Picking a music distributor can be hard.
Although they all seem to provide roughly the same service, there are so many options with so many different pricing schemes, from free to pay-per-release.
This is why I put together a little buyer’s guide for you and, luckily, it is actually quite simple to find the right digital music distribution service.
P.S. To simply skip this guide and choose the best, check out my list of the best music distribution services. 🙂
The main things to consider when choosing a distributor
When choosing the best music distribution company, there are really only 2 things that matter:
- Having the ability to release unlimited songs
- Not having to pay a percentage of your music’s income
Let’s take a closer look at these below.
#1 – Unlimited Songs
Releasing music frequently is the key to tripping the Spotify algorithm and eventually landing on Spotify editorial playlists.
By consistently releasing new music, you have more opportunities to pitch to the editors, have your song saved by listeners, and have more chances to influence the algorithim.
This is why being able to release unlimited songs for a small annual fee is so important.
If you are going to be release a lot of music, you do not want to break the bank by having to pay for every single release that you upload. That quickly adds up.
#2 – Not paying a percentage
The 2nd most important thing is to make sure that you choose a company that does not steal a cut of your music’s revenue and Spotify royalties.
In general, the modern artist will avoid giving away percentages to anyone (including labels!), as ownership is key to a successful music career in 2021.
When you know how much Spotify pays per stream, you’ll know you can’t afford to give even the smallest percentage away.
Plus – when your music finally starts to build momentum, or even pop off, you’ll want to make sure you see as much, if not all, of that money.
4 things to consider when choosing a distributor
Now.. you might be wondering: what about the # of stores they can get my music in?
Don’t worry, we will get that to that in good time, my friend. 🙂
But first, there are some other things that you may want to give attention to when choosing a distributor that is a bit more important than that.
All the following things could be considered “nice to have” but they can make the difference between having a good or bad experience with your music distributor in the long run.
Be sure to at least consider these 4 things a bit when choosing the right music distributor for you:
1. Reputation
Because working with a music distributor as a bit like entering a relationship, you will want to make sure that the distributor you choose has a good reputation.
It is easy to overlook, but reputation is important.
Here is what you want to look for:
- They have been around for a while (at least 1 or 2 years)
- They have a good track-record (some notable artists uses them if possible)
- They are generally well-liked and praised by the community
You can choose to pick a distributor with a bad reputation if you want to take the risk, but if may very well come back to bite you in the butt in the long-term.
2. Delivery Speed
Although you will want to try your hardest to set up your release so that they are as far in the future as possible, life has a way of getting in the way.
This is why it is always useful if your distributor can get your music sent off to streaming services and stores as quickly as possible.
1 – 3 days is ideal.
7 days is definitely acceptable.
Anything longer than that should be avoided (I’m looking at you, the distributor that has a “free” plan but takes a month to send off the music).
3. Custom Release Dates
It may seem pretty basic, but being able to set specific release dates for your music is a very useful feature. Unfortunately, it is not one that every distributor has.
For example, I love and recommend DistroKid, but truth be told: you need to be on their slightly more expensive “Musician Plus” plan to be able to do this (worth it.. but still).
Setting release dates is important so that you can plan the marketing and hype around your release accordingly. Whether that be through scheduled social media posts, ads, or sending off the song to playlists and press early.
4. Customer Service
Ideally, you will never even need to hit up customer service but it is always a plus when a company has great customer service.
I’ve definitely been there…
Imagining I won’t ever need to talk to a support agent because the service or product seems simple, only for everything to be on fire the day before my release.
Solid customer support will be able to help you when you are in trouble, that is for sure.
However, a point that is often overlooked is that the quality of a company’s customer support gives you incredibly valuable insight into that company’s culture and how they view their customers.
It’s the difference between you being one of their partners or just a dollar sign.
3 things to avoid when choosing a music distributor
Not to get all clickbait on you, but some of these points may surprise you.
There are a few things that you should avoid getting caught up on or paying too much attention to when choosing a music distributor.
1. Number of streaming services and stores
Sure, there are quite a few streaming services and stores out there, but what good are they if you are going to get 0 streams from them?
What’s really important is getting your music on Spotify and Apple Music.
Sure, it might be important for some artists to get their music on Abu Dhabi’s premier streaming service, but for most artists, you will really only see the bulk of your streams come from Spotify.
Since almost every music distributor can get you on the main streaming services, I really don’t think this is a feature you should waste your time on.
2. Websites / Pre-Saves / Etc
These webpages are always limited and crappy. Don’t believe the hype.
Personally, I’m a big fan of building your own website since you get more control and it’s always much cheaper.
And on the topic of pre-saves….
No one (and I really mean no one) is going to jump through all those hoops to pre-save your song.
How many songs do YOU pre-save each day? Each week? Each month?
3. Extra promotion
As the old adage goes: if you want something right you’re going to have to do it yourself.
Spinning a wheel to get on a playlist that no one is listening to that has 1,000s of artists that aren’t even the same genre as you will get you nowhere.
It can be easy to get caught up on these things but they are really just shiny objects that should be avoided (especially the company is charging you extra for any of these things).
DistroKid pulls some of this crap too, even though they are the top music distributor that I would recommend to any artist.
Stay focused on releasing great music and releasing that great music often. That is what is most important. That is what will grow your music career.
For a look into what I did to get on over 7 Spotify editorial playlists and rack up well over 300,000 streams, I put together a free course you can check out called the 6 Secrets To Spotify Success. 🙂
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.
Popular alternatives to a music distribution service like DistroKid include TuneCore, CdBaby, Ditto, and Amuse.
If you would like to see how DistroKid compares to these services, more closely check out this articles:
- DistroKid vs TuneCore
- 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:
