Audio Files for Distribution and Post-Release Replacement
Deliver the highest-quality native stereo master your distributor accepts, preferably lossless FLAC or PCM WAV. Spotify asks for 44.1 kHz or higher and the native bit depth. After release, replace audio only through a supported supplier workflow when it remains the same recording. A new mix, edit, performance, or creative version needs delivery and may need a new ISRC.
Lead visual
Release metadata preflight
Title casing
Check before delivery, not after stores ingest the release.
Featured artist role
Check before delivery, not after stores ingest the release.
ISRC format
Check before delivery, not after stores ingest the release.
P line owner
Check before delivery, not after stores ingest the release.
Explicit tag
Check before delivery, not after stores ingest the release.
Fix before deliver
After delivery, corrections move through store updates, cache delays, and royalty systems that may already have recorded the wrong data.
Release · Metadata
Release data map
Decision
Fix release information before stores, societies, and royalty systems ingest it.
Evidence
Titles, artist roles, ISRCs, UPCs, ownership lines, explicit flags, files, and artwork specs.
Risk
Bad metadata travels into stores and takes longer to correct than it would have taken to preflight.
Good outcome
A release record that is easier to deliver, match, pitch, and pay correctly.
Key takeaways
- Deliver a lossless native master when the distributor supports it. Spotify prefers FLAC and accepts compliant PCM WAV.
- For Spotify delivery, keep 44.1 kHz or higher, stereo, and the native bit depth. Do not downsample or reduce bit depth.
- A post-release audio swap is a provider feature with plan, store, and change-size limits, not a universal right.
- Minor technical repair can remain the same recording. A new mix, edit, performance, or creative version is a different identity decision.
- Preserve the original file, checksum, ISRC, UPC, and supplier confirmation before any replacement.
What audio file should you deliver?
Deliver the highest-quality native stereo master the distributor accepts. Spotify strongly prefers FLAC and also accepts compliant PCM WAV. Its current requirements are a sample rate of 44.1 kHz or higher, 24-bit when that is the native master, 16-bit only when no higher-bit master exists, and two-channel stereo.
Keep the file at the sample rate and bit depth used for the final master. Spotify says not to downsample, reduce bit depth, or apply quality-changing processing before delivery. A distributor may accept more formats than a store prefers, so acceptance alone is not the same as the best source file.
| Keep | Why | |
|---|---|---|
| Final lossless master | The exact delivered file | Proves what audio left your control |
| Checksum | A stable file fingerprint | Confirms whether two copies are identical |
| ISRC and UPC | Recording and product identifiers | Prevents a correction from becoming an accidental new release |
| Master notes | Sample rate, bit depth, duration, version | Supports a same-recording decision |
Can you replace an audio file after release?
Sometimes, through a distributor feature. DistroKid's current Audio Swap is limited to its Ultimate plan and is intended for minor fixes and mastering adjustments, such as click removal, de-essing, volume balance, noise reduction, or an updated master. It says qualifying swaps preserve stats, playlist placements, splits, and metadata in that workflow.
That does not create an industry-wide guarantee. Another distributor may require a takedown, and a store may process the update differently. Before swapping, ask whether the provider accepts the exact change, which services participate, whether the ISRC stays, what history is expected to remain, and how to verify completion.
A different creative version is not a correction
DistroKid excludes remixes, alternate versions, new recordings, restructured tracks, and new production elements from Audio Swap. Deliver those as distinct versions rather than hiding a new recording behind the old identifier.
When does changed audio need a new ISRC?
Apply IFPI's recording-identity rules, not the file name. A remix, live performance, or edit that adds or removes creative sections is a new recording. A remaster needs a new ISRC only when the process adds creative input to the recording itself. Invariant technical adjustments do not automatically create a new recording under the handbook.
Duration can be evidence but is not the only test. IFPI says adding or removing verses or choruses requires a new ISRC. A non-creative speed or fade change under ten seconds may keep the ISRC, while a longer one requires a new code. Removing only silence or ambience does not by itself require a new ISRC.
How do you verify an audio replacement?
Save the original and replacement checksums, durations, mastering notes, ISRC, UPC, supplier ticket, accepted-store list, and completion timestamp. After processing, listen on each selected service, inspect duration and version display, confirm the ISRC through the supplier, and compare public history. Escalate any service still serving the old file or showing a duplicate.
What does Velveteen's search evidence say?
This audio-prep guide received 104 impressions and no clicks in Velveteen's Google Search Console export for June 19 through July 16, 2026, at an average position of 8.25. No exact post-release audio replacement query appeared. File identity and ISRC boundaries already belong here, so a separate swap page would duplicate the core decision. The export does not measure total market demand.
Where do the audio replacement rules come from?
Frequently asked questions
What audio file should I send to a distributor?+
Send a lossless native master when the provider accepts it. Spotify strongly prefers FLAC and accepts compliant WAV, with 44.1 kHz or higher, stereo, and the native bit depth. It says not to downsample, reduce bit depth, or otherwise process the mastered file before delivery.
Can I replace a released audio file without a takedown?+
Only if your distributor offers a supported swap and the change qualifies. DistroKid's current Audio Swap is limited to its Ultimate plan and minor fixes or mastering adjustments. Other providers, plans, and stores may require a takedown and new delivery. Confirm the route before changing anything.
Can an audio swap turn a song into a remix or alternate version?+
No. DistroKid excludes remixes, alternate versions, new recordings, restructured tracks, and new production elements from Audio Swap. Those are new creative versions, not corrections to the same recording. Deliver them separately with accurate version metadata and the correct ISRC decision.
Does every remaster need a new ISRC?+
No. IFPI says a remaster gets a new ISRC only when the process applies creative input to the recording itself. Invariant level, equalization, compression, de-noising, de-clicking, speed or pitch correction, sample-rate change, and dithering do not automatically require a new ISRC under its current handbook.
Will an audio swap preserve streams and playlists?+
Do not generalize one provider's promise. DistroKid says qualifying Audio Swaps preserve its listed stats, placements, splits, and metadata. Spotify's broader track-linking guidance depends on matching audio and metadata. Confirm the supplier workflow and verify each service after the swap rather than promising preservation everywhere.
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Check your metadata before your distributor does
Run your titles, credits, copyright lines, and ISRC and UPC codes through the free checker and catch the rejection-bait errors before you upload. It all runs in your browser.