After you submit a release to Soundrop, it must be reviewed and approved before we can deliver it to music stores and social platforms.
Soundrop's current release approval timeframe is approximately 3-4 weeks. After approval, most music stores and platforms take an additional 1–5 business days to process your release after Soundrop delivers it.
If your release includes a cover song that Soundrop is licensing, allow additional time for licensing before delivery.
We recommend submitting your release well ahead of your planned release date to allow time for review, any required corrections, licensing, and delivery.
What happens after I submit my release?
Your release goes through several stages before it becomes available on music platforms.
1. Release approval
Status: Pending Approval
Every release submitted to Soundrop is reviewed by our team before it is delivered. During Content Review, also called Inspection, we check information such as:
- your release and track metadata;
- artist names and credits;
- cover artwork;
- publishing and songwriter information; and
- whether your release meets music platform requirements.
Current timeframe: 3-4 weeks
If your release meets the requirements, we'll approve it and move it to the next stage.
If we find something that needs to be corrected, your release will move to Inspection Failed and we'll email you with information about what needs to change.
2. Make corrections, if required
Status: Inspection Failed
If your release doesn't pass Content Review, you'll need to correct the issues identified by our team and resubmit it. Once you resubmit the release, it returns to the approval queue and must be reviewed again.
Important: Making changes to a release while it is waiting for approval may move it to the back of the inspection queue. Review your release carefully before submitting it to avoid unnecessary delays.
See How to Make Changes and Resubmit Your Release for instructions.
3. Cover song licensing, if required
Status: Waiting for License
If your release contains a cover song that Soundrop is licensing, we must obtain the appropriate license before the release can be delivered.
Typical timeframe: 2–3 weeks
Well-known compositions may be cleared more quickly.
This step does not apply to releases that don't require Soundrop cover song licensing.
4. Delivery to music platforms
Status: In Progress
Once your release has passed Content Review and any required licensing is complete, Soundrop prepares and delivers it to the music stores and platforms you selected.
The individual platforms then need to process and ingest the release into their systems.
5. Your release reaches music platforms
Status: Delivered
After Soundrop delivers your release, most music stores and platforms take approximately 1–5 business days to process it. A Delivered status means Soundrop has successfully sent your release to the platform. It does not necessarily mean the release is already visible there.
If you selected a future release date, platforms should hold the release until that date rather than making it available immediately.
How far in advance should I submit my release?
We recommend submitting your release at least six weeks before your planned release date.
Submitting early gives enough time for:
- Soundrop's Content Review;
- any corrections and resubmission that may be required;
- cover song licensing, if applicable;
- delivery to music platforms;
- processing by each platform; and
- time to promote your release before it goes live.
Submitting early is especially important if you need your music to be available on a specific date.
Why might my release take longer?
Your release may take longer if:
- changes or corrections are required during Content Review;
- you make changes while your release is waiting for approval;
- you need to resubmit the release for another review;
- your release contains a cover song that requires licensing;
- a music platform takes longer than usual to process the delivery; or
- there is a technical delivery issue.
Different music platforms process releases independently, so your music may become available on some platforms before others.
When should I contact Soundrop Support?
You generally don't need to contact Support while your release is still within the expected processing timeframe.
Contact Soundrop Support if:
- your release has been Pending Approval for longer than 20 business days;
- your release has a delivery error that hasn't resolved within one week;
- your release has been delivered but is still missing from a selected platform after you've allowed at least one week and attempted redelivery; or
- you need help understanding an issue identified during Content Review.
When contacting us, include the affected release and a description of the issue so we can investigate.