Guides

Questions about releasing your music? Our guides help you along the way.

Setting up a release in Make Waves

A quick video walkthrough on releasing your music with Make Waves

Submitting Your Music For Playlist Consideration

Getting featured in the right playlist can really give your release a head start. Read the guide below to learn how to pitch your music to Spotify and Amazon!

Moving Your Music From a Different Distributor To Make Waves

Do you want to move your music that is already out to your Make Waves account? Read the guide to learn how to safely do this.

Claiming Your Artist Profile(s)

Claiming your artist profiles gives you the opportunity to manage your releases, customise your artist pages and to find out more about your listeners. Follow the steps below to get this done for Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon and Deezer.

How to add and sync lyrics in Musixmatch

Having the lyrics of your song available on Spotify and Instagram can be done by signing up to Musixmatch (it's free!). Once your account is set up and your release has gone live, you can add your lyrics and sync them inside the platform. In this article, we will walk you through all of the steps to make sure you are set up and ready to go.

Setting up a Waterfall Release on Spotify

A popular release strategy on Spotify that a lot of artists are using is called the ‘Waterfall Release Strategy’. Instead of releasing your pre-release singles one by one, all as separate tracks, these are now being built up into an EP or an album as they come out. This gives artists a chance to highlight these tracks with every new single that is released, ultimately gaining them more streams over time. 

It’s possible to create Waterfall releases in the Make Waves platform. Read our guide below to learn how to set this up!

How to add a Spotify Canvas to your release

Adding a Spotify Canvas is a great way to add an extra visual element to your new release, next to your cover art. It gives artists an opportunity to elevate their vision and get extra creative. There are a few things to keep in mind when uploading your Canvas in Spotify for Artists. Read all about our tips below!

Requesting a YouTube Official Artist Channel

As an artist, you can claim your YouTube Official Artist channel to make sure your authenticity as an artist is verified and all your subscribers and content from different YouTube channels are brought together in one place. Other perks include having access to various tools, such as Analytics for Artists. Find out how to request this via Make Waves below!

How to get verified on Instagram and Facebook, TikTok and Twitter

Verification is a way for people to know that the high-profile accounts they are following are exactly who they say they are. The little blue checkmark indicates that the platform has confirmed an account is trustworthy. These verification badges make the real accounts stand out and they’re easy to spot in search results and on profiles.

If you’re a musician, a verified badge on social media platforms can take your career to new heights. Requesting the verification is usually pretty straightforward, however proving that you’re qualified for verification is a bit more tricky. Read all about it below!

How to get set up on Bandcamp

Bandcamp is an online record store and music community where passionate fans discover, connect with, and directly support the artists they love. It’s a great additional platform to showcase your music and merchandise if you’re an independent artist. You can for example upload tracks that are free to download, but you can also ask for donations in order to get fans interested and earn a few tips.

Requesting a pre-save link

Pre-save links are great tools to promote your upcoming music with your followers, create some hype and help generate more saves. Find out more about pre-save links and how to request one via Make Waves below.

Shopify and Spotify: how it works

Spotify started a partnership with e-commerce platform provider Shopify in 2021, allowing artists on its service to connect their Spotify profiles with their Shopify stores, giving them the opportunity to market their merchandise directly to fans through the Spotify app. Here is everything you need to know about setting this up for your own artist profile.

How to use YouTube Shorts as an artist

Short video content is here to stay, and after the success of TikTok and Instagram Reels, YouTube followed by rolling out Shorts worldwide in 2021. Find out more about YouTube Shorts and how to get the most out of them as an artist in this article.

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