Getting your music live should be exciting—not delayed by preventable issues. The good news? The vast majority of rejections we see on Spare Music fall into just five common categories.
This guide walks you through each one, explains why it matters, and shows you how to get it right the first time.
1. Incorrect Track Language Settings 🌍
One of the most common reasons releases get rejected is an incorrect track language selection.
Common issues we see:
Marking a track as Instrumental when it contains vocals
Selecting the wrong spoken language for the lyrics
Leaving the default language selected without checking
Why it matters:
Stores rely on language metadata for content classification, lyrics services, and regional compliance. If the language information is incorrect, your track may be miscategorised or rejected entirely.
How to avoid it:
If your track contains any vocals, do not mark it as instrumental
Select the primary language used in the lyrics
If multiple languages are present, choose the most dominant one
2. Incorrect or Missing Advisory Tags ⚠️
Explicit content must be labelled correctly to meet store requirements.
Common issues we see:
Explicit lyrics marked as Clean
None-Explicit tracks marked as Explicit
Advisory tags not reviewed before submission
Why it matters:
Stores enforce strict policies around explicit content for parental controls, regional availability, and editorial eligibility. Incorrect advisory tags are one of the fastest ways a release gets rejected.
How to avoid it:
Mark a track as Explicit if it contains any strong language or adult theme.
If the track contains no explicit content, mark it as None.
Mark a track as Clean if this is a clean version and a Explicit version already exists on DSPs.
When in doubt, choose Explicit to avoid rejection
3. Artist Names Included in Track Titles ✍️
Track titles should contain only the name of the song.
Common issues we see:
Including artist names in the track title
Adding unnecessary branding or descriptors
Why it matters:
Stores already receive artist information from the artist field. Including artist names in the title breaks metadata standards and can result in invalid or duplicate listings.
How to avoid it:
Use only the song title in the track title field
Enter artist names only in the artist field
✅ Correct:Track title: Life of a ShowgirlArtist: Taylor Swift
❌ Incorrect:Track title: Taylor Swift – Life of a Showgirl
4. Artwork Not Matching your Metadata 🎨
Your artwork must accurately reflect your release metadata.
Common issues we see:
The title on the artwork doesn’t match the release title
Social media handles, URLs, or promotional text included in the artwork
Artwork reused from a different version of the release
Why it matters:
Stores treat artwork as part of your metadata. Mismatches raise concerns around authenticity, ownership, and consumer trust, which can lead to rejection.
How to avoid it:
Ensure the title shown on the artwork exactly matches the release title
Do not include social links, URLs, or promotional text
Use artwork that clearly belongs to this specific release
5. Incorrect or Inconsistent Metadata 🧾
Metadata consistency is especially important when moving distributors.
Common issues we see:
Artist names spelled differently across tracks
Metadata that doesn’t match a previous release
Unintentional changes during distributor transfers
Why it matters
Stores compare new submissions against existing catalog entries. Inconsistent metadata can break artist pages, create duplicate profiles, or cause releases to fail validation.
How to avoid it:
Ensure artist names are spelled exactly the same across all tracks
When switching distributors, match existing metadata unless you intend to update it
Carefully review track titles, artist names, and formatting before submitting.
Final Tip: Slow Down Before You Submit ⏸️
Most rejections happen because of small details that are easy to miss. Taking an extra few minutes to review your release can save days of delays. If you’re ever unsure, our support team is happy to help before you submit.