We all know how easy it is to upload your music to Soundcloud. You just need to create an account with your artist name and that's it, you're ready to go! But to really give your music a chance to reach a larger audience, it's essential to get your music onto platforms like Spotify, Apple music, Tidal, etc. Not to diss Soundcloud or other services like it, but having your music on bigger platforms, immediately increases your credibility as an artist. In the end it's all about giving your music the best chance to be heard, and giving people multiple avenues to access your music.
The good news is that, there are a bunch of services out there that help you get your music onto these big platforms. They are called distributors. Distributors are basically middle-men who have ties with all the big platforms, and help you deliver your music to them in the right format. They also help you with all the legal work involved and help you protect your music by providing copyright support and also making sure that the royalties you are owed by these platforms are traced back to you.
We can have a look at a couple of options below :
Distrokid is a simple platform that works on a subscription model. They help you get your music on over 150+ platforms. It's a very easy-to-use platform. Distrokid doesn't take a percentage of your royalties like most other platforms do. You get to keep 100% of the earnings. You start out by creating an account with them and choosing the plan that fits your needs. Below are the plans that they offer :
You then go to your home page and hit the 'Upload' button and you will be directed to a simple form where you can fill in information about your song and upload the relevant artwork. It's as easy as that!
You also have some really cool features that are optional and come at an additional cost. I feel that the most valuable out of these is the Youtube content ID, which puts you on youtube's database and will constantly check if creators are using your music in their videos, and if it detects anything, the ad revenue from that video will automatically be channeled to you. Here are the options below:
If you're not a big fan of subscription services, CD baby is the way to go. They charge you a flat fee per single or album. They have a very similar process to Distrokid. They do provide a little more support in terms of registering you with the various Public Rights Organizations in the US and Canada.
Below is the various pricing plans they have to offer:
The main advantage with CD baby is that you don't have to worry about making those yearly payments. Distributors that work on a subscription service will pull your song out of the stores if you miss a payment and that can come as a very unpleasant surprise. Something worth mentioning though is that along with the flat fee, CD baby take a 9% cut off of the royalties you earn in perpetuity. That's something to consider if you have a feeling that your song is going to be a mega-hit, 9% could become a pretty sizeable amount you have to let go of.
There are a whole bunch of other options out there. Some of them are even free, some work like labels where they vet your music and if they like it, they distribute it for you and take a percentage of your revenue. I'll link a few below so you can take a call yourself.
AWAL is a distributor that also has a curation element wherein you get to submit your music to them, and they will distribute it for you only if they feel like it fits their network. If you're accepted, they will distribute your music worldwide for free but they take a 15% cut off of your revenue.
United masters are a distribution service that has no upfront fees, but they do take a 10% cut off of your royalties. You do have an option of keeping 100% of the revenue if you go for one of their 'select plans'.
Hopefully this will give you a general idea of how to distribute your music to Spotify and other online music platforms. So what are you waiting for, elevate your game and dance amongst the giants of the music industry by getting your music distributed worldwide!
P.S If you're a musician looking to promote your music, sign up for the giveaway (click the button below) and you have a chance to get your music placed on a massive Spotify playlist! :)
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