Uploading: what the fields actually do

The upload form asks for more than a file and a title. Here is what each field is actually for, so you can decide which to care about.

Title

What people see and what they will type when looking for it again. Keep it as it appears on the artwork. Avoid stacking features and version notes into it — those have their own fields.

Genre

Used for browsing and for the genre pages, which are among the most-visited pages on any music platform. Pick the one a listener would use, not the most precise one. Afrobeats finds more people than a sub-sub-genre only producers use.

Mood

This is how people choose music when they do not know what they want, which is most of the time. Underused and worth filling in.

Description

The part search engines read. Two or three sentences in plain language about what this is. Not a press release — a description.

This is also what appears when someone shares the link, so it is doing two jobs.

Cover art

Square, at least 1400 pixels. It is the single largest factor in whether someone clicks, and it is the thing most independent releases get wrong — usually by putting text on it that becomes illegible at the size it is actually displayed.

Check yours at 150 pixels. That is roughly how big it will be in most lists.

Access tier

Covered in its own post. Default to public unless you have a reason.

The one to spend time on

If you fill in one thing properly, make it the description. It is the field that does work for you while you are asleep, on pages you never visit, for people who have not heard of you.