How to Get Your Music on Instagram, Spotify, and Apple Music (Step-by-Step Guide)

If you’ve made a song on your computer, phone, or DAW and you’re wondering how to get it onto Instagram Reels, Spotify, and Apple Music — this guide breaks it down simply.

You don’t upload directly to Instagram or Spotify. You use a music distributor to send your track everywhere at once.

Step 1: Finish Your Song Properly

Before anything else, make sure you have:

  • A final exported audio file (MP3 or WAV)

  • A song title

  • Your artist name (be consistent with this)

  • Optional: cover artwork (recommended 3000x3000 pixels)

This is your “release package.”

Step 2: Choose a Music Distributor

A distributor is the company that sends your music to streaming platforms and social media.

Popular options include:

  • DistroKid (fast, widely used, paid yearly)

  • Amuse (has a free tier, slower)

  • UnitedMasters (free option, takes percentage on free plan)

All of these can send your music to:

  • Spotify

  • Apple Music

  • Instagram / Facebook music library

  • TikTok (in many cases)

👉 You only need ONE distributor.

Step 3: Upload Your Song

Once you sign up:

  1. Log into your distributor

  2. Click “Upload New Release”

  3. Enter:

    • Song title

    • Artist name

    • Genre

    • Release date

  4. Upload your audio file

  5. Upload cover art

  6. Select platforms (make sure Instagram/Facebook is enabled)

Then submit.

Step 4: Wait for Distribution

After submission:

  • Spotify/Apple Music usually take a few days

  • Instagram can take 1–3 weeks to fully appear in the music library

This is normal.

Step 5: Use Your Song on Instagram

Once approved:

  1. Open Instagram

  2. Create a Reel or Story

  3. Tap “Music”

  4. Search your artist name or song title

  5. Select your track

Now your song is officially usable in posts.

Step 6: Understand How You Get Paid

There are two main money systems:

Streaming royalties

  • Paid by Spotify, Apple Music, etc.

  • Collected through your distributor

Performance royalties

  • Paid when your music is played publicly (radio, venues, etc.)

  • Managed by organizations like SOCAN

👉 You usually want both if you’re serious about music.

Important Tips

  • Don’t upload the same song through multiple distributors

  • Keep your artist name consistent everywhere

  • Make sure your metadata (song info) is correct

  • High-quality artwork helps professionalism

Final Summary

To get your music on Instagram and Spotify:

  1. Finish your track

  2. Pick one distributor

  3. Upload your song

  4. Wait for approval

  5. Use it in Reels and streaming platforms

If you want, I can also turn this into a more “blog SEO optimized” version (with keywords, headings for ranking, and a more viral writing style).

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