A bit of clarification...I use FLAC for the reasons stated (lossless, smaller files, etc.)

And when/if you wish to submit your files to Soundcloud, they accept FLAC files.

And when/if you submit your files for distribution to streaming services like Spotify, Apple, etc. your distributor (CD Baby, DistroKid, Landr, etc.) will also accept FLAC files.

If you use an OS that does not support FLAC, you may prefer a different format that your system supports!

Originally Posted by Google
When you upload your FLAC files to a music distribution service (like DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, or UnitedMasters), they automatically transcode your masters into the exact audio formats required by individual storefronts, including Apple Music and the iTunes Store. Platforms process your uploaded files into:

- AAC (Advanced Audio Coding): This is the lossy, compressed format Apple Music and iTunes use for standard streaming and downloads (typically 256 kbps).

- Apple Lossless (ALAC): If you deliver 24-bit FLAC files, distributors will often preserve the hi-res lossless quality by encoding them into Apple's native lossless format.

You do not need to convert your FLAC files to an Apple format before uploading. Simply upload your high-quality FLAC masters directly to your distributor, and their servers will handle all the necessary format conversions for Apple's ecosystem.