Common rejection reasons, and how to fix them
The findings that stop a release or flag it for a reviewer, what each one actually means, and the fix for each, grouped by metadata, audio, artwork and rights.
When a release comes back, the reasons are listed on the release page and repeated in the email. This article is the long version of those one-line findings: what each one is really objecting to, and what to change.
A hard failure stops the release. A flag does not: it goes to the person reviewing your release, who may approve it, ask you something, or refuse it. Flags are marked as such below, so you can tell the difference between “this has to change” and “somebody will look at this”.
Metadata
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Search-bait wording in the title | Words like “type beat” or “official audio” are keyword bait, not part of the name | Title the track what it is called. Nothing else |
| Karaoke or “originally performed by” | Karaoke and soundalike wording is not accepted at all | This one has no fix. The release cannot ship |
| ”In the style of” | Reads as a soundalike, which is impersonation | If it is your own original work, rename it without the comparison |
| ”AI cover” or “AI voice” of another artist | The marketing format of voice-clone content, which is refused | Original work with AI in it is welcome and ships. Rename it so it is not sold as someone else’s voice |
| Control characters or odd spacing in a title | Invisible characters and doubled spaces break store ingestion | Retype the title in plain text |
| ALL CAPS title (flag) | Stores want standard casing unless the name really is stylised | Use normal casing, or leave it and let the reviewer confirm the styling |
| ”feat.” written into the title (flag) | Stores read featured artists from the credits, not the title text | Credit the featured artist on the credit line instead |
| The release needs at least one main artist | Nothing is credited as the primary act | Add a main artist on the release, and on any track that overrides the credits |
| More than 4 main artists | Stores treat that many primaries as “Various Artists” | Keep the mains to the acts the release is by, and move the rest to featured |
| An artist is credited twice | The same profile appears twice on one release or track | Remove the duplicate line |
| Artist pages are marked as existing but none are connected | We do not know which store page this release belongs on | Paste the Spotify or Apple Music profile link, or mark the artist as new to streaming |
| The connected profile has a different name (flag) | The store page you linked is published under another name | Check you linked your own page. If the name is right, the reviewer confirms it |
| Credits are missing a role category | Each track needs a performer, a composition and lyrics credit, and a production and engineering credit | Add the missing person, or add the missing role to someone already credited |
| At least one credited person must not be fully AI | A track cannot be credited entirely to AI | Credit the human who made it. Disclosure stays whatever it truly is |
| Publishing splits must total exactly 100% | Splits are present but do not add up | Fix the percentages, or remove them all: splits are optional, not partial |
| Track numbering must run 1, 2, 3 | The tracklist has a gap or a repeat | Reorder the tracks so the positions are contiguous |
| The genre is not in the current list | The genre was removed or renamed since you picked it | Open the genre field and pick it again |
| The original release date is after the release date | A re-release cannot have come out later than itself | Correct whichever of the two dates is wrong |
| The release date is more than two years out (flag) | Usually a typo in the year | Check the date, then leave it if it is deliberate |
| The label is not available on this account | The release is branded with a label your account does not hold | Pick your own label, or the default one |
Barcodes and ISRCs
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The barcode must be 12 or 13 digits | What you pasted is not a UPC or EAN | Retype it, or clear the field and let one be assigned |
| This barcode is already used by another release | A barcode identifies one release and is never reused | Clear the field and let a new one be assigned |
| The ISRC is not a valid code | It does not match the CC-XXX-YY-NNNNN shape | Retype it, or clear it and let one be assigned |
| This ISRC is used twice in this release | Two tracks carry the same recording code | Give each recording its own, or clear both |
| This ISRC is already used by another recording | The code identifies a different recording in our catalogue | Clear it and let a new one be assigned |
| This ISRC is on another of your releases (flag) | Correct only if this really is the same recording re-released | Leave it if it is a re-release, and the reviewer confirms. Otherwise clear it |
More on both: ISRCs and barcodes.
Audio
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Audio must be WAV or FLAC | The file is not lossless, or not in an accepted container | Export a WAV (16, 24 or 32-bit) or a 16-bit FLAC |
| FLAC masters must be 16-bit | A higher-depth FLAC is not accepted | Export the same master as a WAV instead |
| The sample rate is too low or too high | Outside 44.1 kHz to 192 kHz | Re-export inside that range. Do not upsample a 32 kHz source |
| Masters must be stereo | The file is mono or multichannel | Export a two-channel file |
| Audio must be at least 1 second | The file is effectively empty | Upload the real master |
| Audio files are capped at 2 GB | The file is over the limit | A 24-bit 48 kHz master of any normal length is far under it. Check the export settings |
| The file could not be read | The upload is corrupt or is not really audio | Re-export and upload again |
| True peak above -1 dBTP (flag) | Under 1 dB of headroom, so store transcodes can clip | Set the limiter ceiling around -1 dBTP and re-export |
| Loudness far above -14 LUFS (flag) | Stores turn it down anyway and you lose the dynamics for nothing | Master quieter, or leave it and accept how it lands |
| Silence at the start or end (flag) | More than two seconds of nothing | Trim it, unless it is part of the piece |
| Both channels are identical (flag) | A mono recording inside a stereo file | Fine if the recording is mono. Otherwise export the real stereo mix |
| The audio looks like it came from a lossy file (flag) | The top of the spectrum is missing, as an MP3 or AAC source would be | Upload the original lossless master |
Artwork
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Cover art must be square | The image is not 1:1 | Crop it square before uploading |
| Cover art must be at least 3000 by 3000 | Below the store minimum | Export the original artwork larger. Upscaling is not a fix |
| The cover has transparency | Alpha channels do not survive at stores | Flatten it onto a background and export as JPG or PNG |
| The cover could not be read | The file is corrupt or is not an image | Re-export and upload again |
Rights and content matching
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A cover song needs a cover or mechanical license | The track is marked as a cover with no document attached | Upload the licence on that track |
| A public-domain work needs proof | The track is marked public domain with nothing to show for it | Upload territory-specific proof |
| Licensed samples need the sample clearance | The track declares commercial samples with no clearance | Upload the clearance for each sample |
| The recording matches a released track (flag) | Content matching found the same recording already out | If it is your own earlier recording, or licensed, tell the reviewer in a request |
| This sounds like a cover of an existing track (flag) | Content matching heard the same composition, performed differently | Mark the track as a cover and attach the licence |
| AI-generated audio with no voice consent on file (flag) | Disclosed AI audio might render a real person’s voice | Original synthetic voices are fine. For a real person’s voice, send the consent in a request |
| The content scan did not run (flag) | The match could not be completed for that track | Nothing for you to do. The human rights check still happens |
See covers, remixes and samples and the AI policy.
Rejected by a person
A rejection from review is not one of the findings above. It carries a written reason from the reviewer, shown on the release page, and it means nothing was sent to any store. Read the reason, fix what it names, and submit again. If the reason is not clear, open a support request and quote it.
Fixing and resubmitting
Findings and rejections both end the same way. On the release page, “Fix & edit” puts the release back to a draft and opens the editor with the previous verdict cleared. Change what was named, then submit again: it walks the same path as a first submission, and it does not spend a second release from your plan allowance.
The full loop, including what stays locked once a release has been delivered, is in editing, reopening and resubmitting.