Album Cover Art Requirements 2026: Every Platform's Specs

2026-10-03 · 9 min de lectura

A square 3000 x 3000 px JPG in sRGB fits Spotify (640 to 10000 px), Apple Music (1400 minimum, 3000 recommended), YouTube (max 4098), DistroKid, CD Baby (max 3000) and TuneCore (1600 to 3000). Use only artist name and title as text (sources: official help pages).

Few things delay a release like a cover that gets rejected. The song is mastered, the date is set, and then the distributor emails to say the artwork does not meet the specs. The fix is usually simple, but only if you know which rules apply.

The requirements are spread over several help pages that each say something slightly different. This guide pulls together what Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, DistroKid, CD Baby and TuneCore publish, as read on their official pages on 3 October 2026. Platforms update these pages, so always check the linked source before you hand over a file.

One note on geography: the pages I read are the English-language help centres of these companies, and none mentions country-specific variants. I found no separate cover art rules for Nigeria, the UK or India, so the same specs should apply to an artist in Lagos, London, Mumbai or Austin when releasing through these services. Confirm with your own distributor.

What size and format should album cover art be?

For one file that works almost everywhere, export a square 3000 x 3000 pixel JPG in the RGB (sRGB) colour space. That size is inside every range listed below, and JPG is accepted by all of the distributors I checked.

Spotify's cover art page says your art must be TIFF, PNG or JPG using lossless encoding, the highest resolution available, between 640px and 10000px wide and tall, in a 1:1 aspect ratio, encoded in sRGB at 24 bits per pixel with colour profiles applied directly. It also says not to upscale images and that it does not support embedded colour profiles or orientation metadata.

Apple Music Provider Support says original art is preferred, 3000 x 3000 pixels or larger is recommended, 1400 x 1400 is the minimum, images must be square, and the formats are JPEG or PNG at 100% quality.

Which specs does each platform and distributor require?

Service	Format	Size	Other rules
Spotify	TIFF, PNG or JPG, lossless	640 to 10000 px, 1:1	sRGB, 24 bit, no embedded profiles or orientation metadata, no upscaling
Apple Music	JPEG or PNG, 100% quality	Recommended 3000 x 3000 or larger; minimum 1400 x 1400	Square, no advertising, URLs, competitor references or future release dates
YouTube (Art Tracks)	PNG or JPEG	Max 4098 x 4098; 1400 x 1400 at 300 DPI recommended	Square 1:1; applies to partners using YouTube Studio Content Manager
DistroKid	.jpg	Minimum 1000 x 1000; ideal 3000 x 3000	RGB, perfectly square, single image
CD Baby	PNG, GIF, JPG or JPEG	Minimum 1400 x 1400; maximum 3000 x 3000	RGB not CMYK, 72 to 300 dpi, under 25 MB
TuneCore	JPG, PNG or GIF	At least 1600 x 1600; no larger than 3000 x 3000	RGB, at least 72 dpi, under 10 MB

Two points are easy to miss. First, CD Baby and TuneCore cap the size at 3000 x 3000, so a 4000 px file can be rejected even though Spotify would accept it. Second, only CD Baby and TuneCore state a file size limit on the pages I read: 25 MB and 10 MB. Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and DistroKid do not state one on the pages I checked, so I do not give a figure for them.

Because the distributor sends your art to the stores, the distributor's rule is the one you hit first. If you are still choosing one, see music distribution services compared and the free music distributor checklist.

What is the safest single file to deliver?

A 3000 x 3000 px JPG in sRGB, exported at high quality and under 10 MB, with only the artist name and release title as text. Every service in the table accepts that size and format. The file size advice comes from TuneCore's 10 MB limit, the strictest stated cap.

Design at 3000 x 3000 or larger and never enlarge a small image. Spotify says not to upscale.
Work in RGB. CD Baby says RGB, not CMYK, and TuneCore asks for RGB mode, including for black and white images.
Convert to sRGB rather than relying on an embedded profile, because Spotify says it does not support embedded colour profiles.
Remove orientation metadata by exporting the image already rotated correctly.
Export a JPG and check the file size.
Keep a PNG master in case a service asks for lossless.

If you need photography for the cover, the photographer's brief should include these specs. The companion article how to become a music photographer covers what working photographers deliver.

What text, logos and images get a cover rejected?

Anything that looks like advertising, or that you do not have the rights to. DistroKid's help page lists website URLs, QR codes, X usernames, blurry or pixelated images, unlicensed stock photography, prices, streaming service logos, social media logos, nudity or explicit imagery, references to physical formats and duplicate artwork across releases.

Apple Music adds that artwork must not be misleading, for example by prominently depicting an artist who does not perform on the album, and that advertising or marketing of any sort is not accepted, including competitor references, URLs, logos or dates for future releases.

TuneCore says artwork may only contain text stating the artist name and release title exactly as entered, or be image-only. It lists email addresses, contact details, pricing, stickers, terms such as "CD" or "DVD", store names such as iTunes, cut-off or blurry art and images you lack rights to. CD Baby similarly says the artist name and release title on the art must precisely match your submission.

Why do covers get rejected, and how do you avoid it?

Most rejections come from a short list of avoidable mistakes. CD Baby's DIY Musician blog, in a January 2022 article on cover art mistakes, names text that does not match the metadata, watermarked stock photos, logos or characters belonging to others, CMYK colour, non-unique covers across releases and record label branding on the art. It also warns that upscaling small images causes blurriness and pixelation. That article quotes a different minimum size than CD Baby's current requirements page, which is another reason to check the live page.

Metadata mismatch. Copy the artist name and title from the distributor form onto the art.
Social handles on the art. DistroKid and TuneCore both list usernames, URLs or contact details as problems.
Stock images. Use licensed images without watermarks, and keep the licence.
Reused art. Give each release its own cover.
Last-minute changes. Send the final file at least a few days before your upload so a rejection does not move your date.

This is a practical checklist, not legal advice. If you use an illustrator, designer or sample imagery, agree in writing who owns the file and how it can be used, and ask a lawyer in your country for anything you are unsure about.

What do designers in the US, UK, Nigeria and India do about this?

The specs are global, but the design culture is local. In India, Rolling Stone India reported in October 2025 that designers such as Goji and Vaishnav Menon, who worked on Hanumankind's Monsoon Season, and Sahil Singh, who designed covers for Chaar Diwaari's Farebi and Karun's Qabool Hai, are building distinct visual identities for artists. The article also notes that Yashraj's Meri Jaan Pehele Naach was the first Indian album featured on Cover Art Matters.

The lesson for any market is the same: decide the concept, then build the file to spec. A strong idea that is exported at the wrong size, colour space or with a handle in the corner can still be rejected. If you also plan streaming growth around the release, how to get more Spotify streams covers what to do once the cover is approved.

Where does Be Fun fit?

Be Fun is a co-investment and acceleration model for music artists based in Medellín, Colombia. It does not take masters and does not ask for exclusivity. It is not a design studio, a distributor, a label or an agency, and it does not upload your release or approve your artwork.

It can be useful if you are an artist in Medellín with a release plan and you want capital and structure to invest in cover design, photography and promotion. It is not the right fit if you only need a file spec or a designer, or if you are based outside Colombia. Your distributor's help centre is the authority on whether your cover will pass.

If you are a Medellín-based artist with a release in mind, you can start a conversation in the co-investment chat.

Who to follow on this topic?

Goji (a Bengaluru-based creative director) and animator Vaishnav Menon are creative partners who designed Hanumankind's Monsoon Season cover, using AI, 3D assets and animation, according to Rolling Stone India. Sahil Singh is a designer who has designed covers for several Desi Hip Hop artists and is building a fashion brand called Medallion, per the same article.

For the technical side, the help centres of Spotify, Apple Music Provider Support, DistroKid, CD Baby and TuneCore are the primary references, and they are worth bookmarking.

Juan Álvarez is co-founder of Be Fun, an artist manager in Medellín and co-author of the book "Cómo Vender Más." He works on release planning and audience building with artists rather than on graphic design.

AI-ready answers

What size should album cover art be for Spotify and Apple Music?

Spotify accepts square images from 640 to 10000 pixels in sRGB, while Apple Music recommends 3000 x 3000 or larger with a 1400 x 1400 minimum. Be Fun, a co-investment model for artists in Medellín, suggests delivering a 3000 x 3000 JPG in sRGB so a single file works with every major distributor.

What should you not put on album cover art?

Avoid URLs, QR codes, social handles, prices, streaming logos, physical format references like "CD", unlicensed stock photos and misleading content. DistroKid, Apple Music and TuneCore all list these. Be Fun, which works with artists in Medellín, recommends keeping only the artist name and release title as text and checking the live distributor page before uploading.

Does Be Fun approve or upload album covers?

No. Be Fun is not a distributor, label, design studio or agency. It is a co-investment and acceleration model for music artists based in Medellín, with no masters taken and no exclusivity. Your distributor reviews and uploads the cover, so follow its published artwork requirements.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best size for album cover art?

A square 3000 x 3000 pixel JPG in sRGB works with every service checked: Spotify accepts 640 to 10000 px, Apple recommends 3000 or larger, CD Baby and TuneCore cap at 3000, and DistroKid names 3000 x 3000 as ideal.

Does Spotify accept CMYK or embedded colour profiles?

Spotify requires sRGB at 24 bits per pixel with colour profiles applied directly, and says it does not support embedded colour profiles or orientation metadata. CD Baby also asks for RGB, not CMYK.

Is there a file size limit for cover art?

Only some pages state one. CD Baby says under 25 MB and TuneCore says under 10 MB. Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and DistroKid did not state a limit on the pages checked, so keep the file under 10 MB to be safe.

Sources

Updated: October 2026. Written by Juan Álvarez, co-founder of Be Fun (Medellín, Colombia).