Validation and Review

Before your release can be distributed to streaming platforms, it goes through a validation and review process. This guide explains each step in detail, including how to resolve issues, what happens during review, and what you can change after distribution.

The Getting Started Panel

When you open a release, you’ll see a Getting Started panel on the left side below the artwork. This panel guides you through three steps required to publish your release:

Release Validation - Automatic metadata and format checks
Release Review - Manual review by our team
Release Distributed - Delivery to streaming platforms

The panel header reads: “Complete all steps to publish Release to all platforms”

Each step shows its status with a visual indicator:

Green checkmark - Step completed successfully
Yellow/blue clock - Step in progress or pending
Red X - Step has issues that need attention

Step 1: Release Validation (Automatic)

The system automatically validates your release every time you save changes to the release or its tracks. This validation ensures your release meets the metadata requirements of all distribution platforms.

How Validation Works

Automatic trigger: Validation runs when you save your release or any track
Continuous checking: The Getting Started panel refreshes every few seconds while you’re viewing the release
Real-time feedback: Issues appear immediately in Step 1 of the panel

When Validation Fails

If validation finds issues, you’ll see Step 1 marked in red with an error message:

“The automatic validation process for this release failed. It is necessary to review the details and address the identified issues in order to proceed with the distribution of the release.”

The Distribute button will also turn red to indicate you cannot proceed until issues are resolved.

Viewing Validation Issues

Click See Issues in the Getting Started panel to open a dialog showing all validation errors. The dialog displays:

Each error with a clear description
Which track or field has the issue
Guidance on how to fix the problem

You can also click the red Distribute button to see the same issues dialog.

What Gets Validated

Check	Requirement
Main Artist	At least one main artist at album level
Track Artists	Each track must have at least one main artist
Audio Files	All tracks must have valid audio in stereo format
ISRC Codes	Must be valid 12-character format, unique per track
UPC/EAN	Must be valid barcode format if provided
Cover Art	Image must be uploaded in valid format
Genre	Primary genre must be selected
Writers & Contributors	Each track needs roles from 3 categories
Apple Music Rules	Artists on all tracks must appear at album level

Common Validation Errors

”Main artist is missing”

Problem: No main artist is set at the album or track level.

Fix: Go to the Artists tab and add at least one artist with the “Main Artist” role.

”Audio is missing for track”

Problem: The track doesn’t have an audio file uploaded.

Fix: Go to the Tracks tab, edit the track, and upload a WAV or FLAC file.

”Audio must be in STEREO”

Problem: The uploaded audio file is mono or has an unsupported channel configuration.

Fix: Re-export your audio file in stereo format (2 channels) and re-upload.

”Invalid ISRC”

Problem: The ISRC code doesn’t match the required format.

Fix: ISRC must be 12 characters: 2 letters (country) + 3 alphanumeric (registrant) + 2 digits (year) + 5 digits (designation). Example: USRC12345678

”Duplicate ISRC”

Problem: The same ISRC is used on multiple tracks or already exists in the system.

Fix: Each track must have a unique ISRC. Either leave the ISRC blank (LabelGrid will auto-generate one) or use a unique code you own.

”Writer and/or Contributor is missing”

Problem: Track is missing required publishing or contributor information.

Fix: Go to the track’s Writers & Contributors tab and add:

At least one writer with a role and percentage share
Contributors with roles from 3 categories

”Track needs contributor with role(s): Performer, Composition & Lyrics, Production & Engineering”

Problem: Not all required contributor categories are covered.

Fix: Each track needs at least one role from each of these three categories:

Performer: Vocalist, Musician, DJ, etc.
Composition & Lyrics: Composer, Lyricist, Songwriter, etc.
Production & Engineering: Producer, Mixing Engineer, etc.

One person can have multiple roles, covering all three categories.

”Artist should be listed at album level”

Problem: An artist appears on all tracks but isn’t at the album level (Apple Music requirement).

Fix: Add the artist to the album-level Artists tab.

When Validation Passes

Once all issues are resolved, Step 1 shows a green checkmark. The Distribute button turns blue, indicating you can proceed to submit your release.

Step 2: Release Review (Manual)

After validation passes, you can submit your release for distribution. When you click the Distribute button, you’ll see a confirmation message:

“You are about to submit this release for review by our team. Once submitted, the release will be queued for review and our team will evaluate it for distribution approval.”

What Happens When You Submit

When you confirm the submission:

Status changes to “To Review”
Release is locked - you cannot edit while under review
Queued for review - our team will evaluate your release
Notifications enabled - you’ll receive email and in-app notifications about the outcome

Release Locking During Review

While your release is under review, it is temporarily locked to ensure our team can evaluate it without changes being made simultaneously. You’ll see a banner indicating the release is under review.

This lock is removed when:

The release is approved (distribution begins)
Changes are required (release unlocked for editing)

Review Outcomes

Our team reviews every release and will reach one of three outcomes:

Outcome	What It Means	What Happens Next
Approved	Release meets all requirements	Distribution begins automatically
Changes Required	Issues found that you need to fix	Release unlocked for editing
Rejected	Serious policy violation	Release permanently locked

Approved

When your release is approved:

You receive an email notification confirming the approval
The release is scheduled for distribution to your selected platforms
Distribution typically happens quickly (often the same day), depending on queue volume
Step 2 shows a green checkmark

Changes Required

If our team finds issues that need to be fixed, you’ll see:

“2. Release Review: Changes Required”

“Before proceeding with the distribution of this release, certain changes are necessary. Please review the required modifications.”

Click Check here to open a dialog showing the specific issues our team identified. Common issues include:

Fingerprinting matches - Your track matches existing content in our system. If you used samples, upload the relevant licenses under Track → Licenses, or contact support to provide additional information and request clearance.
Contributor credits need legal names - Stage names were detected in writer/contributor fields. Contributor credits must use the person’s legal first and last name, not a stage name. Include IPI/CAE numbers, PRO/society information (ASCAP, BMI, PRS, SGAE, etc.), and publisher details/splits when available.

When changes are required:

You receive an email notification about the required changes
The release is unlocked so you can edit it
Make the necessary corrections
Click Resubmit for Review in the Getting Started panel
Our team reviews again

This process repeats until the release is approved or rejected.

Rejected

If your release is rejected:

You receive an email notification explaining the rejection
The release is permanently locked and cannot be edited or resubmitted
Step 2 shows: “Release Review: Rejected”
The release cannot be distributed

Rejection is reserved for serious policy violations. If your release is rejected, contact our support team to understand the specific reason and discuss options.

Step 3: Distribution

Once your release is approved, distribution begins automatically.

How Distribution Works

Queued - Your release enters the delivery queue
Processing - Files are prepared for each platform
Delivered - Sent to streaming platforms
Live - Available to listeners on release date

The Getting Started panel shows “Release Distributed” with a green checkmark.

Delivery Timeline

Distribution is typically fast - most releases are delivered to platforms the same day they’re approved. However:

Platforms need time to process and ingest your release
Your release becomes available to listeners on the release date you set
See Distribution Lead Times for platform-specific timelines

After Distribution: What You Can and Cannot Change

Once your release is distributed to streaming platforms, certain fields become permanently locked. This is because streaming platforms use these identifiers to track your release, and changing them would break the connection to streams, charts, and royalty data.

Fields That Cannot Be Changed

These fields are locked permanently after distribution:

Field	Why It’s Locked
UPC/EAN	The unique barcode that identifies your release across all platforms
ISRC codes	The unique codes that identify each track for royalty tracking worldwide
Track numbers	Part of the release structure registered with platforms
Track order	Changing order would break playlist positions and chart data
Adding tracks	You cannot add new tracks to a distributed release
Removing tracks	You cannot remove tracks from a distributed release

If you attempt to reorder tracks on a distributed release, you’ll see this message:

“Reordering tracks is not possible for releases with delivery status: distributed. If reordering is necessary, please takedown the current release and create a new one.”

What If You Need to Change Locked Fields?

If you need to change any of these locked fields (UPC, ISRC, track count, or track order), you must:

Take down the current release from all platforms
Create a new release with the correct information
Distribute the new release

This is necessary because platforms treat these identifiers as the permanent identity of your release.

Fields That Can Still Be Changed

Some metadata can be updated on distributed releases, though changes require going through the review process again:

Title corrections
Artist name corrections
Artwork updates
Copyright information (P-line, C-line)
Genre changes

After making these changes, the release enters a “draft changes” state and must be resubmitted for review before the updates are sent to platforms.

Fields That Don’t Require Redistribution

These can be updated freely without affecting distribution:

Platform URLs (Spotify, Apple Music links)
Internal notes and tags
Promotional settings

Content ID and UGC Restrictions

If your release contains non-exclusive samples (samples you’ve licensed but don’t own exclusively), Content ID and UGC (User-Generated Content) platforms may be restricted.

Why This Happens

Content ID platforms (like YouTube Content ID) and UGC platforms monetize content by claiming user-uploaded videos. If your release contains non-exclusive samples:

The sample owner may already have Content ID claims on that content
Distributing to Content ID could cause conflicting claims
Most sample license agreements prohibit Content ID registration

This is part of these platforms’ policies and typically also a requirement in sample licensing agreements.

What You’ll See

If Content ID/UGC distribution is restricted for your release:

These outlets appear grayed out in the Outlets selection
You cannot select them for distribution
A warning message explains the restriction

What To Do

If you believe the restriction was applied in error:

Review your sample licenses to confirm your rights
Contact support with documentation of your licensing agreements
Our team will review and adjust restrictions if appropriate

Troubleshooting

Validation keeps showing errors after I fixed them

The validation refreshes automatically, but if errors persist:

Save your changes explicitly
Wait a few seconds for the panel to refresh
Try refreshing the page

I can’t edit my release

Your release may be locked because:

Under review - Wait for the review to complete
Rejected - The release is permanently locked; contact support
Distributed - Certain fields are permanently restricted (see above)

The Distribute button is red

This means validation failed. Click the button or “See Issues” to view what needs to be fixed.

I received “Changes Required” but can’t see what to change

Click Check here in Step 2 of the Getting Started panel to open the issues dialog. If the issues aren’t clear, contact support for clarification.

My release was approved but isn’t live yet

Approval triggers distribution, but platforms need time to process:

Check delivery status in your release details
Remember that your release goes live on the release date, not the approval date
See Monitoring Deliveries for status details

I need to change the UPC or ISRC after distribution

These fields cannot be changed on a distributed release. You must take down the release and create a new one with the correct codes. Contact support if you need assistance with this process.

Creating a Release - Complete release setup guide
Adding Tracks - Track requirements and metadata
Lyrics and Credits - Lyrics and contributor credits
Distributing a Release - Distribution workflow
Distribution Lead Times - Platform delivery timelines

Questions about validation or review? Contact our support team - we’re here to help.