The Best Music Distribution Services (2023)
Digital music distribution is a key component for your career as an artist because it’s how people will listen to and discover your music.
In this digital era of the music business , digital revenues make up a big part of an artists income while physical and the brick and mortar stores of the past are almost non existent.
Digital distributors or music distribution companies (sometimes physical) are basically the middlemen between you and all of the different channels that get your music to the world like digital streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and social media sites like TikTok and Instagram.
Although far from perfect, these companies are your distribution partners for your release. They are pretty important to you as an indie artist because music discovery plays a key role in your music promotion.
I’ll be upfront with you, there is no perfect digital distribution company or best distribution service. They all have their issues and everyones experience will be different.
Keep in mind that many of these companies distribute hundreds of thousands to millions of artists worldwide, you probably won’t be their top priority at first but you can’t let this stop you .
In today’s digital age, you have unprecedented opportunities to share your music with the world. The internet and social media have given you the ability to reach a global audience. You can’t really do this without a digital distributor.
The being considered, you still need to be flexible, adaptable and not get sidetracked by certain hiccups that occur in this business. The music distribution industry is no different that any other facet of the music industry.
In this blog post, I take a look at some of the best digital distribution companies available and show you how to get started with releasing your music.
What are the best digital music platforms to distribute your music?
United Masters
United Masters is one of the newer music distribution companies. Founded by music industry veteran Steve Stoute, this music distributor has quickly established itself as a favorite of indie artists.
Stoute was a music executive at Interscope A&M Records (owned by Universal Music Group) and in In 2017, Stoute received $70 million from investors such as Alphabet Inc. and Andreessen Horowitz to launch UnitedMasters, a music venture..
With it’s great marketing and user-friendly platform, it’s pretty easy to see why artists are choosing it as their distribution partner.
United Masters has 3 different tiers and the paid option allows you to keep 100% of your sales. The free account aThey are also known to pay pretty quickly compared to other music distribution companies and have many of the same services as a record label. There is also a free music distribution service option.
Key Features
Distribute to 35 digital platforms and major streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and social media sites like TikTok, Instagram, and more
App gives you ability to upload songs from your phone
Keep 100% of your earnings and cash out at anytime with SELECT (paid) plan
Ability to submit your music for sync placements and licensing opportunities
Release in as little as 2 business days
Pricing:
DEBUT is free to join and enables artists to release once per month. DEBUT artists keep 90% of their streaming royalties, while UnitedMasters takes a 10% commission.
SELECT is $59.99/year and gives artists unlimited distribution. SELECT artists keep 100% of their streaming royalties, meaning UnitedMasters does not take a commission. They offer a 14 day free trial for those of you who like to try before you buy.
PARTNER is an invite-only plan with customizable options and possible financing
What I like:
They offer a “free” plan but you will need $50 to cash out and they take 10% of earnings of your sales
They have incentives for independent artists who have a proven track record
As a partner you get specialized artist development packages
What I dislike:
Tools for accessing analytics as well as overall control over releases for free tier could be improved
Customer service can take some time to get back to you
Artists have complained about payout schedule
2. DistroKid:
DistroKid has been around for years and is considered one of the best music most popular distribution platform for independent artists due to its simplicity and affordability. They offer one of the cheapest paid plans out of all of the digital music distribution companies.
Artists retain 100% of their sales and have access to valuable features such as customizable release dates, YouTube Content ID, Spotify pre-save campaigns and a streaming royalties calculator for streaming revenue.
Although they do not offer free music distribution services, the most inexpensive plan is $22.99 which gives you the ability to upload unlimited songs and lyrics, a verified check on Spotify and a video art generator.
$39.99 gets you all of that plus you can customize your preorder and release date, your record label name and your Itunes pricing.
A huge perk is that they allow you to keep all of the revenue from your sales and streams. Keep in mind you will have to register with other agencies to collect your royalties.
I would definitely recommend the MusicianPlan plan for $39.99 because a few of these extras will make a big deal for your release.
For instance, if you are submitting your song for Spotify, you will need to have time to submit your song in advance for editors to review. You can’t do this with the basic musician plan.
Distrokid is known to have a very fast approval and upload time. Other distributors tend to take longer to get your music uploaded while Distrokid can get a song approved in a day.
Pricing:
Musician: $22.99/year gets you unlimited releases and other perks like a verified check on Spotify
Musician Plus: $39.99/year gives you everything the musician plan comes with plus customizable release date and record label name
Ultimate: $89/year is more for a small record label with services for 5-100 artists
Key Features:
Distributes to over 150 digital music stores and streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and Google Play.
Fast approval and upload time to streaming services and digital platforms
Customizable preorder & release dates but only with their premium plan
Video editor allows you to create shareable videos for your music, which could be pricey (and take a long time to complete) by going elsewhere.
Offers a publishing component for them to collect your additional royalties
What I Like:
Even though they don’t offer a free account, the price is still good for the unlimited releases you get
They have been around for years and have a pretty good reputation at being an ally for independent artists
What I Like Dislike:
costs can add up with additional add-on fees such as the discovery pack to be discovered on platforms like Shazam and Siri. they tack on fees for almost everything you can think of
customer service is ehhh but again they distribute a ton of artists so be persistent
TuneCore:
TuneCore is another prominent music distribution service that caters to independent artists. With a wide range of options, TuneCore gives you the ability to distribute their music globally across platforms while maintaining ownership and control over their work.
Artists can access detailed sales and streaming reports, which are essential for monitoring your performance and making informed decisions about how to move forward with your career.
Additionally, TuneCore offers helpful resources such as artist support, music publishing administration, and promotional opportunities.
The one cool thing TuneCore has over DistroKid (at least for the moment) is a social-only offering where they distribute to Tik Tok, YouTube, Instagram, and a few other platforms for free.
Key Features:
Has a free music distribution option that will get your music on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
Distributes to more than 150 digital stores across 200 territories
Their Music Publishing Administration is a one stop shop for licensing your music. For a one-time fee of $75, you can get a separate royalty whenever your songs are sold, downloaded, or streamed online, including Youtube monetization.
Their statistics are among the best to track how your releases are selling
Pricing
FREE TIER: $0 – release music to all social platforms (no Spotify, etc)
RISING ARTIST: $14.99/year – release music to all streaming/social/stores (including Spotify, etc.)
BREAKOUT ARTIST: $29.99/year – includes advanced features to customize releases
PROFESSIONAL: $49.99/year – best for labels, releases from multiple artists possible
What I like:
Tunecore is one of the oldest and biggest with a pretty good reputation (often cited by the rapper Russ as part of the reason for his unbelievable success in the music business.)
Publishing will collect your publishing money for every song you write whether that song is released through Tunecore or not.
They offer a Cover Art Creator where if you don’t have a way to make your own release cover, Tunecore will generate one for you.
What I dislike:
You have to pay an annual fee to make sure that your music remains on streaming platforms
Artist’s have complained that their customer support team doesn’t offer much help
Artists complain about songs not getting approved
CD Baby:
CD Baby is the OG of the distribution game. Its been around since 1998, was the first digital distribution platform for independent artists to get their music on iTunes and still remains to be one of largest music distribution services for independent artists.
CD Baby which was the first digital distribution platform for independent artists to get their music onto iTunes and is still ones of the biggest players in the music distribution industry.
The platform has a library of more than 650,000 artists across a wide variety of genres, and 9 million tracks that are made available to over 100 digital streaming services and platforms around the globe.
Alongside digital distribution, CD Baby offers physical distribution services, allowing artists to distribute their music in CD and vinyl formats.
This platform also provides artists with monetization opportunities on YouTube, sync licensing opportunities for film and TV placements, and access to their Artist Services team for guidance on various aspects of their music career.
Key Features:
Worldwide publishing rights administration
Music use on social video platforms
Sync licensing
Music marketing and online advertising
Cover song licensing
Manufacturing and duplication for physical distribution
Order fulfilment for CDs and vinyl records
If you do not have one, CD Baby can help you create one for free. Every digital platform reports your numbers to Nielsen SoundScan using the UPC.
Pricing:
Standard Single or Album: $9.99
Pro Single or Album: $49.99
CD Baby takes 9% of the revenue generated. they also offer publishing administration like Tunecore and Distrokid.
Compared to competitors like Tunecore which have plans that take 0% on distribution, CDBaby takes approx. 9% commission on everything you make. Some of their fees include:
30% on Youtube, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram revenues.
For the Pro version:
15% of publishing royalties
40% on sync placements
$4 on physical sales for your CD and Vinyl
What I Like:
Free access to Show.co and trending reports and analytics for your streams.
CD Baby keeps your music on its affiliated services indefinitely. You do not have to pay a annual fee like other music distributors .
CD Baby can help you create a UPC for free. Every digital platform reports your numbers to Nielsen SoundScan using the UPC.
What I Dislike:
Their cut of distribution is at least 30% in some categories and they are way more expensive than the industry standard.
Many artists have been dissatisfied with CDBaby support staff’s lack of responsiveness. Numerous reports have been made of slow operations, delayed responses, and unanswered phone calls. As a result, if you’re choosing CDBaby, you should be aware of this problem.
CD Baby will only collect your publishing money from songs released via CD Baby.
5. Ditto Music
I’ve heard some good things about music distributor Ditto Music. It’s headquarters are in Liverpool, England so if you only want a US based distributor ex them out on your list. As of 2017, it has 22 offices across 19 countries.
In the past they received a lot of bad press about their customer service and experience but it seems like may have gotten it together. Again, the music distribution industry is complex so be prepared.
Pricing:
$19/year for unlimited distribution
$29/year release unlimited songs for 2 artists
$69/year release unlimited music for 5 artists
Key Features:
unlimited distribution for an inexpensive price
ability to release cover songs and monetize them on streaming services
They are know to have a fast distribution time, no hidden fees and their interface is pretty easy to use.One of the best distribution companies for label management.
What I like:
Offers unlimited releases for a cheap price
Doesn’t try to milk artists with add-ons.
Option for collaborator splits
Music Publishing service can help you collect royalties from more sources.
Automatic SmartLink with every release
What I Dislike:
No data on payout per stream, making it hard to tell whether you’re getting as much as you would with Distrokid or TuneCore.
Some tarnishing reviews (but all of them do)
Not the fastest distribution time
Email support can take a long time
Doesn’t support cover music videos, only originals (but supports audio covers)
Conclusion:
Music distribution services have revolutionized the way artists navigate the music industry. These platforms empower musicians to take control of their careers, providing them with the means to distribute their music globally and connect directly with fans. This being said, there is no best music distribution serivce or perfect distribution service. It all depends on what your needs are and what you are willing to put uo with. The services mentioned in this blog post, including UnitedMasters, DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, and Ditto offer valuable tools, resources, and support to independent artists at various stages of their musical journey.
As an independent artist, choosing the right music distribution service is crucial. It is essential to consider factors such as pricing, royalty rates, platform reach, additional services, and the level of personalized support offered. By leveraging these distribution services, independent artists can focus on what they do best—creating remarkable music—and leave the technicalities of distribution and promotion to the experts. With dedication, talent, and the right distribution partner, independent artists
