Album Cover Size Guide for Spotify, Apple Music & More

Short answer: the correct album cover size for every major streaming platform in 2026 is 3000 x 3000 pixels, square (1:1 aspect ratio), JPEG or PNG, sRGB color profile, under 10 MB. That single file clears Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, Bandcamp, YouTube Music, Tidal, Amazon Music, Deezer, and every major distributor including DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, and AWAL. The per-platform breakdown, exact pixel minimums, and the seven things that get covers rejected at distribution are below.

Every distributor has a slightly different stated "minimum" album cover dimension, and the moment you guess wrong your release gets bounced. This is the current reference, last verified May 2026.

The short answer in one line

Export your album cover at 3000 x 3000 pixels, JPEG or PNG, sRGB color profile, under 10 MB. That single file is accepted by every major distributor and platform on this list. If you only do one thing, do that.

Per-platform specs

Spotify

Recommended: 3000 x 3000 px, square (1:1)
Minimum: 640 x 640 px
Format: JPEG or PNG
Color: sRGB
File size: Under 10 MB
Notes: Spotify recompresses your art to JPEG for delivery, so very high-frequency detail will smear. No web URLs, no copyrighted imagery you do not own.

Apple Music

Recommended: 3000 x 3000 px, square (1:1)
Minimum: 1400 x 1400 px (will be rejected below this)
Format: JPEG, PNG, or TIFF (uncompressed)
Color: RGB, ideally sRGB
File size: Up to 10 MB
Notes: Apple is the strictest reviewer. No social handles, no website URLs, no contact info on the artwork itself. Misspelled artist or title text is grounds for rejection.

SoundCloud

Recommended: 1500 x 1500 px (track artwork can go up to 2000 x 2000)
Minimum: 800 x 800 px
Format: JPEG or PNG
File size: Up to 5 MB
Notes: SoundCloud allows banner imagery as well, so you can pair the square cover with a 2480 x 520 banner.

Bandcamp

Recommended: 1400 x 1400 px or larger, square
Minimum: 1400 x 1400 px
Format: JPEG or PNG
File size: Up to 10 MB
Notes: Bandcamp displays art larger than any other platform on its release pages. If you have a high-resolution master, upload it.

YouTube Music

Recommended: 3000 x 3000 px, square
Minimum: 1400 x 1400 px
Format: JPEG or PNG
Color: sRGB
Notes: YouTube Music inherits art from your distributor. The video thumbnail for the auto-generated topic channel is created from this same square art.

Tidal

Recommended: 3000 x 3000 px
Minimum: 1400 x 1400 px
Format: JPEG, PNG, or TIFF
Color: RGB
Notes: Tidal shows art at very large sizes for HiFi subscribers, so push for the highest resolution your distributor allows.

Amazon Music

Recommended: 3000 x 3000 px
Minimum: 1500 x 1500 px
Format: JPEG (preferred) or PNG
Notes: Amazon Music for Artists requires the same square format. No additional artwork sizes.

Deezer

Recommended: 1400 x 1400 px or larger
Minimum: 1000 x 1000 px
Format: JPEG or PNG

DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, AWAL, EmuBands

These are distributors, not platforms. They all enforce a minimum of 1400 x 1400 px square JPEG or PNG, and most prefer 3000 x 3000 px. DistroKid will reject covers under 1400 x 1400 immediately at upload.

Single, EP, and album art are all the same

There is no separate "single artwork" spec at any major streaming platform. Singles, EPs, and full-length albums all use the same square format and the same minimum dimensions. The only thing that changes is what you call it inside your distributor.

What about vinyl, CD, and cassette?

Physical media is a different conversation. As a rule of thumb:

12-inch vinyl jacket: 12.375 x 12.375 inches at 300 DPI = 3713 x 3713 px, with a 0.125-inch bleed on every side.
CD jewel case insert: 4.75 x 4.75 inches at 300 DPI = 1425 x 1425 px, plus bleed.
Cassette J-card: 4 x 2.625 inches at 300 DPI = 1200 x 788 px, plus bleed.

Our generator outputs 1024 x 1024, which is plenty for streaming but may look soft printed at full vinyl size. For physical pressings, run the export through an upscaler like Topaz or Magnific to reach 1536 x 1536 or larger.

Common rejection reasons

Distributors reject art for the same handful of reasons every week. Avoid all of these:

Resolution under 1400 x 1400 px. Hard fail at most distributors.
Web URLs, social handles, or QR codes on the artwork. Apple and Spotify both reject this.
Misspellings of the artist name or title that do not match the metadata.
Generic placeholder text like "Album Title Here" left in by accident.
Logos you do not own. Brand logos, label logos you are not signed to, sports team marks. All bounce.
Borders that look like a frame. Several distributors flag this as low effort.
CMYK color profile. Streaming wants sRGB. CMYK gets rejected by Apple and Tidal.

A quick export checklist

Before you upload, check every line of this:

3000 x 3000 px square
JPEG or PNG
sRGB color profile
Under 10 MB
No URLs, social handles, QR codes, or other distributor-banned elements
Artist name spelled exactly as in your metadata
Title spelled exactly as in your metadata
Parental Advisory badge applied if the release is explicit

Pass that checklist and your release will not bounce on artwork.

Generate at the right size from the start

Our AI cover generator outputs square covers at 1024 x 1024 by default. That is enough for streaming, but you can upscale to 3000 x 3000 with any modern upscaler before submitting. If you need true 3000 x 3000 from the model, use the highest quality tier.

Frequently asked

What size should an album cover be in pixels?

3000 x 3000 pixels, square (1:1 aspect ratio), is the safe target for every major streaming platform and distributor in 2026. The hard floor is 1400 x 1400 pixels, which is the rejection threshold at Apple Music, DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, AWAL, and most other major distributors. Below 1400 x 1400 your upload bounces at submission.

What is the Spotify album cover size?

Spotify recommends 3000 x 3000 pixels, accepts down to 640 x 640, and recompresses every cover to JPEG for delivery. File must be JPEG or PNG, sRGB color profile, under 10 MB. Source: Spotify's official artwork guidelines.

What is the Apple Music album cover size?

3000 x 3000 pixels recommended, 1400 x 1400 pixels minimum (Apple is the strictest reviewer of any major platform). JPEG, PNG, or TIFF, RGB color profile. URLs, social handles, and contact info printed on the artwork are auto-rejected. Source: Apple Music's Style Guide.

What aspect ratio should album cover art be?

Square (1:1). Every major streaming platform displays cover art as a square thumbnail. Non-square uploads either get cropped to square automatically (sometimes badly) or get rejected at distributor review. There is no streaming platform in 2026 that displays album art in 16:9, 4:3, or any other ratio.

Is 1024 x 1024 enough for Spotify?

Yes for the file to upload, but no for it to look good. 1024 x 1024 is above Spotify's 640 x 640 minimum but well under the 3000 x 3000 recommendation, so the cover will look soft on tablet and desktop displays. Upscale to 3000 x 3000 before submitting.

What is the album cover size in inches for vinyl?

12.375 x 12.375 inches for a 12-inch LP jacket (with 0.125-inch bleed on every side), 7.375 x 7.375 inches for a 7-inch single sleeve, and 4.75 x 4.75 inches for a CD jewel-case insert. At 300 DPI that converts to roughly 3713 x 3713, 2213 x 2213, and 1425 x 1425 pixels respectively. Print needs more pixels than streaming.

Why does my album cover keep getting rejected?

Almost always one of seven things: under 1400 x 1400 pixels, web URLs or social handles printed on the art, misspelled artist or title text, logos you do not own, CMYK color profile, a watermark from a free AI tool, or a border that looks like a frame. The Common Rejection Reasons section above covers all seven.

Album Cover Sizes for Every Streaming Platform (2026)