When creating your release, it’s always best to select a future release date to ensure your release goes live on all platforms at the same time. In order to meet a specific release date, we recommend uploading content and paying for distribution 3 to 4 weeks ahead of your target release date or pre-order start date.
To avoid any additional delays, please make sure your release meets the formatting requirements of our store partners.
If you are interested in submitting your release for playlist consideration, your release will need to be approved by TuneCore and processed in the stores at least two weeks prior to your release date.
After submitting your release, it will go through our Content Review process. TuneCore’s review process can take up to three business days to review your release. Once your release has been approved, it will be sent to stores immediately. At that point, it will be the responsibility of each store to make the release live.
Here are the approximate turnaround times for when you can expect your release to go live after it has been reviewed by the TuneCore team:
- iTunes/Apple Music: 5 full days
- Spotify: 5 business days
- Google Play: 1-2 weeks
- Amazon Music: 1-3 business days
- Amazon On Demand: 6-8 weeks
- Deezer, iHeartRadio: 3-7 business days
- All other stores take 1-3 weeks
Remember, these time frames are approximate and we can never guarantee the exact time your music will go live in these stores. TuneCore has no control over the internal review processes conducted by stores and cannot expedite your release.
Here are some important factors to remember about live time:
- If you have a required release date we strongly recommend that you distribute your music more than 3 weeks prior to that date.
- TuneCore does not send notifications when your music goes live. Your release will go live automatically as soon as it’s processed in the stores (if you do not have a future release date set).
- TuneCore only provides iTunes/Apple Music and Spotify links to your release. In order to see if your music is live in other stores, search for your release in the stores by release title and artist name.
- iTunes & Apple Music have a processing time of 5 full days (after your release has been approved by our team, not from your submission date). iTunes links will be generated in your TuneCore account for your release as soon as it has been delivered to the store. These links will not be active until the full processing time has completed.
- Your release will only read ‘"Live" in TuneCore if it has been delivered to and processed in iTunes. If you did not deliver your release to iTunes, your release will read "Sent," even once it goes live on the other platforms.
- If your release has not gone live after the listed processing time, please contact us . Be sure to write in from the email address registered to your TuneCore account, note your UPC and in which stores your release is not live. We will then investigate to find out the exact issue so we can get your music live as fast as possible.
- Amazon Music & 7digital will make preview clips of your release(s) available before your digital sales start date, as soon as 3-7 business days after distribution for Amazon Music and 7-10 days for 7digital. The release won't be available to buy until your release date, but if you're uncomfortable with your release being available for preview before that date, please do not select Amazon Music or 7digital as a store for distribution until after or right before your release date.