Fresh Tunes has a lot of potential but they need stronger features to support the amazing fact that they do not charge any fees. 2020 has been rough for CD Baby (from the artist’s point of view). You have to wait for three months to see your sales report. This is very unfortunate because the platform seems very promising and forward thinking. Tens of thousands of songs disappeared from the platform. For transparency, everyone I have worked with at AWAL has been awesome. Also, the next decade will be heavily focused around Asia. Steve told me that “mobile phones changed everything” in India and China. Stem is investment backed – meaning that their business model hasn’t been profitable until recently. CD Baby is still one of the mainstays in independent music distribution and for good reason: they have a proven track record and continue to set the bar in many areas of music distribution. I checked. This just means that Spotify has a financial interest in seeing DistroKid succeed and that their partnership is a bit deeper now. They have a lot to offer but their achilles heel is the fact that a lot of their offering relies on the average music listener coming to Reverbnation to enjoy your music. With Distrokid, you have to upgrade your account and pay more in order to use different artist names. That’s not to mention the stiff commissions they take on publishing royalties, sync licensing, and YouTube monetization. They would not be my first choice but I could see how they would be a good fit for many artists. CD Baby’s customer support and marketing director had been cagey about what was going on and no one could get a straight answer. DistroKid is still a totally independent company. Songtradr is an online platform that connects artists and producers to TV, film, video games, among other potential buyers of their music. Songcast is an interesting platform and I must give them a lot of praise as they have made a ton of strides to improve upon their service offering compared to what it was a few years ago. L. Laurent Haricot New Member. How do I license a song? It’s worth noting that they do have some pretty huge artists, namely. And a hybrid of the two. Songtradr offers several options for artists who wish to distribute their music to Spotify, Apple Music, and all major distribution outlets.. +How To Switch Distributors Without Losing Stream Counts or Playlists. That’s why I added it to the comparison chart. That is a pretty strong case for anyone who is looking to eliminate costs on music distribution and doesn’t want anyone getting a commission on their revenue. Similar to companies like AWAL, the companies listed below are considered invite only distributors and will not just work with any and every artist. And to support artists during the nightmare that is 2020, they are offering free distribution with 0% commission through the end of 2020. Festival, label, playlist, radio and audition submission opportunities, Great place to connect with other artists and learn from their successes. HOWEVER, I made super clear to these companies that their advertising does not influence my review AND I only allow companies I trust and support to advertise on Ari’s Take. And the company has now grown to nearly 300 employees in offices all over world including Argentina, Columbia, Mexico, Spain, Russia, Peru, Nigeria, Nashville, Atlanta, Miami, San Francisco, NYC, and 4 offices in Brazil. Contributing to this attention has been the large number of high-profile artists using their services – Frank Ocean, Childish Gambino, and Deadmau5, to name a few. If you are looking for a cheaper alternative on the market especially one that doesn’t take a commission on your music then Distrokid is a solid choice. Helping Artists Navigate The Music Industry . I do have to give a shoutout for their revenue advances feature which IS super innovative – where if your past releases have generated consistent revenue, TuneCore will advance you the money for future releases so you can have more of a budget up front for production and marketing. I do my best to stay up to date with everything and make sure that you are getting the most current and relevant information possible. If technology isn’t your thing then you will certainly thrive on Distrokid because it is made to be very easy to use. I have distributed 30 releases to date using a few of these services. DistroKid has a famously small team. By the sheer number of releases they distribute it is virtually impossible. The platform provides fully automated music licensingand presents the music to a worldwide marketplace. They’re successful because they are able to distribute their product line to the masses in an efficient and effective manor. They have since evolved and now offer a “Pro” version which costs $60/yr with many more features and now also have a desktop version of the service. Ability to make changes without re-uploading, Removal of music if you cant afford to pay, No instant verification on streaming profiles, Lacks strong marketing support, playlist plugging, etc, Try to upsell add-ons you usually don't require during upload, Opt-in to sync licensing for free with Standard and Pro releases, Many different physical distribution options, Payouts made weekly with only a $10 threshold, Artists keep 91% of earnings from sales on CD Baby’s music store, Cover song licensing is only available for singles, Territory opt-out has to be requested manually. Given their approach to charging you based on the number of stores you decide to distribute to, you might be able to save some money if you opt for the right package. All in all, even though Ditto has a great marketing department (for the company – not their artists) and even though they have rapidly expanded to two countries with multiple offices and even though there are very good people who work at Ditto, I cannot recommend their service. A great article from Heroic Academy, that you can read here, goes into more detail on these types of distributors. Although somewhat overwhelming at times, we’ve got your back and are happy to help guide you through the crazy sea of music distribution. We want to repeat that there is no cookie cutter solution for every artist out there and you will need to do your own due diligence to determine the company that is right for you. The September 2020 reports in artists’ CD Baby account will reflect the fluctuating rate. In the end, RouteNote is a great distribution company for getting your music out there to the world. Now, they were popular material via an administrative paypal account. Thus allowing you to send them your music releases and then they go to work with all the behind the scenes and administrative work to get your music up and live on the likes of Spotify, Apple and the hundreds of other stores. Soundrop is definitely for someone on a tight budget who does not want to deal with distribution or yearly fees. It’s not just about ‘where am I going to tour.’ Sure, that’s a factor. They have struck partnerships with seemingly every company in the music industry with their one-click mastering service. They’re very easy to use, detailed and helpful. This is useful if you are unsure of how much money you will earn with your music. I suppose that with CD Baby, as you pay per album distributed, it probably wouldn't make a difference (please correct me if I'm wrong on this). When it comes to finding a company to distribute your music, you may fall on either end of the spectrum but it’s my hope to help you make the best decision possible when it comes to finding the right music distribution company for you and your music career. Also, If you are really focused on monetizing your YouTube videos then TuneCore has a feature to help you do just that. In the same way, they do not offer you any services to help you collect royalties from radio airplay, sync licensing, or other similar scenarios. If we see something happening, we can give you funding the next day. Soundrop was created when CD Baby took over Loudr’s distribution service back in 2017 when Loudr got out of distribution (and then was acquired by Spotify). Remember what I said about the culture and ethos of a company? If you are on a budget this can be very helpful. At the end of the day 20% of $0 is nothing to write home about. No investors, no board of directors. However, not only do you have to account for submission fees, they also take a commission off of your sales. There’s a lot to be said about the people and culture at a company. Winners of these contests get flown out to NYC for various promotional opportunities. At the end of the day, Songcast does a lot of things well but do not exceed expectations in my personal opinion. Like Stem, it had payment splitting from the very start. I'd rather keep struggling instead of doing things the easy way. You can’t ask Symphonic and DistroKid to distribute the same song to all the stores, then that same song would be listed in Spotify, Apple Music and everywhere else TWICE. The Orchard is owned by Sony and INgrooves is owned by Universal. If you do any sort of collaboration with your music where you’d like to share your earnings, then Stem is definitely worth a look. And to offer not just distribution, but ‘label services’ for their top-line artists. Like, I paid $20K for my new album. However, with the fierce competition within the music distribution industry, you now have companies introducing models that charge no fees and take zero commissions. However, when you begin to understand what kind of car you want and what your uses for that car might be, then you begin to have a better idea of where you should be shopping. Now to SongTradr -- 1 year, originally in the free version but now paying $7.99 per month, and in that year I've had 44 (yes forty-four) licenses and counting, with another 20+ in the pipeline awaiting supervisor approval. They do all the dirty work for you because they have made the relationships and connections already. EmuBands is another flat fee distributor that only charges a one time fee for each of your individual releases. DistroKid is very data focused with no bells and whistles. I spoke with Andrew Rudetskih and Alexandra (Sasha) Aleksandrova out of Moscow to get a better handle on their service back in 2018. See, Spotify has about 800 different rates per stream. Kobalt acquired AWAL in 2012 to be able to integrate their tech-first, transparent reporting, disruption philosophy in the distribution space. It lacks some of the high-end features of larger distribution companies, but they make up for this with the flexibility that they provide in their plan options. At the end of the day, they do a great job of delivering on the services and capabilities that they currently have. This is certainly something that a lot of artists could benefit from. Make sense? To be clear, CD Baby wasn’t keeping any extra money than their standard 9% commission. And if you start to catch, the A&R team at ONErpm may offer you a record deal – with an advance, marketing budget and the weight of the company behind you. Their distribution is limited to only the top, most-used platforms, while the smaller, more niche platforms are overlooked. The difference is between the recording and the composition. In fact, I haven't received so much as a phone call or e-mail from an interested party (cue the crickets). In very simple terms, they help bridge the gap between you and the major streaming and download platforms out there. Their list of distribution channels however does not match the reach of some of their bigger competitors. Symphonic now has a lot more services other than just straight distribution. By the sheer number of releases they distribute it is virtually impossible. So there’s that. who they helped get a top 40 hit. This is because we find their overall features to be on the limited side. They have a successful distribution arm of their company now and I’ve heard great things. Of course, all these features come at a cost. You don’t have to have millions of followers, but they are looking for artists with a following. One of the key benefits of using ONErpm aside from distribution is that they do not charge you any fees to distribute your music. They are both musicians with a lot of experience in the sync space. It’s meant to simplify distribution for a very specific kind of creator. They have in house sync agents and a robust music library searching system. If your music is earning you revenue and you need a fat upfront check (like an advance) there are royalty advance services out there like The Music Fund that can help you with the capital. Having more platforms is not always beneficial if you don’t intend to release your music on a worldwide scale. Philip (known as @pud by the Silicon Valley community) was once on the cover of Inc. and Fast Company magazines for his early 2000s blog F*cked Company. If you are sure you will be making a lot of money from your music then this will impact how you approach the question of which distributor to use. They launched their distribution arm in June 2018. If you are looking for a quick and straightforward solution to get your music distributed to the main platforms in the industry, then Soundrop is a solid option. Since you have to be accepted into AWAL, make sure to understand exactly what they are looking for in an artist. The company was founded in 2014by Paul Wiltshire who is the company’s current CEO. After all, the worst thing they can say is no. Beyond goofy. Label-like services for high performing artists. Routenote is also very strong in terms of the number of partnerships they have, allowing them to distribute your music across the world. While Songtradr is first-and-foremost a sync licensing platform, they do have a noteworthy distribution offering. If you are sick of people with their hands in your pockets trying to take a piece of the pie and you are able to embrace technology then Amuse just might be the right fit for you. Can I use Songtradr if my music is already on Spotify or Apple Music? CD Baby charges artists a one-time fee for distribution, where as DistroKid offers a subscription model. And yes, for most of 2019 – 2020, CD Baby paid artists the same amount for a US stream as an India stream – no matter the listeners plan level. According to Tech Crunch, ” SoundCloud is adding its own music distribution tools to its premium accounts aimed at artists with, SoundCloud Pro and SoundCloud Pro Unlimited. To clarify, Kobalt is a publishing company collecting publishing (songwriter) royalties for songwriters. CD Baby has been around the longest. RouteNote is one of the first distributors to reach all of the Chinese outlets in addition to India, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Australia (with 193 total countries). Landr is a strong platform for mastering services and are making headway on the distribution side of things. While Songtradr is first-and-foremost a sync licensing platform, they do have a noteworthy distribution offering. Ditto Music is one of the companies that threatened to sue me. feature which IS super innovative – where if your past releases have generated consistent revenue, TuneCore will advance you the money for future releases so you can have more of a budget up front for production and marketing. How to Livestream for Musicians with the #1 Musician on Periscope... Paradigm Fired Them So They Started a New Booking Agency With... Former Major Label Executive is Creating a New Investment Model, Teespring vs. Printify vs. Gooten vs. Printful vs. Teelaunch: Best Print On-Demand Merch Companies for Musicians, CD Baby, TuneCore, DistroKid, AWAL, UnitedMasters…Who is the Best Digital Distribution Company for Music, How to Livestream for Musicians with the #1 Musician on Periscope – Clare Means, Audrey Nuna’s Path to a Major Label Deal with Her Manager/Producer Anwar Sawyer, Paradigm Fired Them So They Started a New Booking Agency With an Impressive Roster. UnitedMasters was founded by industry big wig Steve Stoute. While they seem like the cheaper option at $19.99 per year for unlimited distribution, this option does not grant you some important features like determining your release dates, something you will have to pay extra for. Although a lot of these features are great, most artists may not be able to sustain them long term unless they plan for it financially. They boast a very high playlist plugging success rate and every client gets a dedicated project manager. DistroKid was the first distributor to offer unlimited distribution for one annual fee and DK has been continuing to push innovation and challenge the industry ever since. Now, their backend analytics are ok. And their app is actually beautiful, intuitive and a very nice overview of Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube real-time stats. It’s hilarious. The music industry, especially music publishing, is full of acronyms - ASCAP, BMI, IPI and DSP are just a few. ONErpm launched in 2010 by Emmanuel Zunz without any investor money. Well, the co-CEO Lee Parsons did, for asking a question about royalty collection. It’s a great start, and hopefully the kinks will be worked out soon. As a company built on a tech-first (digital) philosophy, Kobalt boasts that it pays twice as fast (and finds more money – sometimes 30% more) than the major publishing companies. So this is structured like that. Can I Still Use Songtrust? For only $4.99 a month you can upload unlimited music to 200+ stores and keep 100% of your earnings. And Believe, a French company, owns TuneCore. Although they do not take a commission on your music, you will still need to have some disposable income to pay for your mastering or distribution fees. Genre classification is import a nt for music distribution platforms (CD Baby, Distrokid, and Songtradr are some you may be familiar with). In the end, Songtradr seems most appealing to an artist who is actively seeking out licensing and sync deals for their music. Just one page to distribute your song or album. HOWEVER, I made super clear to these companies that their advertising does not influence my review AND I only allow companies I trust and support to advertise on Ari’s Take. Just four folks who love what we do. Spinnup is a distributor that was started in Sweden and now has offices in London, Germany and France. It’s completely unprofessional and I f*cking love it for that. So for the past few months we at Ari’s Take have been learning everything we could about these 19 companies. Beyond goofy. However I also think that you work very hard on your music and as you grow the more people will come looking for their piece of the pie. The difference is that they seem to have better revenue and analytics reports + are a buck cheaper than Distrokid. While this is quite steep in my opinion, the bright side is that you get to keep 100% of your commissions. *SPD stands for “Spotify Preferred Distributor” and is a title given to select companies that Spotify feels meets their standards the best. Or are they running to Spotify and iTunes? From what we have seen they really seem to be making an investment in the artist. A lot has changed since I posted my first digital distribution comparison article 7 years ago. We’re here to help you with the research aspect of all the companies out there because there is a lot and it can be difficult to find the time to understand what everyone has to offer and if they’re legit. You will either have to apply to their platforms or they will seek you out and offer you a distribution deal. That’s why I added it to the comparison chart. With its remaining clients, Stem has a good reputation. They have a lot to offer but their achilles heel is the fact that a lot of their offering relies on the average music listener coming to Reverbnation to enjoy your music. In the end, it really depends on your needs whether or not CD Baby is the best option for you. It’s under the Universal Music Group (UMG) arm and is meant to discover emerging talent to potentially ‘upstream’ to UMG. Just keep in mind that not all AWAL members are offered these services. No personality or life. There is no one way to make it in the New Music Business. Stem is run by CEO and co-founder Milana Rabkin. DistroKid is the easiest way for musicians to get music into Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, Tidal, TikTok, YouTube, and more. They now don’t offer a standard terms and conditions like the majority of the other distributors on this comparison, but negotiate every deal separately. 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