Artists can distribute music to Recochoku through a digital music distributor that delivers releases to Japanese streaming and download platforms. Recochoku is a Japan-based digital music service that supports singles, albums, hi-res audio, videos, lyrics, rankings, and genre discovery across J-pop, hip-hop, electronic, rock, anime, and global music categories.

Japan remains the world’s second-largest recorded music market, and the country’s recorded music revenue grew 8.9% in 2025. Recochoku serves a market where Japanese listeners still actively support digital downloads, mobile music purchases, and premium audio formats alongside streaming.

Can you distribute music directly to Recochoku?

No, independent artists generally cannot directly upload music to Recochoku. The platform operates through licensed distribution partners that deliver releases with the required metadata, rights information, ISRCs, artwork, and audio files.

Using a distributor also helps artists manage releases across multiple platforms from one dashboard, including release scheduling, royalty tracking, metadata management, and catalog organization.

Why distribute your songs to Recochoku?

Recochoku helps independent artists reach Japan’s digital music audience through streaming, downloads, charts, genre discovery, and high-resolution audio releases.

• Reach Japan’s music market: Japan continues to be one of the highest-value music economies globally, with strong digital music consumption and listener spending.
• Expand beyond global streaming platforms: Recochoku helps artists build visibility within Japan’s local music ecosystem, along with Spotify and Apple Music.
• Access download and streaming revenue: The platform supports both digital purchases and streaming-based music consumption.
• Improve discovery through local categories and charts: Recochoku features genre pages across J-pop, anime, hip-hop/R&B, rock, electronic, jazz, classical, and global music.
• Connect with Japanese listeners interested in international music: Regional music platforms can help artists grow audience reach beyond Western-focused streaming ecosystems.

Why use SoundCloud to distribute music to Recochoku?

SoundCloud helps independent artists distribute music to Recochoku and 60+ global streaming platforms from one dashboard. It combines distribution, monetization, audience analytics, and artist tools designed for creators managing releases without traditional label infrastructure.

Key reasons artists use SoundCloud distribution for Recochoku include:

• Release music across Recochoku, Apple Music, Spotify, TikTok, YouTube Music, and other platforms simultaneously
• Keep 100% of distribution earnings
• Manage metadata, ISRCs, release scheduling, and royalty tracking from one place
• Reach Japanese listeners through Recochoku alongside global streaming audiences
• Reduce release management issues across multiple streaming platforms
• Simplify catalog management for first-time and independent artists

How to Upload Music to Recochoku?

Artists can upload music to Recochoku through a music distribution service that delivers releases to Japanese streaming and download platforms. A clean release setup helps avoid delays caused by metadata issues, artwork problems, rights conflicts, or formatting errors.

Step 1: Choose a music distributor and create an account

Artists need a music distribution service that supports Recochoku and other major streaming platforms. Before selecting a distributor, compare features such as platform reach, royalty payouts, analytics, release management tools, pricing, customer support, and monetization options.

A distributor handles delivery, metadata formatting, rights management, and royalty reporting across streaming and download services. Choosing the right platform early helps reduce release issues as your catalog grows.

Step 2: Log in to the distributor dashboard

After preparing the release assets, sign in to the distributor dashboard to begin the upload process. Most distribution platforms allow artists to manage singles, EPs, albums, metadata, release dates, royalties, and platform delivery from one centralized system.

Step 3: Add artwork and audio files

Upload the final audio files and cover artwork to the release dashboard. You need to add:

• Final mastered WAV files
• Square 3000 x 3000 pixels cover artwork in JPG or PNG format
• Artist and release names
• Track titles and version labels
• Genre and subgenre information
• Explicit or clean content tags
• Songwriter, producer, and contributor credits
• Lyrics, if available
• ISRCs and UPC

Step 4: Select Recochoku and other platforms

Choose Recochoku alongside other streaming and download platforms where the release should appear. Multi-platform distribution helps artists expand discoverability across Japan-focused and global music services simultaneously.

Step 5: Submit the release early

Upload music a few weeks before the planned release date. Early submission gives distributors and platforms time to process metadata, review licensing information, and reduce the risk of release-day delays.

Step 6: Review the live release

After the release goes live, check the platform pages carefully to confirm that all release details appear correctly.

Review:

• Artist profile mapping
• Track titles and artwork
• Track order
• Explicit tags
• Streaming and download links
• Duplicate releases or artist-page errors

How long does it take for music to go live on Recochoku?

To release music on Recochoku, artists should plan a timeline of roughly 1-4 weeks after submitting music through a distributor. Processing time depends on distributor review, metadata accuracy, licensing checks, artwork compliance, and platform approval timelines.

• Distributor review: Most distributors review audio files, metadata, cover artwork, copyright information, and release formatting within a few business days before sending music to stores.
• Platform processing: After approval, Recochoku and other streaming platforms may take roughly 3-14 days to ingest and publish the release.
• Metadata verification: Incorrect artist names, missing ISRCs, artwork issues, or rights conflicts can delay release approval.
• Release planning: Submitting music at least four weeks before the intended release date helps reduce delays and gives platforms enough time for processing and playlist consideration.

Why do releases get delayed?

Most Recochoku distribution delays come from preventable release issues. Common delay reasons include:

• Artwork does not meet store requirements
• Track title and artwork text do not match
• Artist name creates profile-mapping confusion
• The audio file has technical issues
• Explicit content is not tagged correctly
• Release uses uncleared samples or covers
• Metadata contains unsupported characters
• UPC or ISRC is missing, duplicated, or incorrect
• Submission is too close to the release date

How much does Recochoku pay artists?

Recochoku does not pay artists a fixed public per-stream rate. Earnings depend on whether listeners purchase downloads or stream music, along with distributor fees, rights ownership, royalty splits, and subscription revenue.

• Digital download pricing: Individual song downloads on Recochoku commonly range from about $1.75 to $3.70 per track, depending on audio quality and format.
• Download earnings: Artists usually receive a percentage of the net download revenue after distributor, label, platform, tax, and processing deductions.
• Streaming payout model: Streaming revenue works through a pro-rata or revenue-share system, where payouts depend on total platform streams and subscription revenue. Streaming earnings are generally estimated at around $0.003 to $0.007 per stream.

For most independent artists, Recochoku earnings depend more on audience engagement, catalog ownership, and distribution terms than on a guaranteed payout-per-stream number.

Requirements for Music Distribution to Recochoku

Artists must meet standard distributor requirements for audio, artwork, metadata, rights, and release identifiers before distributing music to Recochoku.

To upload music to Recochoku through a distributor, artists need:

• Final mastered audio files, usually WAV for distributor upload
• Hi-res-ready audio if submitting premium formats, such as FLAC 24-bit audio
• Sampling frequency support for hi-res releases, including 44.1kHz, 48.0kHz, 88.2kHz, 96.0kHz, 176.4kHz, and 192.0kHz
• Professional square cover artwork, commonly 3000 × 3000 pixels in JPG or PNG format
• Accurate metadata, including artist name, release title, track title, genre, language, and contributor credits
• ISRCs and UPC 
• Correct explicit-content labeling
• Original or properly licensed music, samples, lyrics, and artwork
• Consistent artist-name formatting to avoid profile-mapping issues

How to claim your Recochoku artist profile?

Recochoku does not offer an artist profile claim. Artists need to manage profile corrections and artist-page issues through the distributor that delivered the release.

To manage or correct a Recochoku artist profile:

• Wait until the release is fully live on the platform
• Search for the artist name and release page on Recochoku
• Confirm that the music appears under the correct artist profile
• Save the live release and artist-page links
• Contact the distributor if the release is mapped incorrectly
• Include the artist name, UPC, ISRCs, release link, and incorrect artist-page link in the request
• Request artist-page remapping or metadata correction through distributor support
• Avoid re-uploading the full release unless the distributor specifically requests it

Common Recochoku music distribution problems and fixes

Most music distribution issues can be resolved if artists catch them early and keep release details organized. Save your UPCs, ISRCs, release links, and distributor dashboard information before contacting support.

Start distributing music to Recochoku with SoundCloud

Artists expanding into Japan can use SoundCloud distribution for Recochoku while managing releases, royalties, and audience growth from a centralized platform. Releasing music across both Japanese and global streaming services helps independent artists reach new listeners, strengthen international visibility, and reduce dependence on a single platform or market.

Switch to SoundCloud Artist Pro to distribute music to Recochoku, streamline release management across multiple platforms, and access tools built for independent artist growth and Monetization.