Premium tracks: The complete guide
Before uploading premium tracks, make sure they adhere to Insight Timer's Guidelines for Teachers. Premium Tracks are high-quality audio offerings—guided meditations, music, talks, podcasts, or poems—that require studio-level audio quality and professional images. See "Wake Up Call to Your Soul" by Darius Bashar as an example of a premium track done right.
What are premium tracks?
Premium Tracks are exclusive to MemberPlus subscribers. Insight Timer generates revenue through subscriptions, and a significant portion goes directly to teachers. The more MemberPlus members we have, the more revenue available to support teacher income. This is why we focus on exceptional premium content that justifies the subscription and why premium tracks weight more significantly in the revenue split than free tracks.
Free vs. Premium: What's the difference?
Free Tracks are accessible to everyone. Premium Tracks are exclusive to MemberPlus subscribers. Both require good audio quality, but Premium Tracks demand studio-level sound. Premium tracks also generate higher revenue per play for teachers.
Prerequisites and requirements
Before you can upload premium content
- You must have at least 2 Free Tracks published to unlock Premium content
- You must own the copyright to all audio, images, music, and background music—or the material must be royalty-free and in the public domain
- You must have relevant qualifications, accreditations, or expertise for your topic (proof required for specialized categories)
Trademarked practices and specialized topics
If you're covering a specialized category or using trademarked practices or terms—including MBSR, ACT, Neuroscience, Psychology, Wim Hof Method, Transcendental Meditation, ACIM, Max Meditation System, Goenka, Deepak Chopra, Dr. Joe Dispenza, Alan Watts, SOMA meditation, Carl Jung, Silva Method, OSHO, or similar—you'll need to provide proof of accreditation or certification.
Common questions about premium uploads
Is there a minimum number of tracks I can upload?
No. Upload as many or as few as you like. The more frequently you share quality content, the better your audience grows.
Can I convert a free track to premium?
No. If you've published a track as free, you can't republish it as premium—even with edits. We encourage you to create new high-quality content for your premium offering. This keeps your audience seeing fresh, valuable material.
Can I publish the same track as both free and premium?
No. A track can't be available as both free and premium at the same time, even if you change the title, description, audio quality, or length. Premium subscribers need to see exclusive, unique content.
Can I use the same track across multiple publisher accounts?
No. Each track can only be published under one publisher account. Publishing the same track under multiple accounts is considered duplication and violates our guidelines.
Can I publish my course lessons as individual tracks?
No. If you've published lessons as part of a course, you can't also publish them individually as Free or Premium Tracks. You can only publish them one way. If you'd like to convert published course lessons to individual tracks, contact publishers@insighttimer.com so we can help you unpublish the course properly.
What if I accidentally published a premium track as free?
Contact our Publishing Team within 48 hours at publishers@insighttimer.com, and we'll help you fix it.
Technical requirements for premium tracks
Audio format and quality
- File format: MP3 (studio quality required)
- Bitrate: Minimum 192 kbps
- Sample rate: 44.1 kHz or higher
- No background noise, page flipping, objects, dogs, voices, or other distracting sounds
- Professional, clean audio throughout
Since premium offerings are paid products, users are especially discerning of audio quality. Good audio leads to better ratings, reviews, and income.
Image specifications
The image you choose plays an essential role in attracting listeners. Make sure your images meet our Image Requirements—high-resolution, professional, and relevant to your content.
Audio snippet
Provide a 30-second preview showcasing the most memorable part of your track. This preview is visible to everyone and helps people decide to listen and unlocks the chance for more plays and income. For non-music tracks, start your preview with your voice—no silence, pauses, or background music-only openings.
Step-by-step upload instructions
Step 1: Fill in details
Title: Use proper capitalization. Keep titles succinct and clear. Avoid redundancy and don't include your name. Use titles like "Anxiety Relief" or "Managing Anxiety" instead of "Guided Meditation for Anxiety by Joseph Woods."
Description: Write in paragraph form, proper sentence case, without special characters or emojis. No links, contact info, social media, or promotional content. Keep descriptions between 200–1,000 characters. The more information, the better your discoverability. Credit contributors, collaborators, and influences by mentioning their full names.
Audio: Upload your studio-quality MP3 file. Make sure there are no distracting background noises.
Step 2: Verify copyright
Confirm that you own the copyright to all content—audio, images, music, background music—or that it's royalty-free and in the public domain. We take copyright very seriously.
Step 3: Categorize your content
Proper categorization boosts discoverability and ensures your track reaches the right audience—people primed to listen and likely to enjoy it.
Credentials and Qualifications
Before recording a Premium Track, please make sure that you have the relevant qualifications, accreditations, or expertise, where applicable to support the topic that you will be covering.
Please note that proof of accreditation will be mandatory if you select a specialized category, and/or use trademarked practices or terms, such as, but not limited to, Neuroscience, Psychology, MBSR, ACT, the Wim Hof Method, Transcendental Meditation, ACIM, Max Meditation System, Goenka, Deepak Chopra, Dr. Joe Dispenza, Alan Watts, SOMA meditation, Carl Jung, José Silva (Silva Method), OSHO, or similar disciplines.
Step 4: Review and submit
Have a final look at all your details. Choose whether to schedule publication or have it go live immediately after approval. Click Submit to send your track for review.
Review and approval
Our editorial team reviews all Premium Track submissions to ensure they meet our quality standards. We evaluate audio quality, image resolution, content accuracy, and compliance with our teacher guidelines. Approved tracks go live immediately. If revisions are needed, we'll provide detailed feedback and a deadline to resubmit. Tracks that don't meet standards will be rejected with explanation.
Check your inbox regularly—including spam and junk folders—for notifications about your submission status.
Copyright and ownership
You must own or have rights to all content you upload, or the material must be royalty-free and in the public domain. This includes audio, images, and any background music. We take copyright violations very seriously and reserve the right to remove content that violates these policies.
Key reminders
In summary, a successful Premium Track must be:
- Completely new to Insight Timer (not a repurposed free track)
- Studio-quality audio with no background noise
- Professional images meeting our specifications
- Properly titled, described, and categorized
- Copyrighted entirely by you or royalty-free
- Published under only one publisher account
- Exclusive to Premium Tracks (not also published as a course lesson)
Get support
If you have questions about requirements, the upload process, or copyright issues, contact publishers@insighttimer.com. If you see content that violates our guidelines, let us know. We want to keep Insight Timer a high-quality platform for premium subscribers and teachers alike.