Release a music video
Release a music video on HILLS Music as its own release, with its own UPC and ISRC, linked to its song, for Apple Music, Amazon Music and TIDAL.
Updated
A music video on HILLS Music is a release of its own: a Music video release with its own UPC, its own ISRC and its own release date, linked to its song by the song’s ISRC. That’s how the stores take videos. It’s delivered to Apple Music, Amazon Music and TIDAL.
Create the music video
- Open Catalog → Releases → Music videos and choose New music video.
- Under The song’s release, pick the audio release the song is on, then the Song.
- Confirm. The video release is created as a draft with the song’s details: its artists, label, genre, ℗ and © lines, territories and explicit setting, titled as the song.
- In the editor, upload the video file, pick a still, and set the release date.
- Check the credits. Add the director: Apple Music and YouTube show it.
- Submit it for review, like any release.
The song’s audio release should be submitted first. A video that comes out before its song may be held by the stores until the song is live.
The video file
HILLS Music delivers one master to every video store, and checks it on upload against Apple Music’s rules. An error refuses the file; a warning lets it through but tells you what Apple Music may not accept.
| Best | Accepted | Refused | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Codec | Apple ProRes 422 HQ (or 4444 / 4444 XQ), MOV | H.264 or HEVC, MP4 or MOV (warning) | ProRes LT / Proxy, MPEG-2, VP9, AV1 and others |
| Size | 1920 × 1080, 3840 × 2160, 4096 × 2160 | Other HD sizes, vertical video (warning) | Under 1280 × 720 |
| Frame rate | The source’s own: 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97 or 30 | 50, 59.94, 60 (warning) | Anything else |
| Audio | Stereo PCM, 48 kHz or more, 16 or 24-bit | AAC, 44.1 kHz (warning) | Mono, or no audio |
| Length | 30 seconds to 4 hours | Shorter or longer |
Videos longer than 20 minutes need a long-form kind: concert film, long-form or documentary.
What the video mustn’t contain
Some things only a person can see, so our team checks them in review:
- Black bars (letterbox or pillarbox) added around the picture.
- Logos, website addresses, social handles or release dates burned in.
- Slates, countdowns, or lower thirds with marketing text.
- Several songs in one video (medleys), unless that’s the release.
Metadata
- Title: the song’s title. Don’t add Official Video or Video as a version: stores mark videos themselves.
- ISRC: the video’s own, never the song’s. Leave it empty and HILLS Music assigns one.
- Artists: the song’s primary artist first.
- Explicit: if the song is explicit, the video can’t be marked not explicit.
- Still: the video’s artwork in the stores. Pick a frame of the video or upload an image.
Types of video
Pick the kind of video in the editor so each store files it correctly:
- Official music video, Live performance and Performance or session video — taken by Apple Music.
- Lyric video, Visualizer, Behind the scenes and Interview — go to the stores that take that kind; Apple Music doesn’t.
- Concert film (full show), Long-form music film and Documentary — the long-form kinds, for videos over 20 minutes.
The kind also sets the version stores show, such as Lyric Video or Live, so you don’t type it yourself.
YouTube
YouTube isn’t one of the music video stores above. On YouTube your videos run through your own channel, your Official Artist Channel and Content ID.
Common questions
- Which stores receive music videos?
- Apple Music, Amazon Music and TIDAL. On YouTube, videos run through your own channel, your Official Artist Channel and Content ID.
- Does the video need its own ISRC?
- Yes. A video has its own ISRC, never the song's. Leave the field empty and HILLS Music assigns one at approval.
- Which video file should I upload?
- Ideally Apple ProRes 422 HQ in a MOV, 1920 × 1080 or 4K, with stereo PCM audio at 48 kHz. H.264 or HEVC masters are accepted too, with a warning that Apple Music prefers ProRes.