Delivering motion artwork through your distributor
You cannot upload motion artwork to Apple Music yourself. Which distributors deliver it, what DistroKid and TuneCore publish, and the rules that get a file rejected.
This is the question almost nobody answers. Motion artwork is delivered to Apple with the release, not added in a player afterwards, so whether you can have it at all depends entirely on your distributor. Apple says so itself: work with your distributor to deliver the artwork. See the motion artwork specs for what the files have to be.
Which distributors deliver motion artwork?
| Distributor | Delivers Apple motion art? | What they publish |
|---|---|---|
| UnitedMasters | Yes | SELECT and PARTNER artists only. Their team delivers it for you, and they cap changes at three a year |
| Symphonic | Yes | Published guidelines and a submission route, with a warning that Apple's curation team can reject a file |
| Too Lost | Yes | Uploaded directly in their uploader, which validates duration, frame rate, codec and colour space before it goes |
| Roc Nation Distribution | Yes | A published motion artwork guide with Apple's full deliverable list |
| Identity Music | Yes | A dedicated motion artwork article |
| EmuBands | Yes | Offered as a paid add-on per release |
| DistroKid | Nothing published | No motion art article in their help centre. Their only looping-video guidance is for Spotify Canvas |
| TuneCore | Nothing published | No motion art article in their help centre |
Why does every guide give a different length?
Because they were written at different times and none of them say so. Symphonic's page still says 8 to 20 seconds, Roc Nation's says 15 to 35, and Apple's current guidelines say 8 to 35 seconds. A loop of 15 to 20 seconds satisfies all three at once, which is the safe place to build if you do not yet know where the file is going.
The rules that get a file bounced
- The two files must be the SAME length. UnitedMasters and Symphonic both state it outright, and a mismatch stops the delivery rather than the release
- Frame rate must be 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97 or 30 fps. A 60 fps export is rejected, and 60 is the default in most tools
- Deliver a true 3:4 file, not a square one cropped down. Roc Nation calls this out specifically
- No audio track at all, even a silent one. Disable audio on export
- The first frame must match the static cover, because that is what a listener sees before the loop starts
- The motion stays on the cover. No cuts to other images, no fades at the loop point
LimePulse exports both frames from one project at once, so they are the same length and the same design by construction, at 30 fps, with no audio track. Build it in Motion, the Apple Music motion art studio.
When does motion artwork go live?
On the release date, or the pre-order date if there is one, because it travels with the release. That is why distributors ask for it well before release day rather than after. Artwork supplied once a release is already live usually has to be delivered again as an update.
Common questions
Does DistroKid support Apple Music motion art?
DistroKid publishes nothing about it. Their help centre has no motion art article, and their only looping-video guidance covers Spotify Canvas, which you upload yourself in Spotify for Artists. Ask their support directly before assuming either way.
Can I upload motion artwork in Apple Music for Artists?
No. There is no upload there for it, which is why the question keeps being asked and never answered. It goes through your distributor with the release.
Do I have to supply both files?
Yes. The square 3840 by 3840 and the portrait 2048 by 2732 are a pair, and UnitedMasters states plainly that delivering only one is not permitted.
Can I change or remove motion artwork later?
Changing it means a redelivery through your distributor, and some cap how often: UnitedMasters allows three changes a year. Too Lost warns that once motion art is delivered to Apple Music it cannot be removed, so treat the first delivery as the real one.
Does it cost extra?
It depends on the distributor rather than on Apple. Some deliver it as part of what you already pay, some charge per release. Making the files costs nothing on the Creator plan, where renders are unlimited. See plans and pricing.
Can I put motion art on a single, or only an album?
Either. Apple calls it album motion because it sits on the album page, and a single has an album page too.
What about my artist page, not the album?
Artist page motion is a separate Apple asset and is generally not deliverable through a distributor, which is a common source of confusion when a distributor says yes and the animation never appears on the profile.
Related
- Motion artwork specs for Apple Music
- Animated cover art is not showing
- How to make Apple Music motion art
Last updated 2026-09-15
LimePulse is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by Spotify AB or Apple Inc. Product names are used only to describe what the software makes files for.