Self-releasing music? Here’s how to choose the right distributor for you.

After hours of writing, rehearsing and recording in the studio, you’ve finally finished. These songs could catapult your career in the music industry. Except, the battle is only half won. What good is great music if it falls on deaf ears? Everyone and their dog need to hear your songs – so let’s make that happen.

Traditionally, artists would bank on securing a record deal to get their ‘big break.’ Labels used to be the only way to distribute your music on a global scale, but times have changed. Since the 2000s, the ability to self-release music without a record deal has led to the rise of independent artists. In 2022, there are more options available to the self-releasing artist than ever before. However, it can be difficult to know which distributor is the best choice for you. Thankfully, this post should provide you with a little more clarity depending on your situation.

For this article, I’ll be focusing solely on distribution services instead of record labels (except for Amuse). For a general outlook on the best ways to release music, check out Joe's post.

Exclusive:

AWAL (artists without a label) is used by some of the top indie artists around including Deadmau5, Nick Cave and Two Feet. Their global A&R team scout different opportunities for clients, and they’ve helped to get music onto Spotify playlists. The catch? You have to be accepted through a direct referral or by submission. Still, they don’t charge any fees. Instead, they take a 15% commission on your revenue. Due to the success of their artists, it’s worth submitting your music to see what they think. However, don’t bank on being accepted. There’s a lot of competition, and they’ll only take on so many artists.

Free distribution:

Believe it or not, you can actually release your music for FREE!

Amuse is a record label as well as a distributor. They offer free distribution, allowing them to scout artists and offer record deals if they see potential success. They do offer free distribution, although this will only be to nine platforms. Compared to other companies, their business model might not be the most sustainable (as they rely on artists to sign record deals to receive revenue for their services). Still, if you just want to get your music onto the likes of Spotify and Apple Music, this could be a decent option. Besides, you might even get signed.

RouteNote provides good services at a low expense, with two different options that you can switch between (free and premium). For the free version, they take a 15% commission without any hidden fees. The premium plan costs $20 for an EP or $30 for an album, with a $9.99 yearly renewal rate.

For artists who aren’t anticipating big initial sales, the free plan could be a good starting point. It allows you to test the waters without getting too wet.

Another positive of RouteNote is the number of stores they’re partnered with. They cover over 90% of digital markets, including the Asian markets such as China, India, Japan, and Australia – which most of the smaller distributors can’t afford to do. Also, extras such as RouteNote direct allow artists to create their own websites and sell music to their fans using a personalised URL. The downsides are the $50 payment threshold, and the slightly slower speed of distribution.

Traditional distributors:

TuneCore and CD Baby are two companies that have dominated the market for years. Along with a global reach, they have lengthy artist rosters too. The primary benefits are the additional services, including music publishing, which allows artists to receive royalties from collection agencies worldwide. Furthermore, the TuneCore team will assist you in pitching your music for films, television and adverts. Similarly, CD Baby provides musicians with marketing tools such as Show.co – used by the likes of Maroon 5 and Oasis.

Naturally, all the impressive features come with a bigger price tag.

If you add CD Baby’s UPC cost, it’s $49.99 for an album release per year on either platform. This only includes distribution (not their additional services).

Due to their publishing & marketing services, it seems like a waste not to make use of them. If you’re looking for a more comprehensive package, TuneCore or CD Baby is the way to go. It could save you the extra costs of marketing and registration fees with collection societies. If you’re looking to make a reasonable return from your music, I’d consider one of these two.

Subscription-based distributors:

DITTO and Distrokid are two subscription-based models which charge similar fees. Both distributors offer unlimited distribution without taking any commission for a yearly price of £19 (DITTO), and $19.99 for Distrokid (for the first year). Still, they have their differences.

Distrokid is probably the most widely used distribution service available, and it’s easy to see why. Along with the best reviews on Trustpilot, it’s recommended by many users. Distrokid has built a brand on providing fast & reliable distribution, which it delivers consistently. Other benefits include submissions to community playlists on Spotify and royalty-payment splits. The main drawback with Distrokid is the revenue reports. It’s difficult to see which songs are contributing the most to your income. Also, if you want monetised music on YouTube or access to Shazam, it will cost you extra.

In contrast, DITTO has clearer and more organised reports. The analytics system provides a deeper insight into your audience. DITTO has more marketing features to offer, along with a publishing service (+£39) which collects worldwide royalty payments. Also, you won’t have to pay extra for cover songs like you would with Distrokid. However, DITTO doesn’t share as many outlets or the same quality of customer service as Distrokid. Either way, both distributors provide great value for money.

Now, it’s not always down to statistics. Reliability and customer service are other key factors. When promoting your music, you want people who will treat it like the next big record, right? Below, I’ve included the average customer ratings from Trustpilot:

Ditto: 4.1/5 from 1,868

Distrokid: 4.7/5 from 13,942

RouteNote: 4.3/5 from 509

Amuse: 4.2/5 from 722

Tunecore: 4.2/5 from 6,671

CD Baby: 3.3/5 from 1,258

In terms of digital distribution, it depends on your goals. It’s worth working out an overall budget – not just for distribution, but also for marketing and promotion. Once you’ve defined what matters most to you, the picture will become clear. If you’re looking for additional features, you might want to check out some label-service websites too. Businesses such as Absolute and Reverbnation provide services including marketing, physical distribution and advertising on top of digital distribution. These all-in-one subscriptions might be worth evaluating against the likes of TuneCore & CD Baby.

There are other distributors available such as Fresh Tunes (similar to Amuse), so remember that the ones listed above aren’t your only options. As always, I recommend doing some background research before you make your decision.

From one musician to another, I wish you nothing but success in your journey. It’s a tough industry, but if you’ve got the right mindset and persistence, you can make it!