How To Upload Music To Spotify – Full Guide (2025)

When discussing “how to upload music to Spotify,” there are typically two distinct meanings. The guide below covers both possibilities:

1. For Artists: Uploading a professionally created track for public streaming.
2. For Listeners: Adding local music files from your computer to your private Spotify library.

Method 1: Uploading Music as an Artist (Public Distribution)

If you are an artist who wants to upload your original music for millions of people to stream on Spotify, you will need to work with a music distributor.

Understanding Music Distributors

As you can read on Spotify’s official site, distributors handle the music licensing, distribution, and paying streaming royalties. You must work with a distributor to get your music onto Spotify.

Spotify provides a list of preferred and recommended distributors on its “getting music on Spotify” information page.

Step-by-Step Guide Using FreshTunes

There are many distributors, some free and some paid. This section walks through the process using FreshTunes, a distributor that offers a free plan to get your music onto Spotify, Apple Music, and other platforms.

1. Preparation and Setup

• Finalize Your Track: Make sure you have a finished song in either MP3 or WAV format that you are ready to upload.
• Create an Account:
  • Navigate to FreshTunes.com.
  • Select Sign In on the top right-hand side.
  • If you are a new user, select the Registration option and fill in your details (email address, first name, etc.).
  • Check your email for the confirmation link to activate your account and set a password.
• Log In: Use your email and newly created password to log into the FreshTunes dashboard.

2. Creating a New Release

In the FreshTunes layout, select New Release on the top left-hand corner. Here, you will fill in all the details for your song.

• Title: Type in the exact, specific title of the song (e.g., “Sold As Seen (Acoustic Version)”).
• Copyright & Label: Select the relevant copyright holders. If you do not have an actual label, you can simply type in your name.
• Artwork: Upload the artwork you have already created for the song. Important: The song title and the artist name on the cover must match the text you input later.
• Genre: Select the appropriate genre for your track.
• Select Continue.

3. Uploading the Track File

• Upload the actual song file (preferably WAV format). If you only have an MP3 file, you can convert it to WAV online before uploading.
• Wait for the file to upload completely.

4. Final Track Details and Distribution

This section covers the release details and tracklist.

• Track Title: Add the track title again.
• Single/Album: If you only have one song, select Single.
• Content: Indicate if the track contains Explicit Content and confirm there are Vocals in the track.
• Contributors: Add details for any featured artists, composers, and songwriters.
• Select Continue and Save.
• Distribution Options: Choose your preferred platforms (all platforms are recommended), all countries, and the release date (e.g., as soon as possible). You can also select a specific TikTok snippet if desired.

5. Review and Submission

• Select Review. The system will check for errors.
• Address any errors that appear. For example, common errors include needing to add a comma between the artist’s first and last name, or selecting both “songwriter” and “composer”.
• Once everything is correctly entered, select Send for Review. The release will now be sent for moderation by the distributor.

After the release is approved by FreshTunes, it will be delivered to Spotify and other streaming platforms.

Method 2: Uploading Local Files (Private Listening)

The second meaning of uploading music to Spotify refers to adding local audio files from your computer to your Spotify account for your own private listening. This is helpful for music that isn’t officially available on the platform.

How to Enable Local Files on Desktop

1. Open Settings: In the Spotify desktop application, go to the top right and click on your username/profile. Select Settings.
2. Toggle Local Files: Scroll down until you see the Local Files option. Switch on “Show Local Files.”
3. Manage Sources: Go down to “Show songs from”. This shows the locations Spotify is searching for audio files.
4. Add a Source: If your music folder is not listed, tap on “Add a Source.”
5. Select Folder: Find and select the folder on your computer that contains the music files (e.g., your Music or Documents folder) and press OK.
6. Toggle On: Make sure the newly added source is toggled on in the list.

Viewing and Adding Local Files to a Playlist

1. Go to Library: Head to the top left and click on Your Library.
2. Access Local Files: Select the Local Files category. This will show all the audio files Spotify has found in the locations you added.
3. Add to Playlist:
   • Find the song you want to add to a playlist.
   • Click the three dots next to the song title.
   • Select Add to Playlist.
   • Choose an existing playlist or create a new one.

Once added, the local file will appear in your chosen playlist and will play just like any other song from Spotify’s catalog—but only you will be able to stream it.

Listening on Mobile Devices

Note that local files are only going to appear for you on the computer where you uploaded them initially. To listen to these files on your mobile device, you typically need to ensure the following:

• The local file has been successfully added to a playlist on your desktop.
• Your mobile device and desktop are using the same Spotify account and are often connected to the same Wi-Fi network when you first try to stream the track on mobile.
• The song needs to be downloaded to your mobile device’s library to ensure it plays correctly without being available on the main Spotify server.