Top music distributors ranked!

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Hi, I have tried many distributors and thought I would share my experiences with the world. I hope it's useful.



# [Anti-Joy ($17.99/year)]
Starting at just $17.99/year, you can upload unlimited music, keep all your rights and royalties, sell merchandise, create your very own website, and more.


Advantage:

* Upload unlimited music for just $17.99
* Custom release date with any plan
* Claim YouTube OAC and Spotify for Artists
* Retain all your rights and royalties
* Upload to multiple artists for a fraction of the cost
* Big stores like Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, SoundCloud, and 150+ more
* Features you won't find anywhere else, such as Spotify pre-save, email newsletter, artist pages, fast support, and more
* Try 3 months free
Disadvantages:
* Can't claim Spotify for artists right away like with DistroKid



# [Distrokid ($19.99/year)]
Distrokid is incredibly fast compared to others and has a lot of useful features.

Advantage:

* Fast distribution (5 days to 2 weeks)
* Unlimited music uploads
* Tools like Spotify pre-save and promo art
* Claim Spotify for Artists instantly
* Retain all your rights and royalties


Disadvantages:

* Custom release date and label require Musician Plus ($35/year)
* YouTube Content ID costs $4.95/track/year + 20% commission
* Very expensive for multi-artist distribution



# CD Baby (expensive)
If you're looking for a long-term solution, CD Baby has you covered. You pay a one-time price per album/single; they will never be removed. It costs $9.95/single or $29/album, but if you want to keep all your royalties, it costs $29.95/single or $69/album.

Advantage:
* Works very well for long-term distribution
* Keep all your rights and royalties with Pro ($29.95/single or $69/album)
* Sell goods
* License for cover songs

Disadvantages:
* You must purchase UPC barcodes yourself
* 9% commission on the standard plan
* It can be expensive if you upload frequently



# ONErpm (15% commission)
Get your music on major streaming services for free with OneRPM. There is a 15% commission, but they are fast and have lots of promotional tools like promo art, pitching playlists, and more.


Advantage:

* Unlimited uploads
* Unlimited artists
* Playlist pitching and promo art generator
* Distribution of lyrics
* Publishing administration and rights management
* The YouTube Network

Disadvantages:

* 15% commission
* It can be slow sometimes



# Amuse ($25/year)
Keep all your royalties, and upload 1 track per month (12 tracks per year). Amuse lacks a lot of features. There are no promo tools, not that many stores, and most major stores require a paid subscription of $25/year.

Advantage:
* Keep all royalties
* Royalty division


Disadvantages:
* 1 upload per month
* No custom release date and pretty slowly most of the time
* Important stores require a paid account (TikTok, Instagram, etc.)
* Lacks promo features
 
Hi, I have tried many distributors and thought I would share my experiences with the world. I hope it's useful.



# [Anti-Joy ($17.99/year)]
Starting at just $17.99/year, you can upload unlimited music, keep all your rights and royalties, sell merchandise, create your very own website, and more.


Advantage:

* Upload unlimited music for just $17.99
* Custom release date with any plan
* Claim YouTube OAC and Spotify for Artists
* Retain all your rights and royalties
* Upload to multiple artists for a fraction of the cost
* Big stores like Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, SoundCloud, and 150+ more
* Features you won't find anywhere else, such as Spotify pre-save, email newsletter, artist pages, fast support, and more
* Try 3 months free
Disadvantages:
* Can't claim Spotify for artists right away like with DistroKid



# [Distrokid ($19.99/year)]
Distrokid is incredibly fast compared to others and has a lot of useful features.

Advantage:

* Fast distribution (5 days to 2 weeks)
* Unlimited music uploads
* Tools like Spotify pre-save and promo art
* Claim Spotify for Artists instantly
* Retain all your rights and royalties


Disadvantages:

* Custom release date and label require Musician Plus ($35/year)
* YouTube Content ID costs $4.95/track/year + 20% commission
* Very expensive for multi-artist distribution



# CD Baby (expensive)
If you're looking for a long-term solution, CD Baby has you covered. You pay a one-time price per album/single; they will never be removed. It costs $9.95/single or $29/album, but if you want to keep all your royalties, it costs $29.95/single or $69/album.

Advantage:
* Works very well for long-term distribution
* Keep all your rights and royalties with Pro ($29.95/single or $69/album)
* Sell goods
* License for cover songs

Disadvantages:
* You must purchase UPC barcodes yourself
* 9% commission on the standard plan
* It can be expensive if you upload frequently



# ONErpm (15% commission)
Get your music on major streaming services for free with OneRPM. There is a 15% commission, but they are fast and have lots of promotional tools like promo art, pitching playlists, and more.


Advantage:

* Unlimited uploads
* Unlimited artists
* Playlist pitching and promo art generator
* Distribution of lyrics
* Publishing administration and rights management
* The YouTube Network

Disadvantages:

* 15% commission
* It can be slow sometimes



# Amuse ($25/year)
Keep all your royalties, and upload 1 track per month (12 tracks per year). Amuse lacks a lot of features. There are no promo tools, not that many stores, and most major stores require a paid subscription of $25/year.

Advantage:
* Keep all royalties
* Royalty division


Disadvantages:
* 1 upload per month
* No custom release date and pretty slowly most of the time
* Important stores require a paid account (TikTok, Instagram, etc.)
* Lacks promo features
Nice. I am interested to know or do you know if there’s a music distributor that is more lenient with Spotify clicks / streams and doesn’t report them directly? I’ve heard that many distributors withhold payments and keep them for themselves, while others are more relaxed if it comes to buying spotify streams. It seems to vary depending on the distributor and isn’t directly related to Spotify. Do you agree?
 
Nice. I am interested to know or do you know if there’s a music distributor that is more lenient with Spotify clicks / streams and doesn’t report them directly? I’ve heard that many distributors withhold payments and keep them for themselves, while others are more relaxed if it comes to buying spotify streams. It seems to vary depending on the distributor and isn’t directly related to Spotify. Do you

They all report them about the same. The only difference in them is how they determine who is botting or farming. I think that’s what you’re looking for. It’s in their privacy policies. And Spotify is bar far bar none the worst offender.

As to payments of royalties. Your distributor will give you a contract which stipulates the terms. When I look at the in-depth view for my earnings I can see most but not all the data and it pretty matches up…. There’s a lot of expectation. Everyone elway assumes they are owed more but don’t read the terms. Also terms always pay 2-3 months later. Except SoundCloud which is 1 1/2 - 2 months. But their pay is the worst.

With Spotify’s newer policies they will charge per track that receives botting violations. Distributors are denying more tracks. They don’t want to eat the fees for botted plays.
 
are you producing your own music or buying other music?
Both. You need to have multiple artists under different accounts to minimize loss. My own page is very official and verifiable. The “children” pages have passable profiles but their work is from real artists. To which I own all rights. Only one AI profile
 
I understand your point about having multiple artists under different accounts for minimizing loss. It’s interesting that you’ve found success with an official and verifiable page. However, despite my experience working with well-known singers in the music industry, I’ve also noticed that the algorithm doesn’t always behave predictably. It seems to be a complex interplay of various factors.
 
I understand your point about having multiple artists under different accounts for minimizing loss. It’s interesting that you’ve found success with an official and verifiable page. However, despite my experience working with well-known singers in the music industry, I’ve also noticed that the algorithm doesn’t always behave predictably. It seems to be a complex interplay of various factors.
Again it depends on who you are using…. Each platform whether it be Spotify Apple Music deezer soubdcloud, etc have their own privacy policy. Their own way of determining what is legitimate. Your idea needs to understand the rules… not the end goal.
 
Again it depends on who you are using…. Each platform whether it be Spotify Apple Music deezer soubdcloud, etc have their own privacy policy. Their own way of determining what is legitimate. Your idea needs to understand the rules… not the end goal.

I understand your perspective, and you're absolutely right that each platform has its own policies and methods for determining legitimacy. However, it's worth noting that while understanding and adhering to the rules is important, real-world experiences often reveal inconsistencies in enforcement. For instance, I've encountered situations where two artists using the same distributor and promotional methods yielded different outcomes—one flagged, the other not. This raises questions about the consistency and fairness of enforcement mechanisms. In such cases, it seems that the rules aren't always applied uniformly.
 
I understand your perspective, and you're absolutely right that each platform has its own policies and methods for determining legitimacy. However, it's worth noting that while understanding and adhering to the rules is important, real-world experiences often reveal inconsistencies in enforcement. For instance, I've encountered situations where two artists using the same distributor and promotional methods yielded different outcomes—one flagged, the other not. This raises questions about the consistency and fairness of enforcement mechanisms. In such cases, it seems that the rules aren't always applied uniformly.
No I agree with you. There is a lot of unfairness in the industry. For instance. White noise/sleep tracks. Some on Spotify are from companies in Sweden. No large fan base but massive stream counts. Yet not demonetizes. Whereas I’ve had my own personal music and know quite a few colleagues whose music has been taken down for suspected botting issues when the streams where actually 100% legitimate.

I think if it this way. Since every company has different rules, the way in which they assess is still standard - for those accounts that don’t generate revenue to them. Ie free accounts. Paid accounts I think, don’t quote me on this , are unless blatantly botting left alone.

But I keep mentioning the privacy policy because of how much it factors in. Spotify for instance. They track your phones orientation and momentum. If you’re botting you don’t generate those. They check follows, likes, artist profiles. When you grant permission in your device they access installed apps log, etc. more. They are the worst because they take the most data from you.

Meanwhile look at Apple. They have institutes a score policy that checks your communication logs to give you a trust score….. but they dont monitor in same way as Spotify.

Same goes for every other music platform.

They all have their quirks. But the privacy policy is a/the key. I don’t think in terms of fair. Life isn’t fair.
 
No I agree with you. There is a lot of unfairness in the industry. For instance. White noise/sleep tracks. Some on Spotify are from companies in Sweden. No large fan base but massive stream counts. Yet not demonetizes. Whereas I’ve had my own personal music and know quite a few colleagues whose music has been taken down for suspected botting issues when the streams where actually 100% legitimate.

I think if it this way. Since every company has different rules, the way in which they assess is still standard - for those accounts that don’t generate revenue to them. Ie free accounts. Paid accounts I think, don’t quote me on this , are unless blatantly botting left alone.

But I keep mentioning the privacy policy because of how much it factors in. Spotify for instance. They track your phones orientation and momentum. If you’re botting you don’t generate those. They check follows, likes, artist profiles. When you grant permission in your device they access installed apps log, etc. more. They are the worst because they take the most data from you.

Meanwhile look at Apple. They have institutes a score policy that checks your communication logs to give you a trust score….. but they dont monitor in same way as Spotify.

Same goes for every other music platform.

They all have their quirks. But the privacy policy is a/the key. I don’t think in terms of fair. Life isn’t fair.
Absolutely! You're right on point, and I completely agree with your perspective on the industry's unfairness. The way different platforms handle legitimacy checks, combined with their privacy policies, adds complexity. Your insights into how Spotify and Apple monitor activity are eye-opening.
Ultimately, what matters most is our dedication to our craft and our ability to adapt to the challenges presented by the industry. Our dedication to music matters most.

It's been great discussing this with you, and I'm eager to explore further!
 
Hi, I have tried many distributors and thought I would share my experiences with the world. I hope it's useful.



# [Anti-Joy ($17.99/year)]
Starting at just $17.99/year, you can upload unlimited music, keep all your rights and royalties, sell merchandise, create your very own website, and more.


Advantage:

* Upload unlimited music for just $17.99
* Custom release date with any plan
* Claim YouTube OAC and Spotify for Artists
* Retain all your rights and royalties
* Upload to multiple artists for a fraction of the cost
* Big stores like Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, SoundCloud, and 150+ more
* Features you won't find anywhere else, such as Spotify pre-save, email newsletter, artist pages, fast support, and more
* Try 3 months free
Disadvantages:
* Can't claim Spotify for artists right away like with DistroKid



# [Distrokid ($19.99/year)]
Distrokid is incredibly fast compared to others and has a lot of useful features.

Advantage:

* Fast distribution (5 days to 2 weeks)
* Unlimited music uploads
* Tools like Spotify pre-save and promo art
* Claim Spotify for Artists instantly
* Retain all your rights and royalties


Disadvantages:

* Custom release date and label require Musician Plus ($35/year)
* YouTube Content ID costs $4.95/track/year + 20% commission
* Very expensive for multi-artist distribution



# CD Baby (expensive)
If you're looking for a long-term solution, CD Baby has you covered. You pay a one-time price per album/single; they will never be removed. It costs $9.95/single or $29/album, but if you want to keep all your royalties, it costs $29.95/single or $69/album.

Advantage:
* Works very well for long-term distribution
* Keep all your rights and royalties with Pro ($29.95/single or $69/album)
* Sell goods
* License for cover songs

Disadvantages:
* You must purchase UPC barcodes yourself
* 9% commission on the standard plan
* It can be expensive if you upload frequently



# ONErpm (15% commission)
Get your music on major streaming services for free with OneRPM. There is a 15% commission, but they are fast and have lots of promotional tools like promo art, pitching playlists, and more.


Advantage:

* Unlimited uploads
* Unlimited artists
* Playlist pitching and promo art generator
* Distribution of lyrics
* Publishing administration and rights management
* The YouTube Network

Disadvantages:

* 15% commission
* It can be slow sometimes



# Amuse ($25/year)
Keep all your royalties, and upload 1 track per month (12 tracks per year). Amuse lacks a lot of features. There are no promo tools, not that many stores, and most major stores require a paid subscription of $25/year.

Advantage:
* Keep all royalties
* Royalty division


Disadvantages:
* 1 upload per month
* No custom release date and pretty slowly most of the time
* Important stores require a paid account (TikTok, Instagram, etc.)
* Lacks promo features
Amuse 59$ for unlimited
now Onerpm 4 Artist 96$
Trust Music Umlinted artist 15.9$
 
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