Music distribution services have made it easier than ever for independent artists to get their music heard by audiences around the world. With so many different services available, it can be difficult to know which one is the best fit for your needs. In this post, we'll compare and contrast the 10 top music distribution services and their pricing.
I'm going to exclude some popular sites that don't distribute to major streaming services but offer opportunity to share your music or sell your music from the site, like BandCamp and ReverbNation.
Yearly Subscription-Type Services
These distributors offer distribution services and charge a recurring fee.
DistroKid
DistroKid is a popular music distribution service that allows artists to distribute their music to major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. DistroKid offers a range of pricing plans, including a Basic plan for $29.99 per year that allows artists to upload an unlimited number of tracks and keep 100% of their royalties.
DistroKid's mid-tier plan, called Musician, costs $35 per year and includes features like Shazam and YouTube Content ID. DistroKid's most expensive plan, called Label, costs $89.99 per year and offers features like customizable label and artist profiles.
TuneCore
TuneCore is another popular music distribution service that allows artists to distribute their music to over 150 digital stores and streaming platforms worldwide. TuneCore offers a range of pricing plans, including a Single plan for $9.99 that allows artists to distribute a single track or album for $29.99 to streaming platforms and keep 100% of their royalties.
TuneCore's other pricing structure allows unlimited releases and have pricing from free (social media only), $15, $29, and $50 with increasing feature sets as price increases.
Ditto Music
Ditto Music is a UK-based music distribution service that offers distribution to over 200 stores and streaming platforms worldwide. Ditto Music offers a range of pricing plans based on a per artist per year fee. The Artist plan for $19 per year allows one artist to distribute their music to major streaming platforms and keep 100% of their royalties.
Ditto Music's mid-tier plan, called Professional (unlimited releases for two artists), costs $36 per year and includes features like Shazam and YouTube Content ID. Ditto Music's most expensive plan, called Label (unlimited releases for five artists), costs $99 per year and offers features like customizable label and artist profiles.
Symphonic Distribution
Symphonic Distribution is a music distribution service that offers distribution to major streaming platforms as well as marketing and promotion services. Symphonic Distribution offers a range of pricing plans, including a Starter plan for $20 per year that allows artists to distribute their music to major streaming platforms and keep 100% of their royalties. They do have a revenue-share part with User-Generated Content (UGC) sites, like YouTube, where they keep 30% of the UGC they identify with your music on it.
Symphonic Distribution's top tier, called Partner, requires an application and includes a revenue-share type agreement and other services like sync licensing opportunities and promotional services.
Level Music
Level Music is a music distribution service that offers distribution to major streaming platforms as well as marketing and promotion services. Level Music offers a range of pricing plans, including a Basic plan for $20 per year that allows artists to distribute their music to major streaming platforms and keep 100% of their royalties.
Level Music doesn't publish their higher tier plans, but the most expensive plan in the past, called Premium, cost $50 per year and includes features like playlist pitching and social media marketing.
Amuse
Amuse is a music distribution service that offers free distribution to major streaming platforms, allowing artists to keep 100% of their royalties. The lowest tier, Start, is free and appears to have basic resources to release music to a limited number of outlets. Amuse also offers mid and top tier plan, Boost and Pro. Boost is $25 per year offering faster delivery and more streaming services on the distribution list. The top-tier plan called Pro is $50 per year including multiple artists, custom label, and support offerings.
One-Time Payment Services
These services offer a one-time payment for distribution services.
CD Baby
CD Baby is a music distribution service that has been around since 1998. CD Baby offers a pay once pricing plan that does not include an annual or recurring fee. Standard singles or albums are $10 and PRO singles or albums are $50. The PRO tier adds publishing and royalty collection.
Revenue-sharing Services
These services offer lower cost (or free) recurring fees but take a percentage of royalties or sales.
AWAL
AWAL is a music distribution service (but acts more like a record label) that is focused on independent artists and offers distribution to major streaming platforms as well as marketing and promotion services. Once your submitted music is accepted, either through a trusted A&R partner or direct referral, AWAL offers a revenue share model, taking a percentage of artists' royalties in exchange for its services.
The tier system starts at AWAL Core, the entry-level tier. The mid-teir is called AWAL+ and the top tier is AWAL Recordings, each accessed through promotion from a lower level or entry-level (Core) tier. AWAL does not publish its pricing publicly, but according to reports, its revenue share model typically ranges from 15% to 30%.
Routenote
Routenote is a music distribution service that offers distribution to major streaming platforms as well as YouTube monetization and sync licensing opportunities. Routenote offers a range of pricing plans, including a Free plan that allows artists to distribute their music to major streaming platforms and keep 85% of their royalties.
Routenote's mid-tier plan, called Premium, costs $10 per year for singles and allows artists to keep 100% of their royalties. They have pricing for EP's at $20 per year, Albums for $30 per year, and extended albums for $45 per year. The top-tier, Routenote All Access, is probably the most expensive plan and offers features like a dedicated account manager, pitching assistance, support, and other services, but is individually priced depending on your needs and (I'm assuming) sales potential.
SoundCloud for Artists
SoundCloud for Artists (formerly Repost by SoundCloud) is a music distribution service that offers distribution to major streaming platforms as well as marketing and promotion services. SoundCloud for Artists offers a range of pricing plans, starting at $8 per year for the Next Pro (mid-tier) that allows artists to distribute their music to major streaming platforms and keep 80% of their royalties.
SoundCloud for Artists' doensn't publically share the top tier information, but probably (if its similar to Repost's previous offerings) costs more per year and includes features like playlist pitching and marketing and promotion services.
SoundCloud also has a free tier, but doesn't include music distribution to streaming services so I'm not including it here.
Conclusion
Choosing the right music distribution service for your needs depends on a number of factors, including your budget, the features you need, and the platforms you want to distribute your music to. Each of the 10 services we've outlined in this post has its own strengths and weaknesses, and the right choice for you will depend on your specific goals as an artist.
In terms of pricing, Amuse and RouteNote offer free distribution plans, while DistroKid, TuneCore, and CD Baby offer a range of pricing plans at various price points. AWAL and Symphonic Distribution offer revenue share models, while Level Music and Repost by SoundCloud offer a mix of pricing plans and revenue share models.
Ultimately, it's important to do your research and choose a music distribution service that meets your needs as an artist and helps you get your music heard by audiences around the world.
Bonus Round
Two more services I'd like to include that were not part of my original 10 music streaming servies.
Avid Play
Avid Play is a music distribution service from the makers of ProTools that offers distribution to major streaming platforms as well as features like social media sharing and promotion. Avid Play mid-level teir is $25 per year and includes unlimited stereo distribution to streaming and artists keep 100% of their royalties.
The top-tier includes unlimited releases in Dolby Atmos for $50 per year for up to three artists and includes all the lower-tier features. The entry-level single distribution is $5 per year for single distribution and has similar features to the mid-tier but only for a single.
While Avid Play is a newer player in the music distribution space, it offers competitive pricing and features that make it a good option for independent artists looking to get their music on major streaming platforms. It is one of the few offering Dolby Atmos distribution. However, it's important to note that Avid Play doesn't offer as many features as some of the other services on this list, so it may not be the best fit for all artists.
The Orchard
The Orchard is a music distribution service that offers distribution to major streaming platforms as well as features like playlist pitching, sync licensing, and marketing and promotion services. The Orchard is owned by Sony Music (purchased in 2015) and used to offer a range of pricing plans, allowing artists to distribute their music to major streaming platforms and keep 85% of their royalties.
Since their purchase by Sony, it appears you have to inquire for distribution with The Orchard now.
As one of the largest music distribution services in the industry, The Orchard offers a range of features and services that make it a good option for artists looking to get their music heard by a wide audience. However, its not a sign up and pay service like some of the other services on this list, so it's important to consider your goals as an artist before choosing a music distribution service.