I finally got my songs posted on Spotify!
Amid recording three songs at a studio with a band in 2012, I also embarked on a solo venture, recording six of my own songs over the span of a decade (2010–2020). Only four of them made it into my mini-album (EP), which I appropriately named Decade. The other two didn’t make the cut. One is a rap song (Dunia), which didn’t quite fit with a rock album, and the other (Ketiadaanmu) borrowed too heavily from another song, so it wasn’t exactly original. The rest, however, are 100% me.
All of these songs were uploaded to YouTube many years ago, but that was about it. People discovered them, listened to them, and soon forgot about them. I thought to myself, “I have professionally recorded songs, why let them gather dust?” And that’s how the Spotify idea was born.
It turns out Spotify isn’t like YouTube, where users can freely upload content. As one of today’s most prominent music platforms, Spotify only allows distributors to add music to its library. This helps maintain quality standards. Rather than dealing with thousands (possibly millions) of individual artists, Spotify relies on distributors to handle the process. For a small fee, these distributors guide artists through getting their music onto Spotify and other major streaming platforms. They explain the rules, requirements, and technical details, including proper file formats (MP3s are acceptable but not recommended), album artwork, copyright information, tax documents, and track metadata.
Here’s how it works. You choose a distributor, subscribe to their service, pay a fee, and upload your music to their website. I chose CD Baby, one of the well-known options alongside DistroKid. After registering on their website, filling in the details, making payment, and uploading the songs, they handle the rest. Once approved, they distribute the music not only to Spotify but also to platforms such as Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and many more. All you have to do is wait a week or two for your songs to appear online. Their dashboard notifies you when everything goes live.
Before choosing a distributor, it’s important to understand the different pricing models. Some charge annual fees, some charge a one-time fee, and some offer free distribution. But those typically take a cut of your royalties if your music earns money. Annual subscriptions suit artists who release music frequently, as they allow unlimited uploads within the year. The one-time payment model suits someone like me with a smaller output. That’s why I chose CD Baby. Unlike DistroKid, which charges annually, CD Baby’s one-off fee was perfect. They charge RM60 per single or album, so I released the full four-song EP to save money.
I’m extremely happy to finally have my songs on Spotify. There’s now a much greater chance they’ll reach new listeners. It offers far better accessibility to my music than just YouTube. In the grand scheme of things, only a small percentage of people ever manage to do this. In a way, my music is now indexed and archived in the world’s digital music library. Honestly, how many people can say that? Seeing my name on Spotify for the first time was surreal.
I’m not sure when I’ll write new songs again. It seems unlikely now that Che En, the studio owner I worked with, no longer runs a recording studio. He charged per song rather than by the hour, unlike most studios. His rate was RM350 per track, which is incredibly rare. At other studios that charge hourly, recording a single song could easily exceed RM1,000. That’s how expensive music production can be. I was very fortunate to have worked with him while I could. But I suppose all good things must come to an end.
If you haven’t already, I’d really appreciate it if you could check out my songs. Your support means a lot.
Just search for Izhan Zubir on Spotify, or simply click this link below.
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