Licensing Basics
How to Release a Licensed Song on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon and TikTok
By the Starchild Music team · October 6, 2026 · 7 min read
The short answer
You release a licensed song the same way you release any single: through a distributor such as DistroKid, CD Baby or TuneCore, which delivers it to Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and TikTok. Before you upload, have your license certificate, the songwriter names exactly as licensed, your mastered audio and artwork, and a release date about four weeks out. The distributor can assign the ISRC that identifies your recording.
You found the song, licensed it, and recorded your version. Now comes the part that feels technical the first time: getting it onto Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and TikTok with everything filled in correctly. The good news is that a licensed song travels the same road as any other independent release. The difference is a few details about credits and paperwork, and those are easy once you know where they go.
This guide walks through what to have ready, how distributors handle the upload, and the timeline that gives your single its best start.
Step 1: Confirm what your license covers and keep the proof
Before you upload anything, reread your license. You're looking for three things: that it grants the right to record and release your version, how long any special terms last, and who the writers are. A license to record and release is the core permission you need for streaming. If you want to be the only artist releasing the song for a while, that's a separate exclusive term.
On Starchild, every license comes with a license certificate that anyone can check at starchild.music/verify, and licensed downloads carry the writer and license information with them. Save the certificate as a PDF in the same folder as your masters. If a distributor or platform ever asks whether you have the rights to the song, reply with that document and point them to the verification page.
Also note whether your license is exclusive. With a non-exclusive license, other artists may release their own versions of the same song, which is normal. If that matters for your plans, read about exclusive and non-exclusive licenses before you set your date.
Step 2: Choose a distributor
Independent artists generally reach the big platforms through a distributor, a service that delivers your audio and metadata to the stores and collects your earnings. CD Baby, for example, says its distribution reaches more than 150 digital partners including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, YouTube, Pandora, Tidal, TikTok and Shazam. DistroKid and TuneCore offer similar reach.
The main differences are pricing models and extras. CD Baby charges a one-time fee per release, while DistroKid and TuneCore charge yearly plans. TikTok and other social platforms are usually included: TuneCore, for instance, says releases typically go live on TikTok about five business days after a roughly one-day approval, and that store earnings arrive with about a two-month delay. Pick the one whose pricing fits how often you plan to release.
Step 3: Assemble your release kit
Distributors ask for the same core information. Gather it before you start the upload so you aren't guessing in a form field.
- Final mastered audio, in the file format listed in your distributor's audio specs.
- Cover art. CD Baby notes that if your artist name and release title appear on the artwork, they must exactly match the metadata you enter.
- Song title, spelled exactly as it appears on your license.
- Songwriter names, exactly as listed on your license, plus their publishers if any are listed.
- Your artist name and any featured artists.
- Genre, explicit-content flag, and language.
- Your license certificate, saved and easy to find.
- A release date at least four weeks away.
ISRC: the ID for your recording
An ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) is a 12-character code that identifies one specific recording. According to the International ISRC Agency run by IFPI, it identifies sound recordings and music videos and is not used to identify compositions. That distinction matters for a licensed song: the composition belongs to the writers, while the ISRC points to your recording of it.
Most distributors will generate an ISRC for you at upload if you don't already have one. Once your recording has an ISRC, keep using that same code wherever that exact recording appears. Write it down next to the song title. You'll want it later when you share release details with the writer so they can match your version to their registrations.
Credits: list the writers as writers
Your distributor will ask for songwriter or composer information. For a licensed song, you enter the original writers here, exactly as they appear on your license. You are the performing artist. Getting this right is what connects your release to the people who wrote it, and CD Baby's distribution guide notes that songwriter names are required for every track, including songs you didn't write.
Spotify says the credits it shows come from the metadata your distributor sends, and that to fix credits you ask your distributor to resend corrected metadata; updates usually appear within seven days. So it pays to enter them correctly the first time. Our guide to songwriter metadata, PROs and IPI numbers covers the fields in more detail.
Some upload forms ask whether a track is an original composition or a cover. In those forms, 'original' typically means you wrote it. A song you licensed from another writer isn't your composition, so follow your distributor's help-center guidance for songs written by someone else, and have your certificate ready if they ask for license details.
For a standard single, you probably won't need a lawyer. If your release is part of a larger deal with a label, brand or investor, a music attorney can review the agreements together.
Timing: work backward from release day
CD Baby recommends setting your release date at least four weeks ahead of submitting for distribution. That window gives stores time to process your release and gives you time to pitch.
On Spotify, pitching an unreleased song to playlist editors through Spotify for Artists is done ahead of release. Spotify asks that you deliver your music at least seven days before release, and says that if you pitch an unreleased song at least seven days out, it will be added to your followers' Release Radar playlists. Four weeks of lead time makes that easy.
- Four or more weeks out: upload to your distributor with all metadata.
- Two to three weeks out: confirm the release appears in Spotify for Artists and pitch it.
- One week out: prepare social clips and share release details with the writer.
- Release day: share links and check that credits display correctly.
- First week after release: check each platform for songwriter credits, artist name and artwork, fix anything wrong through your distributor, and file the ISRC and store links with your certificate.