What Is Quality Control?
Every release submitted through InterSpace Distribution goes through a quality control (QC) review before it is delivered to streaming platforms. QC exists to protect you: releases that meet DSP standards get accepted faster, appear on the correct artist profile, and avoid takedowns or monetisation problems later. This article explains exactly what happens between clicking Submit and your music going live.
The QC Pipeline — Step by Step
Step 1: Automated Checks at Submission
The moment you submit, the system verifies that your release is technically complete. Submission is blocked if anything required is missing, including:
- An audio file on every track — a release cannot be submitted with empty tracks
- All required metadata fields, including Country of Recording and the AI cover-art declaration
- Valid artwork and audio file formats
- Artist and track names free of emojis, symbols, and other characters DSPs reject
If you cannot submit, the form tells you exactly which field is blocking you — fix it and submit again.
Step 2: Human Review
Our QC team then reviews the release manually. This is the core of the process — see What We Review below for the full checklist.
Step 3: Originality & Rights Screening
In parallel, releases are screened for issues that harm artists and playlists alike:
- Duplicate detection: the same recording submitted multiple times, or content already live from another distributor
- AI-generated content screening: fully AI-generated music that is not declared as such
- Fraud signals: misleading titles, sound-alike metadata, or content designed to capture other artists' search traffic
Step 4: Delivery
Once approved, your release is delivered to the stores you selected. Delivery timeframes vary by platform — see How Long Does Music Distribution Take?
What We Review
1. Cover Art
- Dimensions are 3000×3000px minimum and perfectly square
- No third-party logos, brand names, social handles, or URLs
- No blurry, stretched, or pixelated images
- Artwork does not contradict your explicit-content flag
- AI-generated artwork is declared correctly (none / assisted / generated)
- File is a valid JPG or PNG
Full rules: Artwork Requirements: Size, Format and Content Rules
2. Audio Quality
- No clipping, distortion, dropouts, or technical defects
- No excessive silence at the start or end of a track
- Audio matches the track title and description — no placeholder or wrong files
- Format and bitrate meet our minimum requirements (WAV 44.1 kHz, 16-bit or higher recommended)
Full rules: Audio File Requirements
3. Metadata Accuracy
- Artist name is consistent with your registered profile — this is what keeps your music off the wrong artist profile
- Track titles follow DSP capitalisation and formatting rules
- Featuring artists are in the featuring field, not pasted into the title
- At least one composer is credited on every track
- The explicit flag is set correctly — see how to label explicit content
- Genre, language, and release date are plausible and consistent
4. Rights & Content
- The release does not infringe third-party copyrights — covers need the right licences (see cover song licensing)
- Content complies with our Content & Community Guidelines
- No misleading metadata designed to deceive listeners or search algorithms — see Unacceptable & Misleading Tracks
How Long Does QC Take?
We maintain a standard 3 business day review process, and most releases are processed within 24–48 hours of submission. Need it faster? ⚡ Fast-Track processing reviews your release in under 24 hours for a one-time rush fee — offered on your release page after submission (see distribution timelines). Reviews can take longer when:
- Release volume is high (Fridays and end of month are busiest)
- The release triggers an originality or rights check that needs a second look
- Your account is new and this is one of your first releases
Submitting at least 2–4 weeks before your release date gives QC and store delivery comfortable headroom, and makes playlist pitching possible. If your release seems stuck, see My Release Is Stuck in Review.
Release Statuses Explained
- Draft — being prepared; not yet submitted, or returned to you after a failed QC
- In Review — submitted and in the QC queue
- Approved — passed QC; delivery to stores is underway or complete
- Rejected → Draft — did not pass QC; check the notification for the exact reason, fix it, and resubmit
What Happens If My Release Fails QC?
You are notified with the specific reason for the rejection — never just a generic "rejected". The release returns to Draft status so you can correct the issue and resubmit at no cost. Resubmitted releases go through the same review, and fixing the flagged issue almost always results in approval.
For a breakdown of the most frequent rejection reasons and how to fix each one, read Why Was My Release Rejected?
Tips for Passing QC on the First Try
- Run through Best Practices for Preparing Your Release before uploading
- Double-check every metadata field for typos — artist name spelling matters most
- Use WAV files at 44.1 kHz, 16-bit or higher; never upload low-bitrate MP3s converted to WAV
- Export cover art at exactly 3000×3000px, RGB, with no text you don't have rights to
- Credit composers with full legal names, not stage names alone
- Declare AI involvement in your cover art honestly — declared AI art is fine; undeclared AI art is a rejection
- If it's a cover song, sort licensing before submission