Spotify does not accept direct uploads from artists — all delivery happens through a distributor, with Spotify maintaining specific quality and anti-infringement standards for that delivery.
4.2.1 Why distribution is required
Spotify's own artist support documentation states this directly: artists work with a distributor to get music onto Spotify. Spotify maintains a list of preferred and recommended distributors that meet its highest standards for metadata quality and anti-infringement measures.
4.2.2 Technical and metadata standards
See 2.1 for Spotify's specific audio requirements (FLAC preferred, WAV accepted, no MP3), 2.2 for cover art specifications, and 2.3–2.9 for naming and crediting rules — Spotify's metadata guide diverges from Apple's in several specific, documented ways covered throughout Section 2.
4.2.3 Artist profile claiming
Once a release is live, the associated artist profile can be claimed and managed through Spotify for Artists — see 4.3 for verification and access details.
Source: MadDesk article 4.2 (4-2)