If your release is not appearing (or has been removed) from one or more stores, there are several common reasons this may happen. Each store (DSP) has its own policies and may take action independently.
Below are the most frequent causes:
Not enough lead time was provided
We generally review all releases within 1-5 business days, not including holidays or weekends. Once your release is approved, it can take up to 5 days for the individual partner to process your release. Unfortunately, we do not have a way to expedite the ingestion time on DSPs. For this reason, we recommend you always submit 4-6 weeks ahead of the release date to avoid any delays with your release being live.
Curated DSPs
Services such as Pandora and iHeartRadio are curated services. A curated experience means that we'll deliver content, and their team, whether human or algorithmic, will preview and decide if the content will make it onto their platform. For more information about releasing on Pandora, click here.
Membership needed for searching DSP
Some streaming providers may require the end-user to have a membership to access their platform. You may have difficulty searching for your content on these platforms.
DSP services specific territories
Some partners only cater to specific regions and territories, such as Resso; Their service is only available in Indonesia, India, and Brazil. If you are located in a region where that partner does not operate, you may not see your release.
DSP hosts certain genres
Some stores do not accept certain types of content or genres. Many DSPs may not accept content that contains SEO content, Meditation, ambient noise, or sound effects. Additionally, some DSPs do not accept content made with generative AI. Many EDM specific DSPs will only accept genres that align with EDM music.
Metadata / tech-focused DSPs
Metadata or tech-focused partners rely on us sending music to scan their existing music database and locate anyone using your song or provide us with any reporting on whether your material has been played or streamed. In the case of YouTube Content ID, Soundcloud ID, Audible Magic, and more, your releases won't be available for searching.
Server / unforeseen problems
As with all technology, there can be unforeseen issues that may arise from time to time. For example, if a server of a platform goes down, we must wait for the platform to be available again to proceed with the delivery of your releases. Once a platform is available again, we work on delivering your release as quickly as possible.
White label providers
Partners such as 7Digital, KAN Music, and Medianet deliver to various streaming outlets. These are called white label providers. Symphonic delivers your releases to these partners, and those DSPs will put the material onto multiple outlets. Click here for a complete list of our partners.
The time in which you searched on DSPs
If you are looking for your music on the day of your release, it may not be live, depending on the time zone that the partner you are searching for is in. If you are in Europe, it will be midnight before it is midnight in the Eastern and Western time zone, and if a partner is located in these time zones, it may not be up until it is midnight in their respective time zone.
Additionally, if you've selected a Release Time on your release, the album will go live at that specified time for some partners.
DSP purged or removed content (No activity/engagement on DSP)
From time to time, some DSPs may purge content out of their system to increase storage capacity and ensure content relevance. Determining factors for removal may be that your catalog has little to no sales, streams, or followers.
A partner may deactivate specific releases or an entire catalog if they deem it offensive, not within genre specifications, or any other reason that affects their brand. Some partners have their own curation, and thus if the content that doesn't fit that curation is on the site, they may want to hide it for their own reasons without communicating.
Content Ineligibility Issues
Stores may remove or reject content that doesn’t meet their guidelines. This can include:
- Non-music content (e.g., spoken word, sound effects, or noise uploads)
- Low-quality or incomplete recordings
- Misleading or spam-like releases
Please see some of our UGC guidelines here.
Metadata Guideline Violations
DSPs enforce strict formatting and style rules. If our guidelines are not followed, DSPs may remove or hide your content from their platforms.
Always be sure to follow our Symphonic Release Guidelines.
Infringing Content
Your content may have infringed on the rights of third parties. When this occurs, you will receive a notice via email for the content that was flagged and removed from DSPs.
Artificial Streaming or Fraud Detection
Content flagged for artificial streaming, bot activity, or manipulation may be removed or blocked.
Label or Rights Holder Requests
If your release includes content tied to a label, publisher, or collaborator, it may require approval. A release can be removed if:
- Required permissions are missing
- A rights holder requests a takedown
Comments
Article is closed for comments.