How to Release a Sped Up or Slowed Version of Your Own Song

Is your song going around on TikTok in a sped up version? Or does your track actually sound even better slow and drenched in reverb? Then you can release an official version of it. Big artists do it too: SZA released a sped up version of Kill Bill and Miguel did it with Sure Thing (The Ringer). Here is how to do it properly.

This is about your own songs. Want to do something with someone else's song? Read can you upload slowed + reverb songs.

Why an official version?

  • People can find it. Anyone who hears the sped up version on TikTok looks it up on Spotify. If it is not there, they listen to something else.
  • It becomes a sound in the app. Many distributors deliver your release to TikTok and Instagram. Then other people can put your version under their videos.
  • The streams go to you. Instead of to an account that sped up your song without permission.

Step 1: make the version

Make your sped up or slowed version from the master, not from an MP3. The free slowed + reverb maker gives you a WAV. Prefer your DAW? See the steps for FL Studio, Logic Pro and Ableton Live. Which speed to pick is covered in how to make a sped up song.

Then check your loudness. A slowed version with lots of reverb can sound different from your original. The free master checker measures the LUFS and true peak of both versions.

Step 2: its own ISRC

Every recording gets an ISRC, a unique code. A sped up or slowed version almost always needs its own code. The IFPI ISRC Handbook says a version whose length differs by more than 10 seconds, for example because of a speed change, gets a new ISRC. A remix gets a new code too. The US ISRC Agency lists the same rule and adds that an ISRC must never be reused.

Quick example: a 3:00 song at 1.25× lasts 2:24. That is 36 seconds shorter, so a new ISRC. Your distributor usually creates one automatically. DistroKid does that for every upload unless you enter your own. More on the codes in ISRC and UPC explained.

Step 3: the right title

Put the version in brackets after the title, not in the artist name. The Apple Music Style Guide lists Sped Up, Slowed Down, Lo-Fi and TikTok Version as version terms, written out in full and in parentheses. Apple also notes that Sped Up is not accepted as an artist name.

  • Good: Your Title (Sped Up)
  • Good: Your Title (Slowed Down)
  • Avoid: Sped Up as the artist name, or putting the version only on the cover

Spotify's metadata style guide has no specific rule for sped up, but it uses the same idea: version information tells the versions apart, and the original gets nothing added. On DistroKid you fill this in through the version field for your track.

Step 4: one release or separate?

A handy approach is one single with the original and the versions. According to Spotify, a release with the same track in different versions counts as a Single, unless you mark it as an EP. On DistroKid a single is 1 to 3 tracks (source). Original, sped up and slowed fits exactly.

What not to do: upload the same audio again with a slightly different title. Spotify, Apple and distributors like CD Baby treat that as duplicate content and can reject or hide it. A sped up version really is different, so that is fine, as long as you label it as a version.

Step 5: a leased beat? Check your licence

If you rap or sing on a leased beat, read your licence first. Terms differ per producer, including the number of streams or releases you are allowed. Whether a sped up version counts as a separate song is not the same everywhere. If in doubt, ask the producer before you upload. Also read which beat licence you need for Spotify and YouTube.

Also watch out for Content ID on YouTube. YouTube does not accept content you licensed non-exclusively, and distributors like DistroKid and TuneCore exclude beats that are not yours from Content ID. How a claim works is explained in Content ID claim on a beat.

Step 6: timing and promotion

FAQ

Does a sped up version need a new ISRC?

Almost always. According to the IFPI handbook, a version whose length differs by more than 10 seconds gets a new ISRC. With a normal sped up or slowed version that is nearly always the case.

What should I call my sped up version?

Your Title (Sped Up) or Your Title (Slowed Down). Put the version in the title, never in the artist name.

Can I release a sped up version of a remix or cover?

Only if you hold the rights to the original. Read can you upload slowed + reverb songs.

This is not legal advice. Platform and distributor rules can change, so always check the current terms of your distributor.

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