The best Music Distributor most people would just say DistroKid. However, the answer is not so straightforward.
The Distributor
DistroKid claims to distribute a third of all music releases. DistroKid may not be the right fit for everyone. To answer the question “Which distributor” you need to take into consideration your long-term plans. Whether or not you wish to stay an independent artist moreover knowing this can save you a lot of time and money in the long run.
After distributing 10 songs or more with DistroKid, you may find that you need help building your audience. You can either find an independent marketing agency to do the marketing for you like, Weller Media Agency (WMA).
Another alternative is to create a partnership with a distributor that will cover the marketing aspect of your releases, among other things. It is worth noting that some distributors may outsource the marketing to agencies like WMA. Creating a partnership of this kind usually requires a share of revenue of 15%+ to 85%+ in your favour. But it all depends on the rate you negotiate.
Upstream
DistroKid has recently started offering a service called Upstream, which helps an artist sign to an independent or major label. This is not what I’m talking about here. While upstream is a perfectly good solution for many artists, in this instance, I’m talking about music distribution for independent artists. Moving from one distributor to another, in many cases, requires you to move your music to that distributor.
If you have many previous releases to move, it quickly becomes tedious. Re-uploading all previous releases to the new distributor while issuing takedowns at your old distributor If you time it wrong, you can lose your streaming data.
Moving to a new distributor, you can lose your streaming numbers. Say you had 1,000,000 streams for a track on a service like Spotify. Moving that track to a new distributor and back on to Spotify can reset the track play count to zero. There are numerous distributors to choose from Some offer better services in different geographical regions, like:
Market Reach
For one, use DistroKid and Symphonic. While DistroKid distributes to all the main online retailers and streaming service providers (Digital Service Providers). DistroKid does not cover all DSPs. So to cover all bases, I use Symphonic to cover the DSPs that DistroKid does not cover.
DistroKid has only recently started distributing to Tencent, one of the largest service providers in China. I use Symphonic to distribute to Netease, a DSP in China that DistroKid doesn’t distribute to.
DSPs do not allow for the same track to be released twice by different distributors. Example: Track 1 from artist DJ Rex cannot be distributed to Spotify via distributor A or via distributor B. However, track 1 from artist DJ Rex can be distributed to Spotify via distributor A. While track 2 can be distributed to Spotify via distributor B. For an in-depth review of these distributors, I suggest checking out Ari’s Take review comparison of these distributors and others.
Best Distributors
DSPs like Apple and Spotify have their own recommended distributors; this is usually down to the competency of the distributor. Linked to some of the recommended DSP’s distributor pages below. From these pages you should be to guided to the best music distributor for you:
Blockchain Distributors
There is a new generation of distributors emerging that are incorporating blockchain technology into their distribution platforms. Essentially, this is using the technology behind bitcoin, which has a digital ledger to record all transactions with an embedded digital contract.
For instance, a band partners with a distributor like
Original Works by Revelator. They agree on terms for the sharing of royalties. All band members need to agree to the digital agreement. Now when the band releases a track and income is earned all members of the band can see what has been earned and receive their agreed-upon share of royalties.
Music Video Distribution
Music Video distribution is another avenue to looked into. The distribution of music videos for both promotion and as a source of income can be advantageous towards the building of a career. First, let’s look at the offline options, such as traditional TV.
By traditional media, I mean the standard TV station, whether that be broadcast or via a cable network. Stations like BoxTV, Revolt, BET, CM, etc., depending on your genre, should be considered. For what happened to MTV, watch this video below.
(A intensive listing of music channels)
Music distributors do not distribute to terrestrial TV channels these channels are covered by other distributors. To distribute to this broadcaster, you will need to use video distributors like the ones listed below.
These distributors promote your music videos, music TV channels, brick-and-mortar stores, gyms, and cruise liners for customer entertainment.
Best Music Video Distributor
Some music distributors do not distribute music videos. These include Symphonic, Ditto, Horus.Each has its own set of rules and requirements for distributing music videos. For intense Ditto, in some intenses it also requires that you distribute your music releases with them. So it’s worth doing your research to determine which distributor fits your needs. The platforms for online music video streaming include VEVO, YouTube, Tidal, Apple Music, and newcomer Facebook. Not all the music video ditributors distribute to all these platforms. Distrokid recently started distributing music videos on a subscription model, under the brand Distrovid. So it’s worth having a look at the Distrokid service.
So as you can see, when it comes to the best distributor for distributing your music certainly there is a lot to consider. Your goals for the future also do they fit with the services provided by distributors? Comparatively hope I have given you some insight into the world of music distribution that will help you in the future.
I will update this post with new information over time, so check back regularly.
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