· By The Vocal Market
TL;DR Target -14 LUFS integrated for Spotify, -16 for Apple Music, -14 for YouTube, -14 for TikTok. Don't over-master: Spotify turns you down anyway. Keep vocals at -6 to -4 LUFS momentary above the instrumental. True peak below -1 dBTP. Mix at 85dB SPL if you can. Mixing a vocal in 2026 isn't the same job it was even five years ago. The streaming platforms normalize loudness, so cranking the master limiter doesn't make your song louder than anyone else's. What it does is crush your dynamics and kill your vocal presence. This guide walks through the loudness targets for...
· By The Vocal Market
TL;DR Get a mechanical license (Easy Song or HFA), pick a distributor that handles cover songs (DistroKid has a dedicated cover flow), upload, set ISRC, and publish. For YouTube, let Content ID pay the original rights holders automatically. Total cost: $10 to $25 per cover. Releasing a cover on Spotify is not the same as uploading an original. You don't own the composition, which means you need permission, and the mechanical royalties flow differently. Do it wrong and your song gets taken down, your distributor account gets flagged, or you end up owing the original publisher money. This guide walks...