-resolution original available whenever possible. Spotify’s cover art requirements say not to upscale images, so do not enlarge a small image for Spotify delivery. If you are preparing an image for another use that permits enlargement, image enlargement produces a square PNG. Non-square images are center-cropped, so check the composition before and after.
Check text and permissions
Compare the artwork with the release form character by character. Check spelling, capitalization, featured artists and version names. If a collaborator created any part of the cover, agree on the permissions you need before distributing it. A picture found online is not automatically available for commercial use.
Distributor rules can also restrict what appears on the image. DistroKid, for example, lists website addresses, QR codes, prices and streaming-service logos among items to avoid. Read the current guidance for your own distributor before submission.
Before you press upload
Open the exact file you plan to submit. Check its format and dimensions, inspect the thumbnail and full-size image, and confirm that the artwork and release information agree. Keep the final file and records of your permissions together so you can find them again if a question comes up.
For the audio side of your release, use the audio file release checklist.