Check the distributor’s current upload requirements, compare them with the destination platforms’ public guidance, and inspect the actual exported file before submission. Streaming release artwork, an artist-profile photo and a pictured vinyl package are different deliverables. A finished AI image is not automatically an accepted music-release cover.
Start with a three-column requirement sheet
Record the distributor, intended platforms and date checked. Note required dimensions, format, color handling and prohibited content. If the distributor’s portal differs from public platform guidance, ask the distributor to resolve the difference before delivery; do not silently choose whichever requirement is easiest.
As checked for this guide, Apple Music for Artists’ public cover-art page requests a square JPG, PNG or GIF at least 4000 × 4000 pixels. Spotify’s public cover-art requirements specify square artwork between 640 and 10000 pixels, sRGB encoding, supported image formats and no upscaling. These are separate rules, not proof that a single common internet specification applies everywhere.
The receiving distributor may have its own file-size and delivery limits. Keep the current requirements beside the export settings. Recheck them when preparing a later release rather than assuming an earlier successful submission establishes permanent rules.
Verify the native file, not the resolution label
Open the downloaded image and read its actual width and height. A square crop can reduce available pixels, and a named “4K” preset is not a substitute for measuring the final export. Do not upscale an undersized image merely to satisfy Spotify’s numeric range when its guidance explicitly disallows upscaling.
If the original cannot support the required delivery, return to the source or create an appropriate new artwork version rather than repeatedly enlarging a compressed preview. Use a suitable treatment from Imagild Image Prompt, inspect what the current workflow actually exports, and finish compliant file preparation externally where needed.
Check color and orientation in the actual visible pixels. Spotify’s guidance also identifies limits around embedded profiles and orientation metadata. Follow the destination’s exact export instructions instead of applying a generic print-profile workflow to a screen cover.
Fictional example: Moss Signal’s single
In an invented release plan, Moss Signal has a square landscape cover with the correct artist and single title. The designer makes a requirement sheet with separate rows for the distributor, Apple Music and Spotify. The current native artwork has sufficient pixels; the export is made from that source rather than from a social-media thumbnail.
The final review checks exact spelling against the release metadata, removes decorative fake catalog text and excludes a pictured record sleeve from the streaming version. The band keeps the physical-package concept separately. This is a planning example, not a report that a distributor accepted the artwork.
Review content as well as technical shape
Apple’s guidance limits irrelevant promotional information and misleading representations. Check every visible word and object against the real release. A generated title may look convincing while containing a wrong artist name or a nonexistent collaborator. Replace important wording with verified external typography and compare it at thumbnail size.
Save the submission copy separately from the editable master and retain the distributor’s actual response. A local dimension check establishes file properties; it does not establish rights clearance, editorial approval or successful publication.
Is the artist avatar specification the same as the cover specification?
No. Use the requirements for release artwork rather than the profile-image upload.
Is 3000 × 3000 always sufficient?
No universal rule applies. Compare the current distributor and platform requirements for this release, including Apple’s presently published larger cover recommendation.