Do you know the criteria DSPs use to publish and promote music catalogs? How can you make sure your music meets the quality standards and technical requirements of each DSP for optimal distribution? These are some of the questions we often ask ourselves when talking about digital distribution. And it’s normal, because it’s about much more than just uploading songs to streaming platforms.

Behind every release there are legal, operational, and technical processes that determine whether the music meets the necessary quality standards for each DSP. This ensures the distribution and monetization process can be fully optimized.

Keep in mind that a single error in metadata or technical quality can delay a release for weeks, which can have consequences such as missing marketing campaigns, reduced visibility and reach, inaccurate stream counts, or even damaging your catalog’s reputation with the platforms.

What is music licensing?

Before diving deeper, let’s define the concept. Music licensing is the legal agreement and process by which a rights holder grants another party, in this case, DSPs, the temporary authorization to use and distribute their music under certain conditions.

But music licensing is not just a legal formality: it’s the pillar that ensures your music can be monetized and remain competitive in the digital marketplace. Through licensing, we make sure your music meets the standards of each platform, optimizing its distribution and visibility.

A licensing agreement specifically defines:

• Usage: For what purposes can the music be used? For example, is it authorized for commercial use or only for reproduction?
• Duration: How long can the music be used?
• Territories: In which regions does the license apply?
• Economic compensation: What royalties will the artist receive for the use of their music?

This way, music licensing protects both parties: it allows DSPs to legally and fairly use music, while guaranteeing that artists can maximize income, visibility, and strategic presence in the digital ecosystem.

Strategic licensing: the value of a specialized partner

Balancing the legal, technical, and quality requirements of each DSP with the unique characteristics of every independent catalog is a complex and costly process. On top of that, the market evolves quickly, with new consumption trends and formats demanding real time adaptation to these technical and legal requirements.

Handling this workload entirely on your own, both in terms of human resources and technology investment, can reduce the efficiency of your business. If a catalog isn’t distributed through a trusted partner, its distribution and visibility may be at risk.

That’s why having someone you can trust to manage your catalog’s licensing is key. At SonoSuite, we take care of it. We’re your trusted partner so you can focus on other key areas of your business, such as music production or artist promotion.

It’s also important to remember that complying with DSP guidelines is not optional, we must follow them 100% to optimize catalogs. Otherwise, distributors and, in turn, artists and their music, are penalized. DSPs periodically evaluate their providers with scorecards, measuring service quality and compliance levels. A strong performance in these evaluations translates into direct benefits for labels, distributors, and managers: faster approval of releases, better catalog positioning on DSPs, and more.

Some DSPs also have programs to recognize trusted providers. For example, Spotify’s Preferred Provider Program distinguishes partners that meet the highest technical, legal, and operational standards. SonoSuite is part of this program, demonstrating our commitment and positioning us as a strategic partner to boost your catalog.

Our responsibility goes beyond being the technological bridge between catalogs and DSPs. Our true value lies in direct mediation with DSPs and full catalog protection, both technically and legally. Here’s how:

• The Legal Relationship and Licensing Agreements with DSPs 

At SonoSuite, we handle direct communication with DSPs. This allows us to easily and efficiently understand their requirements, ensuring catalogs are properly distributed.

Here, we define the licensing terms, such as content formats and uses, compensation models (like ad revenue share), territories, and the management of sales and royalty reports, all with maximum transparency in payments.

A key aspect of this work is fraud prevention, such as fake streams. We ensure detailed contracts and strict control of the content we deliver to DSPs. For example, if content shows an unusual number of plays, the DSP may block or remove it. Thanks to licensing agreements, we can anticipate these situations and maximize artist protection.

• The Technical Relationship with DSPs

We supervise the technical quality and integrity of the music catalog, which includes:

• Audio format and technical quality
• Copyright compliance, ensuring you hold exclusive rights and that unauthorized or restricted content is not included
• Correct and complete metadata insertion
• Full compliance with each DSP’s guidelines

Our team carefully reviews that all technical and quality requirements are met. Meeting these standards is not optional, it’s fundamental. Music is not distributed until it meets optimal conditions, because low quality releases harm both distributors and artists, slowing down the approval and distribution process.

In today’s fast moving and demanding industry, where investing in your own infrastructure is often not viable, SonoSuite is the definitive solution. Independent labels, distributors and artists managers need partners who bring together legal, technological, and operational expertise. That’s exactly what we offer at SonoSuite: we don’t just connect your music with DSPs—we protect, optimize, and empower the distribution of every catalog.

Best Practices

At SonoSuite, we review every release with strict quality control to ensure it meets all technical and legal requirements. Why? Because well managed licensing not only speeds up platform approval, it also maximizes visibility and protects your music’s integrity.

Some of the most important best practices to ensure your music reaches platforms smoothly include:

• Complete metadata accurately: Provide as much detailed information as possible so the system can recognize and promote it. This includes roles, format, genre, and more.
• Always keep the same ISRC: The International Standard Recording Code uniquely identifies each track. Assigning different codes to the same song makes platforms treat it as a different track, causing the loss of analytics (like stream counts), hurting algorithmic positioning, and even removing it from playlists.
• Distribute only music you have rights to: It may sound obvious, but it’s worth repeating, you must only distribute music you hold rights to. This excludes public domain works and songs made mostly from third party audio libraries.
• Submit mastered tracks: All files must undergo professional mastering to ensure high quality audio and meet current industry standards.

These are just some of the key points. Already a client and want to ensure your catalog is ready to maximize distribution and monetization? Check out the full list of best practices in our Support Center.

More time for you

Having the right licensing protects you from legal risks and unexpected costs, while ensuring your artists receive the earnings they deserve. Our clients know that:

• Their catalogs will be optimized to meet every DSP’s requirements, so their music will reach platforms with the right standards.
• We streamline the entire distribution process, freeing them to focus on other important tasks, such as music production, without worrying about legal and technical processes.

Do you want your catalog to stay competitive and maximize monetization in the digital ecosystem? At SonoSuite, we are your strategic partner to protect and grow your music on DSPs. We’re here to listen.