← Back to Blog

Cover Art Rules: Sizes, Specs, and What Gets Rejected

Cover art is the most common reason a release gets bounced back by a distributor. The rules are not complicated, but they are strict, and every platform checks your artwork against a technical spec before your music goes live. Get the file right once and you will never lose a release week to an artwork rejection.

The safe standard: 3000 by 3000

The industry-standard safe choice is a perfectly square 3000 by 3000 pixel image, in JPG or PNG format, in sRGB colour. That single combination passes the requirements of every major digital platform and distributor. Spotify's published spec accepts artwork between 640 and 10,000 pixels on each side in a 1:1 aspect ratio, in TIFF, PNG, or JPG with sRGB colour. Apple's documentation has listed higher minimums than most platforms, which is exactly why building at 3000 by 3000 or above is the smart move: one master file sized for the strictest platform clears the rest automatically. For exact current minimums, check the platform's help page before you submit, since specs change.

What gets your artwork rejected

• Wrong shape or size: anything not square, or so low-resolution it turns blurry at full size.
• Wrong colour mode: CMYK is for print. Streaming needs RGB or sRGB.
• Watermarks: any watermark causes rejection on all platforms.
• Logos: no streaming platform, distributor, or brand logos unless you have official permission.
• Contact details on the art: no social media handles, website URLs, QR codes, email addresses, or phone numbers.
• Text mismatch: the artist name and title on the artwork must match your metadata exactly, including spelling.
• Unlicensed imagery: no images you do not own or have not licensed.
• Explicit or hateful imagery: platforms reject artwork that violates their content guidelines.

Design rules that prevent rejections

Keep text minimal and readable at thumbnail size. Your cover will mostly be seen at a tiny size in feeds and search results, so test it at thumbnail scale before submitting. Keep important details away from the edges, where cropping can cut them off. Use high-contrast colours so the artwork stays visible on dark and light backgrounds. And never put pricing, release dates, or promotional phrases on the cover itself; that information belongs in your metadata and marketing, not on the art.

If your artwork is rejected, fix exactly what the distributor flags and resubmit the corrected file rather than uploading a different design. Most rejections come from one of the items in the list above, and a quick correction usually clears the release within days.

Apply →