What Are DistroKid Cover Art and Mastering Guidelines?

When releasing your music through DistroKid, ensuring that your cover art and mastered tracks meet their guidelines is crucial for successful distribution. In this article, we will delve into the specifics of DistroKid cover art size and mastering requirements to help you achieve the best results for your music release.

Understanding DistroKid Cover Art Size Requirements

Cover art plays a significant role in attracting listeners and making your music stand out. DistroKid has specific requirements for cover art to ensure it looks professional and meets the standards of digital streaming platforms.

Cover Art Dimensions and Format

The required dimensions for DistroKid cover art are 3000x3000 pixels. This size ensures that your cover art appears clear and high-quality across various platforms and devices. The image should be in JPG or PNG format and must be perfectly square.

Quality and Resolution

The resolution of your cover art must be at least 72dpi (dots per inch). While 3000x3000 pixels is the minimum size, using a higher resolution can enhance the quality of your artwork, especially when viewed on larger screens.

Content and Design Guidelines

Your cover art should not contain any blurry or pixelated images. It should be original, high-quality, and relevant to your music. Ensure that there are no logos or references to other music streaming services. Additionally, avoid using any explicit content, as this can lead to rejection by DistroKid or streaming platforms.

DistroKid Mastering Guidelines

Mastering is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device. This step is essential for maintaining the sound quality of your track and ensuring it meets the technical requirements of streaming platforms.

Audio Specifications

DistroKid recommends submitting your tracks in WAV format with a sample rate of 44.1kHz and a bit depth of 16-bit. This standard ensures that your music maintains its quality throughout the distribution process.

Dynamic Range and Loudness

The dynamic range refers to the difference between the quietest and loudest parts of your track. Maintaining an appropriate dynamic range ensures that your music sounds balanced and professional. DistroKid does not mandate a specific loudness level, but it's a good practice to keep your tracks between -8dB and -12dB LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) to meet most streaming platforms' requirements.

Metadata and ISRC Codes

When mastering your tracks, make sure to embed the correct metadata, including the ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) codes. These codes are essential for tracking your music's performance and ensuring proper royalty payments. Services like SoundOn can assist with global distribution and properly embedding metadata, streamlining the process for artists.

Final Thoughts

Following DistroKid's cover art size and mastering guidelines is key to successfully releasing your music and making a lasting impression on listeners. By adhering to these requirements, you can ensure that your music looks and sounds professional across all digital streaming platforms.

If you are looking for a comprehensive platform that offers robust marketing and distribution services, consider registering as a SoundOn artist. With partners like TikTok and a global distribution service, SoundOn can help you reach new audiences and elevate your music career.