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Cover art checker
Drop in your single, EP or album cover and see whether it's ready for your distributor: square ratio, 3000 × 3000 px, JPG or PNG and file size. The image never leaves your device.
- •No website addresses, social handles or QR codes
- •No store or streaming logos (Spotify, Apple Music and so on)
- •Artist name and title, if shown, match the release metadata exactly
- •No blurry, pixelated or stretched elements
- •You own or have a licence for every image and font used
- •If the artwork is AI-generated, the image tool's licence allows commercial use
Related: Release plan generator · How to pitch to Spotify
What size should cover art be for Spotify and other stores?
Distributors deliver one image to every store, so it has to meet the strictest rules. DistroKid, for example, asks for a perfectly square image, ideally 3000 × 3000 pixels and at least 1000 × 1000, saved as a JPG in RGB colour. Exporting the original design at 3000 px is the safe choice; upscaling a small file only makes it bigger, not sharper.
Size is the part a checker can measure. The rest is content: stores reject artwork with website addresses, QR codes, social handles, prices, streaming or social media logos, blurry or stretched images and unlicensed stock photos. Check those by eye before uploading, because a rejected cover can push your release date back.
If the artwork was made with an AI image tool, check that its licence allows commercial use on your plan, just as you would for AI music.
Tips that work
- Check the cover at thumbnail size; that's how most people see it
- Keep artist name and title, if shown, identical to the release metadata
- Keep the layered file so you can make square social versions later
Common mistakes
- Using a phone screenshot or a crop of a lower-resolution image
- Adding "Out now on Spotify" or platform logos to the cover
- CMYK print files, which can look dull on screens
Sources: DistroKid: What are the requirements for album artwork?
Artwork ready? Get the release copy
With the cover done, the next things you need are the Spotify pitch, the announcement and the release-day posts. Describe the track once and get all of them.
Frequently asked questions
What size should album cover art be?
Square, at least 3000 × 3000 pixels, saved as JPG or PNG. That's what Apple Music and most distributors ask for, and it covers every streaming platform.
Is my image uploaded anywhere?
No. The checker reads the image inside your browser to measure it. Nothing is sent to Textlino.
Why do distributors reject cover art?
Common reasons are the wrong size or ratio, blurry images, website addresses or social handles on the cover, store logos, and text that doesn't match the release metadata.