Song distribution services - Upload your music for free : Blog

In the modern music industry, the possibilities regarding music distribution are endless. As an independent artist, you might stumble upon doubts when trying to share your music with the world. This article aims to shed some light on the basics of song distribution services, as well as other details of the business. This way, you can have a clear view on what music distributor to choose and how to approach the process.

The basics of music distribution

As you might already know, music distribution is the mechanism that makes your songs available for people to listen. Nowadays, especially, there are many different ways through which a person can consume music – hundreds, even. With streaming platforms on the market, the paths your music can take to find the ears of the audience are many. Big names in the streaming world, such as Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music and Tidal encompass only a few of the possibilities in a much wider picture. As said before, distribution contains a lot: many platforms and outlets, each with its many bureaucratic processes, which can amount to a lot of worries for a single person. That's where music distributors come in: these are companies that will take all of this work off your hands and do it themselves. Their aim is to make the artist’s journey in sharing music easier and hassle free; and that’s why you should consider them.

Song distribution services and payment

Music distributors are an essential variant on how much money you will receive from each of the streaming platforms and stores. In this sense, the role of a distributor is, beyond making your music available, to mediate the payment between the platforms and the artist – and that will depend on the agreement you make with the company of your choice. With that, we come to music royalties: the money that belongs to the owner or rightsholder of a record, through which an artist can get paid – by the amount of streams their music gets on a streaming platform, for example. Royalties are also a part of the agreement with your music distributor: some song distribution services retain part of your royalties as a fee, others don’t.

How to choose the right distributor

Even though the goal of music distributors is to make your life as an artist less complicated, there are a lot of details to be explored. The abundance in the music industry is not only limited to streaming platforms; just like that, we also have a myriad of music distributors these days. Some may believe that, since every distributor allegedly has the same final goal, they can’t be that different from eachother. And that couldn’t be further from the truth. Before we dive into the specifics of some of the biggest distributors in the market, it’s important to understand what being a good distributor actually entails, and how much it varies. Learn more today Beyond making your music available in streaming platforms and online stores, a few details really make the cut on what means to be a good music distributor. To mention a few of the most important: good prices, fees and commission deals; a sufficient list of platforms and partners to distribute songs; a good support system; the right to keep the rights to your music as well as royalties; and extra marketing features for you to expand your career as a musician.

A comparison between song distribution services

A lot of distributors already require you to pay a certain amount of money upfront. This approch can bring access to the distribution service down. In this list are companies such as: CD Baby, DistroKid, Ditto Music and Tunecore. These companies require the upfront payment of what is called a distribution fee, and it normally ranges from $19,99 – not including additional marketing features. Since the reality of many independent artists does not include an opulent amount of money to spend right in the beginning, those distributors are certainly not the most accessible. With that said, we will share with you more in-depth details of the music distributors that don’t require any upfront payment:

Amuse

In the market since 2017, Amuse is a free and very accessible music distribution service – you can release music using their app, directly. The cons of Amuse begin with their model of royalty sharing; which means they keep a certain amount of the earnings from your songs. Also, the number of stores Amuse sends your music to is very limited: the list falls short at 16 streaming platforms and stores, in total; and that doesn’t include social media platforms such as Instagram or Facebook. Those you can only reach with the Pro plan – which costs $60 yearly.

AWAL

On the other hand, AWAL finds its highlight in their number of partners: they distribute to 200+ stores all over the world. The downside is that they take a minimum commission of 15% over all your music. But that’s not all: they are not open to everyone – every artist has to make an application to AWAL, in hopes that they will be selected for their services.

FreshTunes

FreshTunes also won’t require upfront payment, but will take a very high commission of 20% over your revenue. Their distribution list also doesn’t count very high, with only 25 outlets. For a better deal, you’d have to pay $10 for a Pro plan. But, even the paid plan only brings the commission down to 10%. User reviews also report a poor support system, with delayed payments and faulty revenue reports.

OneRPM

Another free-to-join distribution company, you can share unlimited songs with OneRPM – with a 15% commission. Not so targeted towards independent artists, OneRPM has a A&R approach to find artists to sign a record label. Also, their focus is on the Latin American music scenario; which comes with a shorter list of outlets to distribute your songs to.

United Masters

Also free upfront, United Masters is a very big distributor, especially in the hip-hop scene. Still, you don’t get to keep all of your royalties if you choose to distribute with them. The commission amounts to 10% over your revenue. If your desire is to preserve your royalties, you have to pay them at least $60 yearly.

The revolution of Magroove

composing; recording; song distribution services

On the topic of accessible music distribution, we have the revolutionary services offered by Magroove. How to upload to Spotify has never been easier. This is a music distribution company created for artists, by artists. Our philosophy revolves around your main concerns as an independent artist. We believe that no one can have a better understanding of our worries and ambitions, other than artists themselves.

Keep your royalties

Our focus is to provide a transparent, efficient and budget-friendly service for independent artists. A lot of the song distribution services earlier mentioned are marketed as free; yet, they take up a wide portion of your royalties and inflict a loss on your earnings through commissions. With us, nothing is hidden: you get to keep all of your royalties with no upfront costs or commissions. All we take is $5 a year of the total revenue of each of your releases – and, even if your total earnings don’t amount to $5, we don’t take your songs down or charge anything.

Have your songs available everywhere

Magroove's price deal certainly cannot be ignored, but our list of partners is also not one to be dismissed. We will upload your songs to 50+ stores, including all the big names like Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer; also, social media platforms are not left out: we can also upload your songs to Facebook and Instagram for free.

Thrive in the music industry

Our marketing features are many, and you can have instant access to some of them just by distributing with us. Amongst more, you will be able to have access to a Spotify for Artists account, Magroove Link Trees, full analytics reports and the pre-save option on Spotify. We can also upload your songs to the Magroove Discovery app and recommend them to many new potential listeners. These are only a few of the many paths we can clear for you. With us, you can reach more audiences, enhance your career and, overall, grow as an artist. We know how hard it is to make it in the music industry as an independent musician. Therefore, we want to help you as much as possible in your individual journey. Having a support system which is solid enough makes it possible for you to focus on making music, while still having enough room to progress in your career. That’s the support we provide you with.

How to distribute with Magroove

Since our aim is to make independent artists’ lives easier, we could not have anything other than a fast and straightforward submitting process. To distribute your music with Magroove, you only need to follow a few easy steps:

Prepare your audio file and cover art
Create a Magroove for Artists account
Drag n’ drop your files
Fill out a simple form
Choose a release date

That’s all! In up to just two weeks your music will be available in 50+ stores and streaming platforms – such as Spotify, Instagram, Apple Music – for everyone to hear, just as you’ve always envisioned. SIGN UP!

Song distribution services – Upload your music for free