When it comes to music distribution, learning the best way to connect to your audience is essential. You should look for free music distribution services to enhance your audience. Nowadays, much of royalties income is from streaming and that only shows how important it is to invest in the right music aggregator. The internet has brought a lot of shortcuts to our lives and this also applies to the process of putting your music out there. Unfortunately, most platforms don’t allow independent artists to upload music on their own. This is where music aggregators come into play. This kind of service provide a simpler path for artists that are not signed to any labels to distribute their work. Keep reading if you're asking yourself "how can I upload my song to Spotify?". You'll also find a comparison between the major aggregators on the market to choose the one that best fits you!
What are music aggregators?
Music aggregators – responsible for music distribution to digital streaming platforms – are important companies that can help independent artists. They provide a straightforward path to make their songs available to listeners all over the world. However, not many of them are real friendly to an independent artist. Basically, music aggregators should aim at simplifying an artist's life. Nowadays, since independent musicians are established as a good part of music industry, more and more work has come onto them. In other words, artists have to, besides making art, manage their own career, which is pretty close to a full-time job. So music aggregators should thrive by making things easier, instead of only seeking their own profit. That's why a reliable free music distribution service is kinda hard to find. A music aggregator is responsible for getting original music online and collecting royalties from each platform - that's it. But many of them have different ways to do so: different ways for charging and a few other services they provide, and so making things a bit confusing. Also, a music aggregator will allow you to create and manage your artist profiles on stores and streaming services. From Spotify For Artists to Amazon Music For Artists, you'll need a music aggregator to manage your profile. Check below a comparison list of a few music distribution services so you can choose the one that fits you best. Not all of them are actually free, since they're actually rare on the market nowadays, but this is surely the best list to find one to go with.Comparison of Music Distribution Services
It’s a known fact that streaming services now make up the bulk of music plays worldwide. Digital distribution is now the main path to connect with as many listeners as possible. In that context, it only makes sense to have your songs available on the platforms.1. ONErpm
ONErpm is a platform that works with direct selling and music distribution for digital media. It was founded in 2010 by Emmanuel Zunz and Matthew Olim in New York’s Brooklyn. Apart from distributing music, it also helps artists to manage copyrights and build a network for music video distribution. They work mostly with nonexclusive deals through their three offices in Nashville, New York and São Paulo. On the other hand, the platform is definitely not free of charges. The company can keep up to 50% of royalties in some cases – rules vary according to the streaming service you choose.2. LANDR
LANDR started out in 2014 as a cloud-base automated mastering service developed by Montreal’s MixGenius. Since the beginning, they aimed to create a safe space for independent and signed artists to collaborate. In order to achieve that, LANDR works closely with technologies such as big data and machine learning. The music distribution part of their business came later in the game, in July 2017. The service still works with digital mastering as well as music distribution. Their pricing varies according to what you are looking for. You’ll have to make monthly payments and pay some extra for each master. Same goes for music distribution. Even though they have a free plan, they’ll still charge the artist for each release.