If you are trying to choose between DistroKid and ONErpm to distribute your music, I’ve researched both options and written my findings down here for you.
DistroKid is a better music distributor than ONErpm because DistroKid lets you keep 100% of your earnings, is widely used and trusted, and is at the top of Spotify’s preferred music distributors list.
The main difference between these 2 distributors really comes down to the pricing:
You will need to choose between a small annual fee and keeping 100% of your income against not paying a fee but only keeping 85% of your income.
To learn more about DistroKid and ONErpm, what they offer, how much they cost, and which one is the right music distributor for you, simply keep on reading, my friend. 🙂
P.S. If you get all you needed from this intro section, I’d recommend learning about the DistroKid discount before signing up so you can get the lowest possible price!
DistroKid vs ONErpm: Annual Fee or Commission?
When it comes to music distribution, the main difference between DistroKid and ONErpm is that DistroKid charges a small annual fee and takes 0% of your earnings and that ONErpm charges no annual fee but takes 15% of your earnings.
In my opinion, I think that 15% is way too much to take and that not having to pay a percentage or commission of your music’s income is one of few things that really matter when choosing a music distributor.
Making sure that you choose a music distributor that does not steal a cut of your music’s revenue is important because you want to have as much of that money go to you when your song’s finally pop off.
The Hard Truth & Some Tough Love
So when it really comes down to choosing between DistroKid and ONErpm, you are most likely thinking this:
“I think want to upload a song for free since I don’t know if it will even do well. I’d rather give 15% of nothing than spend $20.”
If you truly feel like your music will not be streamed or if you can’t afford $20, I’d honestly reconsider if right now is the right time for you to be pursuing proper music distribution.
If this is you there is nothing wrong with this and I’ve included some resources later in this article on how you can start growing your fanbase for free.
This way you can work on building an audience that wants to stream your music, improve your music, and save up some cash before even worrying about music distribution. 🙂
Comparing DistroKid With ONErpm
With that out of the way, before we dive into the pros and cons of using DistroKid as your music distributor when compared to ONErpm, here are a few notes:
I don’t list the number of stores and streaming services as a pro nor a con, because let’s get real… All that really matters is Spotify and Apple Music.
Although ONErpm releases to fewer streaming services and stores, neither music distributor really has an edge on the other since they both get the music to the most popular services.
P.S. If you do want to learn about every single place that DistroKid can get your music distributed to, learn more in my article: Where Does DistroKid Distribute To? 🙂
In addition to this, both distributors get your music live quite fast and generally seem to be trustworthy ways to get your music where you need it to be.
DistroKid: Pros & Cons
DistroKid is a digital music distributor that uploads your music, album art, and metadata to streaming services and stores like Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Tidal, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Pandora, and more.
Although DistroKid does offer other services, its core offering, and ultimate focus is on music distribution.
For a small annual fee of $20, you can upload unlimited songs to all of the most popular streaming services and get to keep 100% of your earnings.
At this point, DistroKid is one of the most popular (if not the most popular) music distribution services out there and is actually at the very top of Spotify’s preferred music distributors list.
With that said, let’s dive into the pros and cons of using DistroKid…
Pros
Here are the main benefits of using DistroKid as your music distributor when compared to TuneCore:
- Widely available DistroKid discount to save on your first year
- Unlimited song uploads (you don’t have to pay per song or album!)
- Simple, low-cost annual fee
- DistroKid has built up a great reputation over the years and they have a great relationship with its users
- You can legally release covers with DistroKid cover song licensing
- Their customer support is pretty good once you know how to contact DistroKid
In summary, the main benefit I’d call out when comparing DistroKid to ONErpm is the fact that you get to keep 100% of your earnings for a low fee and that they are one of the most widely used and trusted music distributors out there.
Cons
Here are the main disadvantages of using DistroKid as your music distributor when compared to ONErpm:
- You need to upgrade to the Musician Plus plan to be able to set custom release dates
- Currently, there is no DistroKid app available (that is changing though)
- I honestly think that the dashboard and stats area kinda looks like poop ?
In summary, the main annoyance I would call out when comparing DistroKid to ONErpm is the push to upgrade to your plan.
ONErpm: Pros & Cons
ONErpm is a music company that offers music distribution in addition to music publishing, sync licensing, video management, and several small marketing tools like links and analytics.
Although ONErpm can offer customized and “full service” marketing support, their standard “self-service” features are free to use but take a cut of earnings through commissions.
ONErpm does not seem to be well known or talked about by artists, but apparently has a strong network in Latin America and seems to really focus on providing for artists that are in or releasing music for the Latin American market.
When it comes to music distribution, ONErpm offers unlimited song uploads to most streaming services for free but will take a 15% cut of any earnings your music makes.
Although ONErpm apparently has a reputation for rejecting songs, it is most likely due to standard issues when submitting songs (like incorrect titles, artwork, files, etc) which can happen no matter what distributor you use.
With that said, let’s dive into the pros and cons of using ONErpm when compared to DistroKid…
Pros
Here are the main benefits of using ONErpm as your music distributor when compared to DistroKid:
- No annual fee
- Can also provide music publishing, sync licensing, video management, and several small marketing tools like links and analytics
- Can choose which regions you want to distribute your music to
In summary, the main benefits of using ONErpm are the lack of an annual fee and the potential for them to be a “one-stop-shop” for more than distribution.
In addition to this, if you are an artist in or releasing music for the Latin American market, you may find ONErpm particularly appealing.
Cons
Here are the main disadvantages of using ONErpm as your music distributor when compared to DistroKid:
- They take a massive 15% cut of your earnings
- Not well known or talked about by artists
- They take an absolutely massive 15% cut of your earnings
In summary, the biggest disadvantage of using ONErpm when compared to DistroKid is that they aren’t very well known and that they take a big cut of your potential earnings away from you.
How much does ONErpm cost?
ONErpm has no upfront fees and instead takes a 15% cut from any of the earnings that you may get from your music.
Is ONErpm free?
ONErpm can get your music on streaming services for free although they will not give you 100% of the royalties that your song may earn. ONErpm takes a 15% cut from any of the earnings that you may get from your music.
Is DistroKid Better Than ONErpm?
DistroKid is a better music distributor than ONErpm because DistroKid lets you keep 100% of your earnings, is widely used and trusted, and is at the top of Spotify’s preferred music distributors list.
When researching ONErpm’s music distribution service, I found a Reddit thread called Onerpm for music distribution that ended in this comment from the original poster:
At the end of the day, I think this is where you will end up as well after making your comparison of what the two company’s offer.
With that said, if you still feel like a service like ONErpm may be better for you because you truly feel like your music will not be streamed or if you can’t afford $20…
I’d recommend releasing your music for free on something like YouTube or Soundcloud to start and promote your music for free with social media.
This way you can work on building an audience that wants to stream your music, improve your music, and save up some cash before even worrying about music distribution. 🙂
Here are some articles you can check out to help you out with that:
- Social Media For Musicians That HATE Posting To Social Media
- How To Get Patreon Supporters & An Audience That Supports Your Art
- Why No One Cares About Your Music (& What To Do About It)
- How To Get Fans To Stream Your Music (By Building A Fanbase)
Which DistroKid Plan Is Best For You?
Although DistroKid’s basic Musician plan is the cheapest way to get started, I’d recommend looking into their Musician Plus plan as the best option.
The Musician Plus plan does cost a bit more, however, the ability to be able to set a custom release date is pretty important so that you have an actual date to focus your promotion towards.
With that said, to learn more about how you can pick the right DistroKid plan for you, I’d recommend checking out any of these articles:
Regardless of which plan you choose, I’d recommend learning about the DistroKid discount before you sign up so that you can get your plan for the lowest possible price.
Click the link above to learn more (including a full walkthrough), but here is a spoiler for you:
The best discount that DistroKid offers is 7% off your first year with DistroKid: to save 7% off with DistroKid click here.
DistroKid Alternatives
Although my top suggestion for a music distributor is definitely DistroKid, I’ve gone ahead and compared DK to other popular services in case you are in the market for a new digital distributor or are simply just curious.
Other popular alternatives to a music distribution service like DistroKid include CdBaby, Ditto, and Amuse.
If you would like to see how DistroKid compares to these services, more closely check out these articles:
- DistroKid vs CdBaby
- DistroKid vs UnitedMasters
- DistroKid vs Ditto
- DistroKid vs Amuse
- DistroKid vs SoundCloud
- DistroKid vs Landr
Or, if you would like a more detailed look into what DistroKid has to offer, you can check out my big fat DistroKid review. 🙂
P.S. If you also want to learn about music publishing and make sure that you are not leaving any money on the table with your music distribution setup, I’d recommend checking out these 2 articles:
