With self-distribution and the use of aggregators, it’s now possible to get your music out to the world without breaking the bank. In this article, we’ll explore the advantages and disadvantages of self-distribution without an aggregator and using an aggregator with free options, and provide an overview of popular aggregators and how to choose the right one for you. Whether you’re a new artist or a seasoned musician, this music distribution for artists guide will help you find the solution that works best for your needs.
Music distribution is crucial for independent artists who want to reach a wider audience and gain recognition for their work. In the past, distribution was largely controlled by major record labels. That made it difficult for independent musicians to get their music heard. However, with the rise of digital platforms and the internet, independent artists now have more control over their music distribution than ever before.
Self-distribution and the use of aggregators are two popular options for independent musicians who want to distribute their music without the help of a record label. Self-distribution involves artists managing the entire distribution process themselves. That starts with uploading your music to digital platforms to promoting it to potential listeners. Meanwhile, aggregators are companies that act as intermediaries between independent artists and digital music platforms. They help to make it easier for artists to distribute their music to a wider audience.
For those who are new to the world of music distribution, it’s important to understand what an aggregator is and how it works. Essentially, an aggregator is a company that works with digital music platforms. These music platforms are companies like as Spotify or Apple Music. The aggregator will upload and distribute music on behalf of you, the independent artist. Aggregators typically charge a fee for their services, but they provide valuable support to artists by simplifying the distribution process and helping them reach a wider audience.
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Self-Distribution Without an Aggregator: How to Do It Yourself
For independent musicians who want full control over their music distribution, self-distribution can be a viable option. However, some digital music platforms may require the use of an aggregator for royalty and payment management. Here, we’ll dive into the steps involved in both approaches.
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Steps for Self-Distribution Without an Aggregator
- Create accounts on digital music stores: To distribute your music on digital music platforms such as iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play, you’ll need to create accounts on these platforms. Each platform may have its own requirements and guidelines for account creation.
- Upload your music: Once you’ve created your accounts, you’ll need to upload your music to these platforms. This involves providing detailed information about your music, including artist name, album title, track names, and genre.
- Manage royalties and payments: As an independent artist, you’ll need to manage your royalties and payments. This involves keeping track of how much money you’re earning from each platform. It also involves ensuring that you’re receiving the correct amount of royalties for your music.
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Advantages and Disadvantages of Self-Distribution Without an Aggregator
Advantages
- Full control over distribution: With self-distribution, you have complete control over the distribution process. You’ll have to choose which platforms to distribute your music on and decide how much to charge for your music.
- Lower costs: Without the fees associated with using an aggregator, self-distribution can be a cost-effective option for independent artists.
- Personalized approach: Self-distribution allows you to tailor your approach to distribution to your specific needs and goals as an artist.
Disadvantages
- Time-consuming: Self-distribution can be a time-consuming process, as it requires managing multiple accounts and platforms.
- Limited reach: Without the reach and network of an aggregator, it can be difficult to gain visibility. It can also be more difficult to reach a wider audience for your music.
- Technical expertise required: Self-distribution requires a certain level of technical expertise, including knowledge of digital music platforms and royalty management.
Overall, self-distribution without an aggregator can be a viable option for independent artists. That is especially true for those artists who want full control over their music distribution. However, it may require more time and effort. It also may be restrictive as some platforms require the use of an aggregator for royalty and payment management. In the next section, we’ll explore the advantages of using an aggregator for music distribution.
Using an Aggregator for Wider Distribution
While self-distribution can offer independent artists full control over their music distribution, using an aggregator can provide several benefits. Those benefits include wider distribution, convenience, and additional services. Here, we’ll explore these advantages in more detail.
Wider Distribution:
One of the primary benefits of using an aggregator is wider distribution. Aggregators have established relationships with numerous digital music platforms. This allows independent artists to distribute their music to a wider audience than they could with self-distribution alone. By using an aggregator, artists can ensure that their music is available on popular platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. It also enures the artists music is available on many other smaller platforms. Some of which the artist may not have even heard of.
Convenience:
Using an aggregator can also be more convenient than self-distribution. Instead of managing multiple accounts on multiple platforms, artists can use a single platform to upload and manage their music. Aggregators also take care of tasks such as royalty management and metadata delivery. This makes the distribution process less time-consuming and less complicated for artists.
Additional Services:
In addition to wider distribution and convenience, many aggregators offer additional services that can be beneficial to independent artists. For example, some aggregators offer marketing and promotion services, such as playlist pitching and social media promotion. Others offer analytics tools that can help artists track their streaming and sales data. That information can help you make informed decisions about distribution and marketing strategies.
How to Choose the Right Aggregator for You
Choosing the right aggregator for your music distribution is an important decision. It should be based on your specific needs and goals. Here are some tips and advice to consider when making your decision:
Pricing
Aggregators charge fees for their services, either as a percentage of revenue or as a flat fee. Make sure to consider the pricing structure of each aggregator. Like anything else it is best to compare them to determine which offers the best value for your needs.
Distribution options
Different aggregators have different distribution networks. That means you should make sure to choose one that has relationships with the platforms you want your music to be available on. Some aggregators offer specific distribution options. These options could be things like pre-release sales or YouTube monetization. That said, it is important to consider what distribution options are most important to you.
Additional services
Some aggregators offer additional services such as marketing and promotion or analytics tools. Consider which additional services are most important to you and choose an aggregator that offers those services.
Customer support
The quality of customer support offered by each aggregator you’re considering is crucial. Look for aggregators that offer responsive customer support, as this can be crucial if you run into issues with your distribution.
Reputation
Research the aggregator’s reputation in the music industry and read reviews from other artists who have used their services. This will give you a better idea of the aggregator’s reliability and quality of service.
Ultimately, choosing the right aggregator can provide independent artists with wider distribution, greater convenience, and access to additional services. However, it’s important to carefully consider the options and choose an aggregator that meets your specific needs and goals as an artist.
Here are some of the most popular Aggregators
DistroKid:
DistroKid is a popular music aggregator that offers unlimited distribution of songs and albums to all major streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. The platform also offers a range of features, such as customizable artist profiles, daily sales analytics, and instant access to earnings. Additionally, DistroKid allows artists to keep 100% of their royalties and provides affordable pricing plans starting at $19.99 per year. Check out their website here: https://distrokid.com/
TuneCore:
TuneCore is another popular music aggregator that provides distribution to over 150 digital music stores, including Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. The platform also offers a suite of tools for artists, such as social media promotion and fan engagement features. TuneCore also allows artists to keep 100% of their royalties and provides transparent accounting and payment systems. Pricing for TuneCore starts at $9.99 per single and $29.99 per album. Check out their website here: https://www.tunecore.com/
CD Baby:
CD Baby is a veteran music aggregator that has been in operation since 1998. The platform offers distribution to over 150 digital music stores and streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. CD Baby also provides additional services, such as music licensing and sync opportunities, physical distribution, and marketing and promotion tools. CD Baby offers various pricing options, including a one-time fee of $9.95 per single and $29 per album. Check out their website here: https://cdbaby.com/
Symphonic Distribution:
Symphonic Distribution is a full-service music distributor that provides global music distribution to over 200 platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and Beatport. The platform offers additional services such as publishing administration, sync licensing, and YouTube monetization. Symphonic Distribution also provides detailed analytics and reporting tools for artists, as well as promotional opportunities. Pricing for Symphonic Distribution varies depending on the services chosen, but starts at $25 per year for distribution. Check out their website here: https://symphonicdistribution.com/
Amuse:
Amuse is a newer music aggregator that provides free distribution to major streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal. The platform also offers additional features, such as early royalty payouts and artist development services. Amuse also provides an optional paid tier, which offers additional distribution options and marketing tools. Check out their website here: https://amuse.io/
Three Aggregators With Free Entry Level Services (free upfront)
Please note that the following list of aggregators offering free distribution services is provided solely for informational purposes. It is not in any way intended as a recommendation or referral for any of the listed services, as we do not have any knowledge of their business practices or the quality of their services. We strongly recommend that you conduct your own research and due diligence before choosing an aggregator for your music distribution needs. The three aggregators listed below are included based solely on the fact that they offer a free service.
Amuse https://amuse.io/
Amuse is a free music distribution service founded in 2016 that allows independent musicians to upload their music and distribute it to various digital music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and iTunes. The service is app-based and can be accessed via iOS or Android devices.
Using Amuse is simple – after creating an account, artists can upload their tracks in .wav format through the app or via a cloud service like Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud. Amuse distributes the music to several popular streaming platforms, such as Deezer, Audiomack, Claro Musica, Tidal, Amazon Music, Pandora, and TikTok, as well as YouTube Music.
One of the benefits of using Amuse is that it is entirely free, and the company takes 0% of the artist’s revenue from downloads and streaming. Once an artist earns $10 or more in royalties, they can withdraw their earnings using PayPal. For those who want to speed up the distribution process or access additional features, Amuse also offers Boost and Pro plans for a fee. These plans allow artists to release their music faster and distribute it to more streaming services. Additionally, Boost and Pro offer features like multiple artist profiles and custom labels.
Aside from distribution, Amuse also seeks out talented artists and offers them a record deal that includes marketing, financing, promotion, and playlist pitching. For those who receive this offer, Amuse splits the profits 50/50 with the artist.
Overall, Amuse is a reliable and convenient option for independent musicians who want to distribute their music to various streaming platforms without having to pay a fee. While the service does have some limitations, such as the need for a cloud service to upload music, it is worth considering for those who want to retain control over their music distribution.
Routenote https://routenote.com/
Routenote is a digital music distribution platform that was founded in 2007 and operates from the UK to help artists release their music. They offer a free and premium plan for music distribution.
With the free plan, Routenote takes a 15% commission from your earnings. In contrast, the premium plan allows you to keep 100% of your earnings, but you pay per music release to the aggregator. You can switch between the free and premium plan at any time.
Routenote distributes music to up to 200 different shops and streaming services, including popular platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, and Google Play. They also include many Asian and Chinese stores.
To distribute your music through Routenote, there is no upfront cost. However, they keep 15% of your download and streaming revenue. You can receive payment once the balance on your Earnings page reaches the minimum threshold amount of $50 USD.
Routenote offers additional features such as a non-exclusive release agreement, RouteNote Premium, which lets you keep 100% of your royalties for a small upfront cost and an annual fee. Other features include Youtube Content ID, a custom web store with RouteNote Direct, payment splitting for collaborations, and more.
FreshTunes https://freshtunes.com/
FreshTunes is a music aggregator that offers a free distribution service, allowing artists to keep 100% of their royalties and rights. Once an artist uploads their music, it will be checked within 24 hours and immediately sent to 14 different streaming and download services, including Spotify, iTunes, Deezer, Google Play, and more. One advantage of using FreshTunes is that artists can offer a pre-order function for their upcoming releases.
In addition to free distribution, FreshTunes also offers promotional campaigns via Facebook and YouTube to help artists promote their music. The platform distributes music to various stores including Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Deezer, Google Play, YouTube, Tidal, Amazon Music, and more.
FreshTunes has a payment threshold of $25 or more, which can be withdrawn to a bank card, Payoneer or WebMoney account. The platform does not take any percentage of the artist’s earnings.
FreshTunes also offers additional services such as promotion, album art video production, artwork production, and finding a producer, for which they charge a fee
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In Conclusion,
Music distribution is an important part of an independent artist’s career. There are two main options available, self-distribution and using an aggregator. Self-distribution can be time-consuming and requires knowledge of the music industry, while using an aggregator can be more convenient and offer wider distribution but may come at a cost. In addition to the points we’ve addressed regarding distribution. Releasing your music directly to your own website or channeled into your website through a distributor is a must. Here’s a guide explain why and how you need a website to promote your music. You can read it here!
We explored three free music aggregators, Amuse, Routenote, and FreshTunes, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Amuse offers a user-friendly app and a completely free service, but its distribution may not be as extensive as some other aggregators. Routenote provides a free and premium service, with a 15% commission on earnings for the free plan and an upfront cost for the premium plan, but can distribute to up to 200 different shops and streaming services. FreshTunes is completely free and offers quick distribution to major streaming and download services, but some users report issues with payment withdrawals and account bans.
Ultimately, independent artists should carefully consider their options for music distribution and find the approach that works best for their unique situation. Whether through self-distribution or using an aggregator, it is important to choose a method that allows for maximum exposure and revenue while maintaining control over their music and rights.