Streaming artwork requirements

SPOTIFY & APPLE MUSIC COVER ART.

Spotify requires square cover art 640–10,000 px on each side in lossless TIFF, PNG, or JPG; Apple Music for Artists specifies a perfect square of at least 4,000 × 4,000 pixels in JPG, PNG, or GIF. Use the local preflight on this page to check the exact exported master, then confirm your distributor’s current upload rules—a catalog preview does not prove the delivered file’s resolution.

Key takeaways

  • Both platforms specify 1:1 artwork, but their minimum dimensions differ.
  • Spotify lists 640–10,000 px on each side, lossless TIFF, PNG, or JPG, sRGB at 24 bits per pixel, and says not to upscale.
  • Apple Music for Artists specifies JPG, PNG, or GIF artwork at least 4,000 × 4,000 pixels.
  • The on-page preflight checks a selected file locally; a passing result does not guarantee platform acceptance.
  • Apple’s cover guidance excludes unrelated promotion such as social handles, URLs, prices, dates, and barcodes.

What image dimensions does Spotify require?

Spotify requires a 1:1 image 640–10,000 px on each side. Its support page lists TIFF, PNG, or JPG using lossless encoding, asks for the highest resolution available, and says not to upscale images.

What image dimensions does Apple Music require?

Apple Music for Artists specifies a perfect square at least 4,000 × 4,000 pixels, in JPG, PNG, or GIF format. The cited page does not state a maximum dimension, so check the distributor’s current delivery rules rather than assuming a maximum.

Are Spotify and Apple Music artwork requirements the same?

Both platforms require 1:1 artwork, but the published specifications differ. Apple Music for Artists lists a higher minimum pixel size; Spotify publishes both a minimum and a maximum, along with specific color and metadata requirements.

Published cover-art specifications from Spotify for Artists and Apple Music for Artists
RequirementSpotifyApple Music for Artists
Dimensions640–10,000 px on each sideAt least 4,000 × 4,000 px
Shape1:1 aspect ratioPerfect square
FormatsTIFF, PNG, or JPG; lossless encodingJPG, PNG, or GIF
ColorsRGB at 24 bits per pixel; color profile applied directlyNot stated on the cited cover-art page
UpscalingSpotify says not to upscaleNot stated on the cited cover-art page

What content should I avoid on an Apple Music cover?

Apple says artwork should not be misleading or generic and should include only relevant information, such as the artist name and release title. Its guidance excludes social handles, email addresses, website URLs, competitor references, prices, dates, barcodes, advertising, and images from other copyright holders without written permission.

How can one export meet both published specifications?

Use an actual square master at least 4,000 pixels per side, in PNG or JPG, to fit the published dimensions and formats both pages list. For Spotify, use lossless encoding, sRGB at 24 bits per pixel, apply the color profile directly to the pixel values, and avoid embedding color-profile metadata; avoid orientation metadata. Do not upscale; start from a sufficiently large original. The preflight reports shape, dimensions, format, and detectable Spotify metadata separately, but it cannot prove the artwork’s color values or guarantee distributor acceptance.

Is a catalog preview enough to check the purchased file?

No. A storefront preview or mockup may be resized or compressed. Check the exact licensed download you plan to submit: confirm its pixel dimensions, square crop, file format, color handling, and sharpness at full size. If the original is too small, obtain a suitable high-resolution master instead of treating an upscale as added detail.

Does a commercial license guarantee platform acceptance?

No. A commercial license defines permitted use; Spotify, Apple Music, and the distributor control their own submission requirements. Confirm that the artwork is licensed for your intended release and that the final file passes the delivery provider’s current checks.

Sources and scope

This guide summarizes the cited Spotify for Artists and Apple Music for Artists pages; platform guidance can change. If you deliver through a distributor, use its current upload checks too. An ARTCOVR license grants the usage rights in its terms, not a guarantee that a platform will accept a file.

  • Cover art requirements — Spotify for Artists. Official guidance for Spotify cover-art dimensions, formats, aspect ratio, color handling, and upscaling.
  • Album cover art on Apple Music — Apple Music for Artists. Official Apple Music cover-art dimensions, formats, and additional content guidelines.
  • Commercial Cover Art License — ARTCOVR. ARTCOVR’s terms for permitted uses and restrictions; the license does not certify platform acceptance.

Last reviewed

Browse licensed cover artwork