The short answer: artists cannot upload directly to Yandex Music, a major Russian streaming service. You provide audio, cover art, metadata, and proof of rights to a distributor. After internal review, the distributor delivers your release to the catalog. Our Yandex Music distribution page covers release terms and pricing.
No direct uploads: how Yandex’s distribution model works
There is no artist upload button on Yandex Music’s website, and there never has been. Its official guidance says that labels, distributors, and artists managing their own rights can use distribution partners. Yandex contracts with a distributor for a catalog rather than with an individual artist for one track; that catalog is then updated automatically.
Yandex’s official partner list for artists includes Electronic Music Distribution, FreshTunes, Multiza, MusicAlligator, and TuneCore, with additional companies serving labels. creator follows the same delivery model: collecting releases from artists and labels and sending them to platforms in batches.
Step 1. Register and choose a plan
Create an account at creatormusic.ru and compare plans. Start at ₽549/month, Pro at ₽800/month, and Label at ₽1,290/month differ in the royalty share you keep and the tools included, such as pitching and expanded analytics. All plans provide the same platform coverage: 70+ platforms, including Yandex Music, VK Music, Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, TikTok, and YouTube Music.
Step 2. Prepare the files
Yandex Music’s public support pages do not provide a detailed audio specification covering codecs, bit depth, and sample rate. That does not mean any file will do: your distributor sets the submission requirements. The common standard followed by most distributors, including creator, is WAV at 16 or 24 bits and at least 44.1 kHz, without MP3 compression.
There is also no publicly available official Yandex release-cover specification listing exact dimensions. Common distributor practice is square artwork at least 3000×3000 pixels, without borders, blur, third-party logos or characters, or text other than the artist and release names. The same artwork should not be reused for different releases.
Artist profile photos have separate, officially documented support requirements: a portrait-oriented photo of a real person, at least 1000×1345 pixels, in JPEG or PNG. It must not include cigarettes, alcohol, erotic or aggressive content, brand advertising, or watermarks. A profile video cover must be no larger than 5 MB and show only the artist.
Metadata that needs particular care
- Use exactly the same artist name on every release. Even a space or capitalization difference can sometimes cause a platform to create a duplicate profile.
- Genre and track language are not formalities: they influence which listening contexts and selections may suit your music.
- If you plan to pitch to editorial playlists, your release date must still be in the future when the distributor confirms delivery.
- WAV without MP3 compression
- Square 3000×3000 cover art
- A consistent artist name
- Correct songwriter and rights-holder credits
- A release date with time to spare
- Confirmed rights to the music
Step 3. Review and platform availability
Yandex does not publish a fixed review turnaround. One indirect guide is BandLink pitching access, which opens 2–4 days after a distributor confirms the release in Yandex Music. By then, the track has been checked and is live or scheduled. In practice, allow at least 5–7 days, with extra time if possible, for distributor review and platform processing, especially if you want to pitch. These are planning estimates, not guaranteed publication deadlines.
Step 4. Your artist profile is created automatically
You do not need a separate registration or identity claim to create a Yandex Music artist profile. It appears automatically when your first release goes live under your artist name. Before that, there is no profile.
Managing it—changing photos, your bio, and social links—requires a verified BandLink account. BandLink is Yandex’s artist service. Verification is available on the desktop web version of its Russian-language site, for artists and their managers. Provide your real first and last name, an email matching your official artist website or social page, and your role. You can verify through VK ID, VK’s sign-in service. You may also need your official website, if you have one, and the UPC of your latest solo release, available in your creator dashboard.
Verification unlocks BandLink’s Analytics section. Statistics update once a day, with the previous day’s data available after 8 p.m. Moscow time. Filters cover a day, week, 28 days, or year. You also gain access to a Donations button, an Upcoming section on your profile, and a tool for finding your tracks in other people’s playlists.
Yandex editorial playlist pitches are submitted through a verified artist account in BandLink, rather than directly from a distributor’s dashboard.
What comes next: My Vibe and playlists
Yandex Music’s recommendation system uses the ARGUS model. It analyzes a listener’s longer history, finds less obvious connections between listening habits, and adjusts recommendations in real time rather than relying only on a long-term profile. Likes, skips, and library adds influence track order. Yandex keeps the exact weighting private, but has confirmed the general principle: positive listener responses improve a track’s chances of being recommended.
My Vibe—the service’s personalized music stream—is a key discovery channel for a new artist without an established audience. Tracks can reach it through genuine listening and completed plays without editorial pitching. Our separate Yandex Music editorial playlist guide explains how pitching works and where to submit.
Pricing and what you receive
| Plan | Price | Your royalty share |
|---|---|---|
| Start | ₽549/month (₽5,490/year) | 80% |
| Pro | ₽800/month (₽7,500/year) | 90% |
| Label | ₽1,290/month (₽11,490/year) | 95% |
Internal review usually takes up to 2–3 business days. Once approved, the release is delivered to your selected platforms without further action from you. Each platform then determines its own review and publication timeline.
Start your release
Yandex Music uses distributor delivery, including for major labels. Prepare your files, submit them for review, and allow time for processing. Your artist profile will appear after your first release; managing it and viewing analytics require separate BandLink verification. You can start at creatormusic.ru.
Check the result after delivery
Open the direct release link and artist profile on each platform that matters to you. If the recording is missing, follow our delivery, release-date, and territory checklist. If it appears under another artist with the same name, use our artist profile correction guide. Do not submit a duplicate before identifying the cause.