Apple Music, Apple, streaming, logo, Syntax Creative - image

Market with Apple Music

Claim your artists profile, see insights & more: Apple Music for Artists (artists.apple.com)

  • All Lyrics must follow Apple Guidelines, no exceptions. CLICK HERE for an overview & more.
  • If using the Label Dashboard, Lyrics must be entered prior to a Distribution Request. If you need to go back and add Lyrics later, you must select “Cancel Distribution” on that Product.
    • If you’re not using the Dashboard, please email us formatted lyrics in a Word Doc (please, no .PDFs!) at the time of your Content Delivery to us
  • Entering your Lyrics through the Dashboard (or emailing us your Lyrics) currently only services Apple
    • NOT Spotify, or any other DSP, etc.
  • Simply entering plain text Lyrics (Dashboard) or sending us Word Docs of text Lyrics will NOT enable them for TTML/timed/motion (or, ”TTML Lyrics”)
    • For Dashboard users: At the Lyrics Sub-Tab, “TTML File” must be selected at the dropdown menu and the code must be Copy/Pasted into the field for timed/motion Lyrics
      • Don’t know how to write TTML code? Check out: lyricpotato.com (it’s an online generator!)
    • For Non-Dashboard users, a TTML File must be sent to us on a Plain Text File (see the link above for generating codes)

Dashboard Users: For more, CLICK HERE to download the Dashboard Tutorial Deck (reference Pages 16-17 for Lyrics)

“I WANT MY LYRICS TO SHOW UP ON APPLE AND SPOTIFY…”

CLICK HERE to learn more about using MusixMatch to send Lyrics & TTML Lyrics to Apply & Spotify simultaneously!

Apple Music has fully unleashed its availability to offer Artist Page Motion and Album Motion across the board. There are very specific guidelines and specs for creating these assets, so please follow the guidelines in the links below.

Note: As your Distributor, we must submit these assets on your behalf—labels cannot submit to Apple directly. We will need your completed assets no later than 15 days prior to either scheduled street date or pre-order date.

CLICK HERE for Artist Page Motion specs
CLICK HERE for Album Motion specs

To create your Swipe-Up, please choose from one of the following categories below (as appropriate to your project, and where it falls within the pre-release/release timeline), and follow the instructions

When you’ve created your asset(s), please deliver to your label representative to pass along to us—thank you!

  • To get more into the technical aspects of creating Spatial Audio tracks, please CLICK HERE to get the step-by-step overview and Dolby production tools via Dolby.com.
  • Apple’s help desk has also provided this guide for further specs into the Immersive Audio Source Profile.
  • Our contacts at Apple also suggested this introductory “course” on working with and creating audio in Dolby Atmos.

CLICK HERE to check out the full article on SyntaxCreative.com

Go to URL: https://tools.applemediaservices.com/apple-music

Click the magnifying glass, upper right corner.

Enter artist name, project name—your content should appear in the listings below (if doesn’t appear at first, add more text in the search bar).

Select song(s) or album:

A preview of your selection will appear at the top of the next Page:

Scroll slightly down the Page.

Copy/Paste Direct Link.

Click “Generate Short Link,” then copy/paste:

Click “Copy Embed” to save the embed code to your clipboard.

Note: You may select single tracks to feature in an embeddable player, just scroll back to the top of the Page and select one track—then, repeat the step above:

Useful for websites, email campaigns, etc. Select from available options—assets may be embedded and/or downloaded:

Useful for social media posts, websites, email campaigns, etc. Select from available options—asset may be embedded and/or downloaded:

For Singles (:90-second Clips available):
Scroll to bottom of Page, click “Copy Link” to save to clipboard. Click “Tweet Link” to directly share to Twitter.

For EP/Album Tracks (:30-second Clips available):
Select an individual Track located in the project preview at the top of the Page.

Repeat the instructions for Singles above. Note: All available marketing tools apply to selected EP/Album Tracks (scroll the Page to see all options):

As part of your partnership with Syntax Creative, we can submit your song lyrics directly to Apple Music when content is initially ingested (additionally, we can redeliver lyrics to back catalogue—please CLICK HERE to learn how to do this through the Dashboard on Page 16-17).

Review guidelines for submitting lyrics
+ Please note: Apple may change the your lyrics’ format for stylistic reasons.

General formatting
The structure of a song must dictate a lyric’s format and structure. When transcribing lyrics, it is important to separate the lyrical sections and changes within a song with line and section breaks. All lyric lines must be single-spaced and a double space must separate each stanza.

If unsure when to input a line or section break, some common identifiers are: A defined chorus, verse, intro, bridge, or hook; Changes in the song tempo; Changes in how the artist delivers the lyrics (from singing to rapping)

Capitalization
Capitalization in your lyrics must follow traditional grammar rules. Proper nouns must be capitalized. Additionally, all lyric lines must begin with a capital letter.

Here are examples of words that must be capitalized:

  • Divinity and religious intricacies (“God,” “You,” “Him,” “Your” in religious songs)
  • Acronyms (NASA, FBI)
  • Geographical location (East Coast, Southside, etc.)
  • Title casing
  • The first letter of the first word contained in parentheses
  • Brand names

Punctuation
There must be no periods or commas at the end of any lyric line. Exclamation points, question marks, and quotation marks must be the only end-line punctuation and must be included as needed. Within the line, it is most important to follow traditional grammar rules.

  • Hyphens: dropped words, spelled out words, and acronyms (L-Y-R-I-C-S)
  • Parentheses: background vocals must be wrapped in parentheses at the end of a line, with the first letter capitalized
  • Apostrophe: for certain slang and contractual modifications (‘Rari for Ferrari)

Repeated lines
The lyrics must match the audio. If a line is repeated, it must be written out.

Correct:
Until you respect me and my dogs
I’ll keep barking up the wrong tree
I’ll keep barking up the wrong tree
I’ll keep barking up the wrong tree
I’ll keep barking up the wrong tree

Incorrect:
Until you respect me and my dogs
I’ll keep barking up the wrong tree
(Repeat x3)
Spoken word

Currently, spoken word/conversational content within a song must not be transcribed.

Non-word vocal sounds
Non-word vocals must be transcribed sparingly and only if they add to the content of the song, either narratively or stylistically.

Improvised scatting is considered instrumental content and must not be transcribed.

Non-lyrical, or harmonious non-word vocal sounds, must be transcribed.

For example: “ooh,” “ah,” “whoa,” as well as onomatopoeia such as “burr” or “skrrt.”

Do not include computer-generated sound effects in lyrics (door slamming, car horn, phone ringing, etc.)

Clean and explicit lyrics
The term “clean” must only be used if there is an available corresponding explicit version of the track. In clean lyrics, dropped and edited content must be represented with asterisks.

If the track is explicit, all explicit language must be transcribed as it is heard in the audio:

  • Audio: ”I’m the motherfucking man”
  • Lyrics: I’m the motherfucking man

Partially or fully censored words must be completely starred out with asterisks:

  • Audio: ”I’m the mother(bleeped out) man”
  • Lyrics: I’m the **** man
  • Audio: ”I’m the (bleeped out) man”
  • Lyrics: I’m the **** man

* https://artists.apple.com/support/1111-lyrics-guidelines

Apple Music/iTunes by far has the most stringent Cover Art policies—we use this as a guideline for all artwork across all of the DSPs.

  • Please CLICK HERE for official specs on Cover Art requirements & restrictions

Apple iTunes is the last digital format to offer a downloadable digital booklet asset for your release.

  • Please CLICK HERE for official specs on how to create your digital booklet
  • To add to your release, these assets must be sent to us directly—there is currently no option on the Dashboard to upload this asset
  • Note: Booklets are only available for iTunes (download only), not Apple Music or any other streaming service—the asset is provided to the customer as a companion piece when they’ve purchased the downloaded album and must meet the required specs in the link above
Spotify, streaming, digital music, logo, Syntax Creative - image

Spotify

Claim your artist profile, see insights & more at Spotify for Artists.

Need support? We’re always happy to field your questions/concerns, however, you may also contact Spotify directly.

Although we prefer to have at least 8 weeks, we need a minimum of 5 business days before expected to go live. We also need at least 2 business days before any updates or changes are expected to go live.

Don’t Put Your Music At Risk

As your trusted partner, we wanted to take a moment to warn you about some deceptive advertisements we’ve recently seen in illegitimate music promotion services.

Third parties that promise playlist placements or a specific number of streams in exchange for compensation are likely using illegitimate practices without your knowledge. These services can threaten your hard work, resulting in the potential withholding of streams or royalties, or even complete removal of your catalog from streaming services.

Our streaming partners work diligently to ensure streams are legitimate, meaning they reflect genuine user listening intently. If a service finds that you (or a third party hired by you or on your behalf) have boosted play counts through any automated, deceptive, fraudulent or other invalid means (digital bots, “click farms”, paying for placement on playlists, etc.), the service may permanently remove your entire catalog.

If you’re in the market for a music promotion service, make sure to do your research before you hire them.

“I WANT MY LYRICS TO SHOW UP ON APPLE AND SPOTIFY…”

  • You must sign up for an account at MusixMatch and claim your artist(s)
    • It’s free! Once you have created your account, follow the prompts to claim artist (you’ll need Apple & Spotify profile links)
    • Once MusixMatch approves (can take up to 48-hours, or more), you can begin adding Lyrics (you must stick to the Apple Guidelines!)—there is also a timely approval process for Lyrics (in other words, they most likely will not appear in stores “overnight”)
      • For TTML/timed/motion, choose the “Sync” Tab and follow the prompts to time your Lyrics out to the music (again…wait up to 48-hours, or more, to see in stores)
    • Adding Lyrics on MusixMatch services both Apple & Spotify TOGETHER
      • Any TTML Lyrics present at MusixMatch will override static Lyrics uploaded through the Dashboard or that were sent to us to be manually added

This partnership is open to all artists on Spotify for Artists.

The integration will enable artists to connect their Shopify store to their Spotify for Artists account and feature up to three merch items on their artist profile page.

A few details to note:

  • At launch, access to the feature will be limited to only artist team admins on Spotify for Artists
  • Multi-artist merch stores on Shopify will not be supported by this integration for our test launch
  • The integration will be available to artists globally, but will initially only be visible to fans in five English-speaking markets (US, UK, CA, AU, NZ)
  • Merch listed via the Shopify integration will replace any current merch items on the artist page sourced from third party vendors, such as Merchbar
  • In a future state, this will be a commission-based product, but Spotify is waiving fees for now

To get started, click here to learn more about how to connect your Shopify store to your Spotify for Artist account, and here to learn how to set up a store on Shopify.

Another major Digital Service Provider has gone online with yet another new key feature to add to its ever-growing arsenal—Spotify, with its available in-app Marquee AD campaigns.

What is Marquee? In short, Marquee uses a new release to target your artist’s audience with a “boosted AD” that looks a little something like this:

Here’s the skinny:

  • Easily create in Spotify For Artists (“Campaigns” button)
  • Campaigns need to start within 21-days of release
  • Only eligible when streams have reached 15K+ in the U.S. over previous 28-days (Marquee is currently only available in the U.S. and to U.S. audiences)
  • CPC = $0.50, and Spotify’s algorithms actually help to ensure you do not overspend (usual Marquee min. requirement is $250)

THIS is a helpful resource for learning more about Spotify Marquee, and how to quickly start your first campaign.

Update: In early June 2021, Spotify announced that multiple (simultaneous) campaigns are now being allowed (previously, only one campaign could run at any given time), and segmented audiences are now available when applicable. Also, announced Jun. 28, 2021, available July 9 Marquee will be available in the following markets: France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Monaco and Liechtenstein

You’ve seen other artists promote these “Cards” on social media—now, create one for yourself!

Start here: https://promocards.byspotify.com/ (then, click “Get Started”)

There are a few different types of Cards available:
+ Artist (creates a visual card with your profile image/artist name + unique link to profile on Spotify)

+ Album (creates a visual card with album name + unique link to your album on Spotify—these appear identical to “Artist” Cards)
+ Note: “Albums” can also represent singles (as in the first example provided below, “Attributes of Mercy,”—Fountain of Life Card is an example of an actual album)

+ Song (creates a visual card with song name + unique link to your song on Spotify)
+ Note: If your song has been placed editorially and that playlist is setup in Promo Cards, you will see a version available to create a Card that promotes the song’s placement (a unique link will also be available with this type of Card)

Once you’ve created the Card of your choice, click the green “Customize” button in the bottom-right corner of your screen. From there, you can choose Horizontal or Vertical versions of your Card, in addition to accessing the unique links. Have fun creating your Promo Cards, and remember to tell your fans to check you out on Spotify often!

Spotify calls this, “Unique Link” | A unique link is a way to share when your song is featured in one of our personalized editorial playlists.

These playlists show different tracks for different people depending on their listening histories, so your unique link ensures whoever clicks it will see your track at the top of the playlist for the following 24 hours.

To find out if you’re on one of these playlists and to get a unique link:

  • Log in to the Spotify for Artists web page.
  • Note: Unique links aren’t currently available on the Spotify for Artists mobile app.
  • Go to Music.
  • Select a song.
  • Go to the Playlists tab.
  • Under Recent playlist adds, you’ll find any editorial playlists you’ve been added to in the past 7 days. Any personalized editorial playlists you’re featured on will have the PERSONALIZED badge.
  • Note: Playlists only show in the Recent playlist adds section when a track is first added to a playlist. It doesn’t appear in Recent playlist adds if it’s removed and re-added at a later date.
  • Click COPY UNIQUE LINK. The link is copied to your clipboard for you to paste wherever you like.
  • If a listener’s on desktop, clicking a unique link opens the web player. Opening the unique link this way means a listener will see your track at the top of the playlist. The track listing displays differently if the unique link is pasted into the desktop app.

Note: Unique links are only available in Spotify for Artists for the first 7 days after a track is added to a playlist.

Note: Profiles should be updated often, however, we recommend that they are specifically up to date at the time that your new release has been delivered to us. Please go to https://artists.spotify.com to claim and access your Spotify Profile (bookmark this link!).

Bio:
From the Spotify for Artists home page, click Profile > About > click “Pencil” icon next to “Bio” to edit:

Image Gallery:
From the Spotify for Artists home page, click Profile > About > click “Pencil” icon next to “Image Gallery” to edit (images must be at least 690 x 500 px):

More Info (social links, etc.):
From the Spotify for Artists home page, click Profile > About > click “Pencil” icon next to “More Info” to edit:

Header & Avatar images:
From the Spotify for Artists home page, click Profile > Overview > click “Pencil” icon in the top-right corner to edit:
– Header images recommended size: 2660 x 1140 px
– Avatar image recommended size: 750 x 750 px

To add this feature, you must claim your Profile. Please go to https://artists.spotify.com to claim and access your Spotify Profile (bookmark this link!). A Canvas (short, looped video) that overlays & enhances the playback feature on mobile devices. Canvas may be applied to ANY Track in your catalogue.

Current stats (as of 2/21): Canvas has shown to consistently drive key performance metrics, such as shares (+145% average vs. control group), streams (+5%), saves (+1.4%), adds to user playlists (+20%) and visits the artist’s profile page (+9%)

How to create/add your Canvas: https://canvas.spotify.com/en-us

From the Spotify for Artists home page, click Music > Songs OR Releases > select any individual Track > click the “ADD CANVAS” button in top-right corner.

Go to your Profile on the Spotify App.

Click on new release (usually will appear at the top of your Profile).

Click the three-dots to the right of the green “Play” button.

Hover over “Share,” click “Copy Album Link” to save to clipboard:

> MORE ways to share your content: http://syntax.cr/SP-share

Go to your Profile on the Spotify App.

Click on new release (usually will appear at the top of your Profile).

Click the three-dots to the right of the green “Play” button.

Hover over “Share,” click “Copy Embed Code” to save to clipboard:

> MORE ways to share your content: http://syntax.cr/SP-share

Spotify Codes work like QR Codes from within the Spotify App—these are useful for social media posts, websites, email campaigns, etc. This assets is image-based, and is only downloadable (however, when opened on a device, it can easily be scanned by another device).

To access the Spotify Code, go to your Profile on the Spotify App.

Select the new release (usually found at the top of your Profile).

Click the three-dots, located to the right of the green “Play” button.

Hover over “Share,” click the “Spotify Code” option (image will open in a pop-up).

Desktop: Click/Drag to desktop (Mac), right-click/Save to desktop (PC); Mobile: tap three-dots, tap image, “Save to Photos:”

> MORE ways to share your content: http://syntax.cr/SP-share

To add this feature, you must claim your Profile. Please go to https://artists.spotify.com to claim and access your Spotify Profile (bookmark this link!). Artist Picks will appear at the top of your Spotify Profile for 14-days.

From the Spotify for Artists home page, click Profile > Overview > click “Add Artist Pick” found on the right-hand side.

Use search bar to find your new release (you may have to type-in the full title), then select it.

Add an engaging message to your Followers (if left blank, it will default to: “Posted by [ARTIST NAME]”).

Add an image—note: Recommended size is 690 x 500 px:

Best Advice is a new Spotify for Artists podcast, offering up-and-coming artists in-depth insights into what it’s like to navigate the world of music, commerce, and creativity. Host Kim Taylor Bennett talks with some of the most fascinating names in music to find out about all the twists and turns their careers have taken, and all the best advice they’ve received along the way. Through frank, intimate conversations, these artists will also share their personal tips for new creators gleaned from their own successes and missteps. Check out our Best Advice video series featuring Tierra Whack, Quincy Jones, Lizzo, Phoebe Bridgers, and more, plus tons of articles and videos on how to grow your career on Spotify and beyond at artists.spotify.com. Follow Best Advice, only on Spotify, so you won’t miss new episodes dropping every Thursday. This series was produced in partnership with Hoff Studios, the theme song is “Rhyme” by Blossom, and our show illustrations are by Hsiao Ron Cheng.

The Audience Engagement tab to all Spotify for Artists users globally is now available (currently in Beta mode). The Engagement tab can be found on the Audience page in Spotify For Artists.

Similar to the Release Details page, the Audience Engagement tab shows artist-level streams, listeners, streams per listener, saves to library and user playlist adds. Users will be able to filter by territory and see the last 28 days of data for each metric.

Spotify has rolled out the first of a slate of new analytics features—the Release Details Page. This feature provides additional data on the performance of each release on Spotify.

The new page can be found in Spotify for Artists by going to Music → Releases and then clicking on any release entity to see the streams, listens and streams per listener data. This new view aggregates these metrics for all recordings mapped back to the album display group, and has the ability to filter by country or time frame.

You can also compare those stats to previous time periods to get a sense of how your audience has engaged with the release over time, or the impact of marketing efforts on an artist’s growth. This page is available to all Spotify for Artist users globally on desktop only.

Note: Profiles should be updated often, however, we recommend that they are specifically up to date at the time that your new release has been delivered to us. Please go to https://artists.spotify.com to claim and access your Spotify Profile (bookmark this link!).

Bio:
From the Spotify for Artists home page, click Profile > About > click “Pencil” icon next to “Bio” to edit:

Image Gallery:
From the Spotify for Artists home page, click Profile > About > click “Pencil” icon next to “Image Gallery” to edit (images must be at least 690 x 500 px):

More Info (social links, etc.):
From the Spotify for Artists home page, click Profile > About > click “Pencil” icon next to “More Info” to edit:

Header & Avatar images:
From the Spotify for Artists home page, click Profile > Overview > click “Pencil” icon in the top-right corner to edit:
– Header images recommended size: 2660 x 1140 px
– Avatar image recommended size: 750 x 750 px

Pandora, digital music, streaming, logo, Syntax Creative - image

Pandora

Claim your artists profile, go to: https://www.ampplaybook.com/ and click the “Get Started” button.

WHAT IS THE CATALOG TAB? | The Catalog tab hosts Pandora’s newest AMP feature, Track Reporting, which offers the most comprehensive insight into a track’s performance across the platform that has ever been available. AMP users with access to an artist page can see total Streams, Radio Spins, Interactive Plays, Station Adds, and Thumbs Up for each track right on the Catalog tab, where they’ve previously been going to see all the tracks they’ve delivered to Pandora.

WHAT DATA IS AVAILABLE VIA THE CATALOG TAB? | You can click a track to dive into a reporting page dedicated to that track, featuring a line graph for daily trends as well as a “source breakdown” section that shows which programs a track is being streamed on. All metrics are available with custom date ranges as well. Together, these features offer a series of improvements on the way Pandora data has been presented in Next Big Sound, and ultimately eliminates the need for users to navigate to a separate platform for reporting.

How does all of this work? Please go to: https://www.ampplaybook.com/track-reporting for more detailed info. Happy analytics tracking!

Featured Tracks accelerates discovery and feedback from listeners for your new priority tracks and expedites the tracks’ path to their natural peak rotation on Pandora.

Featured Tracks receive heightened spins for up to eight weeks, during which time listeners can give their feedback to the track by thumbing up or down. This ensures the track is played to the right listeners on stations where it fits best for them.

When a Featured Track is created, it automatically launches a Campaign. A single Campaign can include multiple Featured Tracks and/or Artist Audio Messages to support new music or live events. Campaigns including multiple elements uniquely engage fans with your content. They also provide insightful data to help shape effective marketing strategies.

IMPACT OF FEATURED TRACKS:
The use of Featured Tracks is the simplest, easiest way to boost new music on Pandora. When you select a track to be Featured, we introduce it to new listeners on more stations than it would typically reach. As soon as a track is Featured, it kicks off a period of accelerated testing and evaluation during which your track will receive a boost in spins across numerous stations where it is a good musical fit.

WHEN TO FEATURE A TRACK:
Featured Tracks have the most impact when anchored around another event in your overall marketing campaign—for example, Featuring your new single or Featuring a track for which you’ve just released a music video. Using an Artist Audio Message alongside a Featured Track increases fan engagement and enhances the effects of the Featured Track even more. See the Promote Single One Sheet for more information.

You can also Feature a track around marketable events throughout your album cycle, such as a radio impact or a notable placement in a film, show, or commercial. Note that you can only Feature tracks that were added to Pandora within the last 365-days.

CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW FOR INSTRUCTIONS:

More helpful info:

SPEAK DIRECTLY TO YOUR FANS AS THEY INTERACT WITH YOUR MUSIC
Artist Audio Messages are a great way for you to engage your fans with specific content and promotions and provide them with an intimate window into your music. They’re personal, conversational soundbites that show off your personality as an artist and make your fans feel as though they’re speaking to you one-on-one.

Helpful info:

AMPCAST: THE POWER TO SPEAK TO YOUR FANS, RIGHT IN YOUR HANDS
AMPcast creates a unique opportunity to record short Artist Audio Messages on-the-go and broadcast near-instantly to your fans as they listen to your music on Pandora and follow your social profiles. Because of its flexible nature, AMPcast is best suited for spontaneous, mobile messaging when you’re in the studio or on tour.

Helpful info:

Go to: https://www.ampplaybook.com/ and click the “Get Started” button:

Click Option #2 to “Claim your AMP Profile:”
– Note: We handle #1, Option #3 provides insights/metrics (once you’ve established a Profile connection), and elements in Option #4 will be covered by topics on this Page

From there, follow the prompts to complete the steps.

Amazon Music, streaming, digital music, Syntax Creative - image

Amazon

Claim your artists profile, see insights & more: Amazon Music for Artists (artists.amazonmusic.com)

Through Amazon Music for Artists (AM4A), Amazon Music has now provided label/manager-level access for executives to be able to manage their clients’ assets—roster-wide—with a corporate login.

To begin, please DOWNLOAD and complete this form

Be sure to list every contact (for access) and label entity for your company

Next, return the completed form to team@syntaxcreative.com (Amazon Music will only accept completed forms from distributors, not labels)

Wait up to five business days for your access to be cleared by Amazon

Remember, artists can claim and access their profiles individually at Amazon Music for Artists—please encourage your artists to do so…CLICK HERE for more!

As of mid-October 2021, Amazon Music has greatly expanded their intake of Spatial Audio tracks and have made them more readily available to its growing audience at Amazon Music Unlimited. Customers in the majority of global territories will be able to stream music in HD and Ultra HD for no additional cost.

We encourage you to grab a pair of headphones and check out the music. The Best of Spatial Audio playlist is a great place to start.

How can I find spatial audio? | Content available in spatial audio will be badged either “360” or “Atmos” We are no longer using “3D” as a badge in the product. In addition, customers can seek out the “Spatial Audio” genre page, which features albums, tracks, and playlists.

On the “Now Playing” screen—you can tap the “360/Atmos” badge to toggle between spatial audio and traditional stereo. This is a great way to hear the difference for yourself. If you leave the toggle on “Ultra HD”, and all playback moving forward will default to the stereo version.

What playlists do you have for spatial audio? | Amazon Music Unlimited currently has 11 genre playlists, and 3 “Best of” playlists to highlight some of the best sounding Atmos and 360 mixes. Visit the “Spatial Audio” genre page to see the full list.

Where is spatial audio available? | Amazon Music Unlimited customers in US, UK, DE, FR, IT, ES, CA, MX, BR, JP, ANZ, ROW-EU, and ROW-LATAM can access spatial audio, HD, and Ultra HD tracks.

How can we promote releases in spatial audio? | Feel free to record video liners driving to the album in Dolby Atmos or 360 Reality Audio. Here is some sample copy:

“Hey it’s [ARTIST] – check out my new [TRACK/ALBUM] in immersive [360 Reality Audio / Dolby Atmos] on Amazon Music Unlimited.”

We encourage you to mix priority releases in Atmos or 360, and please continue to deliver content in 24bit/96kHz at a minimum.

  • To get more into the technical aspects of creating Spatial Audio tracks, please CLICK HERE to get the step-by-step overview and Dolby production tools via Dolby.com.
  • We also suggest this introductory “course” on working with and creating audio in Dolby Atmos.

March 2022 | Amazon has now launched its beta version of the all-new Amazon AMP (read official Amazon blog post).

What is AMP? | Amazon AMP is a new audio entertainment service that enables anyone to create their own live, interactive radio show.

The vision behind Amp is to reinvent radio, so anyone can host their own show centered around music and live talk. For music-based shows, Amp offers a fully licensed music catalog. Creators can start a show by creating their own playlist, play entire songs (without fear of being taken down for licensing issues), and use interactive features like listener call-in to bring their audience into each show. With talk-based shows, creators can share their expertise around various categories, such as music, sports, pop culture, comedy, and more.

Amazon has invited trusted partners to be the first to join the service. Since we can’t publish the private access code, please EMAIL US to make a request. In the meantime, please download the free iOS app: https://live.onamp.com/download

Starting a show is as easy as building a playlist. During beta, Amazon’s licensing teams are actively working to add your catalog to their service.

Amazon Music has officially launched Spotlight within the Amazon Music for Artists app. It’s just one of the first self-service features they will be launching which enables direct-to-fan experiences.

Now artists can share the music they love—and all the reasons why—with a personal voice message to fans.

Spotlight allows artists (and their teams) to record/upload stories for their fans on Amazon Music that can be played directly within the Amazon Music visual app experience—as well as via Alexa.

How does it work?
From Profile & Tools within the Amazon Music for Artists app, choose any song, album, playlist, or station to Spotlight, then explain what makes it special. Artists are using Spotlight to:
* talk about the creative process or inspiration behind a new song or album
* highlight anniversaries and career moments
* promote a tour or livestream
* give some love to a collaborator
* share with fans what they’re listening to and why


Who can create a Spotlight within Amazon Music for Artists?
* Label teams can create a Spotlight for any one of their artists
* You must be an Owner or Admin of a team in order to publish content.
* n.b. for any artist/manager with access to AM4A; the artist must have 3,000 or more fans to create a Spotlight

Where does a Spotlight appear for fans?
US-based fans will find Spotlights at the top of an artist’s profile page in the Amazon Music app and via the activity feed. They can also ask, “Alexa, play the [ARTIST NAME] Spotlight on Amazon Music” to listen on any Alexa enabled device. Additional owned/operated marketing may also be available. 

On our side, we’ll be weaving Spotlight asks into Amazon Music opportunities like [RE]DISCOVER, Amazon Originals, and tentpole cultural opportunities e.g. Pride, Black History Month, etc. to maximize visibility of the feature and tie into broader initiatives.

So–what will YOU Spotlight?

More: Amazon Music Spotlight FAQ

Useful for websites, email campaigns, etc.—embed your Songs and/or Albums for instant playback and fan engagement!

Go to music.amazon.com > search for your song/project & select it > click the “Dotted Triangle” icon > click the ” < / > ” icon to copy to clipboard:

Repeat the process for Embedding, except, this time click the “Copy Link” button:

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YouTube

Useful for social media posts, and featuring your music!

YouTube Shorts officially rolled-out to the general public in late August 2021. It is YouTube’s equivalent to TikTok, where you can upload and broadcast fun, unique and engaging content to your fans. What’s great about this medium is that it’s tied to your YouTube Channel where you’re full catalogue is already housed. So, if another user were to click on your profile/bio, they are immediately exposed to and can consume your music. Unlike on TikTok (and other social outlets), a user is taken to your profile landing page where they have to click/tap any links you’ve left there, or must figure it out for themselves.

Note: Your catalogue is being delivered to both YouTube and TikTok, so if you’re aiming to make content to feature your music you can do so on both outlets. Also … save time! The internal mechanisms for both YouTube Shorts and TikTok are extremely similar. If you’re already making engaging TikTok content, save the content and upload it to YouTube Shorts, or vice versa. Another unique bonus about YouTube Shorts is that these posts are also saved as actual YouTube videos on your Channel, fulfilling that whole, “Content is King” rule. One hitch that we uncovered, however, is that currently pre-loaded video content (Ex: if you’re adding something to Shorts you’ve already created somewhere else), the posts are limited to 15-seconds (much like the limits on Instagram Stories). Something to keep in mind (see an example, scroll to bottom of this post).

Learn all about YouTube Shorts and start creating now. Download the tutorial deck by clicking on the image below:

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Example of TikTok content repurposed for YouTube Shorts (click on images to view posts):

A TikTok post, longer than one-minute, focusing on three distinct subjects
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Same post, broken-up into three parts for YouTube Shorts

Useful for websites, email campaigns, etc.—embed your song for instant playback and fan engagement!

Go to YouTube > search for your song > click the “Share” button (arrow) > choose “Embed” option > copy code:

Note: This works for “Art Tracks” (automated cover image/sound recording videos) and any other kind of video at YouTube. Also, YouTube has now disabled the ability to embed entire Albums/EPs, only singles or individual songs can be embedded.

Useful for social media posts, and anywhere you can apply a link!

Singles/Individual Tracks:
Go to YouTube > search for your song > click the “Share” button (arrow) > click “Copy” to save link to clipboard:

Albums/EPs, etc.:
Go to your Artist “Topic” Page on YouTube > Find the “playlist” for your project > click on the title:

On next Page, click on the title again that appears in the upper right-hand corner:

On the next Page, find the “Share” (arrow) button > click “Copy” to save link to clipboard:

SoundCloud

Useful for websites, email campaigns, etc.—embed your Songs and/or Albums for instant playback and fan engagement!

Go to SoundCloud> search for your song/project & select it > click the “Share” button > click the “Share” button > a dialogue box will pop-up:

Click the “Embed” tab > copy the code to save to clipboard:

Go to SoundCloud> search for your song/project & select it > click the “Share” button > click the “Share” button > a dialogue box will pop-up:

Facebook

Part of your partnership with Syntax—and because we are licensed to distribute to Facebook—all of your distributed content through us is also uploaded to Facebook. Once your music is live, you can easily add your music to Facebook Posts (images and videos), and Facebook Stories.

For Posts:
+ insert your content (photo or video), then select the “Edit” button
+ choose the button that looks like a box with a “smiley face” in it
+ in the options, choose the “Music” sticker
+ search for your desired song, then select it
+ once applied to your Post, you should be able to further fine-tune which part of the song you want heard on your Post
+ note: adding a song to your Post will replace any original audio from uploaded video content

For Stories:
+ choose your content (graphic, photo, video, etc.)
+ locate the music button (looks like two eight-notes)
+ search for your desired song, then select it
+ once applied to your Story, you should be able to further fine-tune which part of the song you want heard on your Story
+ Facebook Stories are capped at around :26 seconds
+ note: adding a song to your Post will replace any original audio from uploaded video content
+ note: applying any animated GIFs, or the like, to your Story could by default affect the overall duration

For Reels:
+ choose your content (graphic, photo, video, etc.)
+ locate the “Add Music”
+ search for your desired song, then select it
+ once applied to your Reel, you should be able to further fine-tune which part of the song you want heard on your Reel
+ Facebook Reels are capped at around :30 seconds
+ note: adding a song to your Post will replace any original audio from uploaded video content
+ note: applying any animated GIFs, or the like, to your Reel could by default affect the overall duration

Facebook recently added Music Insights to its Creator Studio suite. Here are some helpful hints on readily available tools:

How to access Music Insights:
Login to Creator Studio > Under Menu (left-hand side of screen) > Choose “Performance” under the Music Tab

CONSUMPTION General analytics tools:

  • Set the timeline: Toggle between Current (yesterday), Last 7 Days, Last 14 Days, Last 28 Days, This Month, and This Quarter
  • Toggle your sources: Choose between different Facebook & Instagram options
  • Highlight a Territory: Want to see how your music is performing in a specific country? Select one here.
  • Turn on the “Advanced” button to view entire catalogue (not just top tracks)

PRODUCTION tab shows similar insights on Users who produced content using your catalogue

COMPARISON mode:

  • Go to SEARCH tab and enter an artist/song
  • Once desired song has selected, click the blue “Compare” button (top-right)
  • Now search for up to four more songs to compare
  • Each song will be delineated by its own color
  • Timeline (First 7 Days, First 14 Days, First 28 Days, as well as Last 7 Days, Last 14 Days, and Last 28 Days can be chosen), Sources, and Territories can all be toggled

Instagram

Part of your partnership with Syntax—and because we are licensed to distribute to Facebook—all of your distributed content through us is also uploaded simultaneously to Instagram. Once your music is live, you can easily add your music to Instagram Stories & Reels.

How to Add Music to Instagram:
+ choose your content (graphic, photo, video, etc.)
+ locate the music button/sticker
+ search for your desired song, then select it
+ once applied to your content, you should be able to further fine-tune which part of the song you want heard on your content
+ Instagram video Posts are limited to :60 seconds; Instagram Stories are capped at :15 seconds each (if your content is longer, Instagram will automatically subdivide); Instagram Reels are :30 seconds duration
+ note: adding a song to your content will replace any original audio from uploaded video content

It’s also good to keep in mind that if you apply any animated GIFs, or the like, to your content could by default affect the overall duration and performance

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LinkFire | Pre-Save/Pre-Add, Pre-Order & Smart URLs

After we deliver your content to the DSPs, soon after you will receive a smart-link or “Smart URL” from us.

What makes this thing so smart? It builds a dynamic micro-site with artwork, audio samples and links to your release everywhere that it’s available. It also only shows people links that will work on whatever system they are clicking from.

For example, if you are using an iPhone, it will default to only populating links that are supported by that device (Apple Music, Spotify, etc.). Comparably, if you’re using an Android device, it will omit showing a service such as Apple Music and highlight others such as Amazon, Spotify, etc. By ensuring the elimination of potential “dead “links for specific device users, it will increase the likeliness of a more successful click-through rate and even impulse buy opportunities from the customer. The days of tweeting an iTunes pre-order link—as another example—and it only working for a specific segment of the audience are now over!

Your URL (again, we’ll provide you with these after your content is accepted by the DSPs) should be used throughout the promotion for both your Pre-Save (Spotify, Deezer), Pre-Add (Apple Music), and Pre-Order (iTunes, Amazon mp3) phases (pre-release) an in perpetuity for the life of the project post-release. As your title becomes available on more digital service providers (after street date), they will be added to the URL and widget.

There is no add-on fee for this service, as we provide this valuable tool as part of our client services. We will also manage your URLs—so, if you need anything or have any special requests, just ask!

For the most part … Yes, we’re going to say it: “Downloads are DEAD.”

Check your reporting—the data clearly backs this up!

We do understand that there still may be a reason and a strategy for setting up a Pre-Order and/or accompanying Instant-Grats on EPs and Albums during pre-release. However, unless you have a calculated or specific marketing strategy FOR utilizing Pre-Orders/Instant-Grats, we encourage you to just pass these by.

The Pre-Save (Spotify, Deezer) and Pre-Add (Apple Music) mechanisms are already built-in to the smart-link we are providing for you, and these DSP-specific features are now the norm for digital pre-release marketing. Furthermore, Pre-Saves/Adds (profile subscription) are a much more engaging and powerful way to ensure the longevity of  fan engagement with an artist vs. a Pre-Order (often times a “one-and-done” transaction).

Still want to add a Pre-Order and/or Instant-Grat? See how to set these dates beginning on Page 10 of the Dashboard Tutorial Deck.

We can provide for you a custom QR Code for your smart-link … If we don’t send one as an attachment when delivering your LinkFire link to you, just ask!

Or, use your smart-link to create your own QR Code, by CLICKING HERE.

Want a preview clip on your smart-link? We can do that!

This mechanism is run through iTunes, and LinkFire can provide a short audio clip of your single (or a song from your project) embedded right into the heart of your Smart URL. When you’ve requested distribution from us, just send us a quick message to remind us to turn the preview on by delivering to “iTunes Preview.”

Note: By default, we will not deliver to iTunes Preview, so you gotta let us know—thank you!

When pasting a link into social media platforms, if no other media is attached to your post, each platform will attempt to pull a default image from your link to apply to your post when shared. In the case of Facebook cropping your album cover—because your album cover is square and Facebook’s default auto-generated image display is rectangle, it’s like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

We highly encourage—across the board, not just for sharing your smart-links—when sharing anything on social media (especially with a link applied to the post text) to accompany the post with your own original media. Posts with no images or videos are substantially squashed in news feed algorithms, and the auto-generated images the social media platforms are pulling from your link often don’t count as actual media.

Lastly, album covers themselves are not engaging forms of media. We understand that the album cover is the visual identity of a particular single or release, however, when sharing the news about your release we encourage you to utilize more engaging forms of media. Often times album art alone will not convey your intended message, or any real message at all. Put yourselves in the shoes of the fan and/or consumer—if the album art doesn’t immediately grab their attention, do you think they’re going to go back and read the 2 or 3 paragraphs of text you’ve included about the release (and also be compelled to access the smart-link)?

And, remember, you can attach your smart-link to ANYTHING—be creative!

PS. Smart-links are NOT hyperlinked in Instagram post text—please don’t type your smart-links into Instagram posts!