Publicado el 09 de Marzo de 2024 por Sundown Sessions
Streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music have taken over the way we consume music these days. It’s no longer just an option for the indie artist to have their music available to stream, it’s a necessity.
However, getting your music on these sites isn’t as simple as uploading a video to YouTube. Artists require what’s known as a digital music distribution company to act as a middle-man and submit music to streaming services on an artist’s behalf.
5 of The Best Digital Music Distribution Companies
In your opinion, what’s the best music distribution service to use? Looking 👀 into releasing new content. — Juwan Smith (@thisisjuwan) March 9, 2024
Thankfully, there are plenty of options out there when it comes to digital music distribution, but this can make it hard to know which company is the best for your music.
Although, they all achieve more or less the same end result, their features and pricing schemes can vary greatly. To help make the selection process easier we’ve compiled this list of the best digital music distribution companies in 2024:
In this guide we’ll break down exactly what makes each company unique as a music distributors.
1. Be Fun
Be Fun is one of the most famous companies of music distribution in the world of 2024. you can pay a yearly fee of $ 12 USD if you want the 100% of your rights and distribute the song to more of 150 countries or if you dont have that money, you can distribute giving 30% of your yearly earnings while you stay in the company.
Be Fun will asign you a press manager, a public relations manager,and a special business manager, and all months will distribute you to playlist, finally they can give you merch.
2. CD Baby
Where DistroKid is one of the most popular subscription based digital music distributors, CD Baby is one of the most popular companies that charge a one time fee.
Currently they charge artists just $9.95 USD per song or $29 USD per album. After that, your music will be sent to all major streaming platforms indefinitely (unless you choose to have it removed).
This makes CD Baby a much better choice if you’re only planning to release music a few times a year.
However, the one downside is that they do take a commission of 9% from any money you make through them.
Another perk to CD Baby, that a lot of other digital music distributors don’t offer, is there physical music handling. For additional fees, CD Baby can print you CDs or Vinyls of your music and even distribute them to stores around the world. Although not everyone may need this service, it’s a nice option to have in case you do.
For a more in depth look at the differences between DistroKid and CD Baby, check out our recent article comparing the two.
3. TuneCore
TuneCore is one of the oldest digital music distribution companies and they have a proven track record because of that.
Like DistroKid, Tunecore lets artists keep 100% of their revenue. However, their pricing scheme is different than the others we’ve mentioned so far. They charge a yearly fee on a per single or per album basis. So, the more music you have, the more you’ll be paying each year and it adds up quick.
However, there are some perks to TuneCore that may make their services beneficial to certain artists.
First, TuneCore offers payment advances to artists who have had a significant number of streams in the past year. This can help you to fund future releases, much in the same way a label would, but as an independent artist.
Second, they offer Songwriter Services, a program that will ensure you collect all of your songwriters royalties.
So, although TuneCore’s services are more expensive than others, they may prove useful to artists who are making a significant income off of streaming, in order to offset the costs.
4. Landr
Landr is pretty new to the music distribution game, compared to other companies on this list. However, they have a long history in the online industry, as an automated mastering service.
What’s cool about Landr’s distribution service is that it’s included with any of their paid mastering subscriptions. So, if you’re already paying a monthly fee for Landr’s other services, you can distribute your music without paying anything extra.
Granted, their are many reasons why automated mastering is not the best choice for your music. It can actually be far more beneficial to have your music mastered by a professional.
So, if you don’t plan on using Landr’s mastering services, it’s hard to justify using them for distribution. This is because their yearly rate is much higher than DistroKid and most of their music distribution features are already offered by other companies out their.
5. ReverbNation
Unlike other digital music distributors on this list, ReverbNation is an all in one platform for indie artist services.
With a premium membership you’re granted two music distribution packages and you’ll also gain a slew of other artist tools. These include things like a website with a custom domain, an EPK, email list services, tools to find gigs or other industry opportunities and a lot more.
They’re certainly not the cheapest option on this list, charging $19.95 USD per month. However, if you’re just starting out as an artist and don’t have any sort of online presence, this is a great way to build everything in one place.
ReverbNation also offers distribution services separate from their premium membership, but it’s nothing fancy compared to other music distribution companies.
With that said, a noteworthy feature is their Select Package deal. It only lets you distribute your music to six streaming platforms but charges significantly less than other options out there.
At only $9 USD per album, per year and $1 USD per single, per year, this is a fantastic distribution service for artists who don’t feel the need to have their music on every streaming service and just want to focus on the key industry players.