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With Distrokid, you can easily distribute your music across multiple streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. In this article, we'll discuss the benefits of using Distrokid, how to use the service effectively, the differences between Spotify for Artists and Apple Music for Artists, and how Distrokid compares to other distributors like CD Baby.
Distrokid makes distributing your music to the major DSPs easy. With Distrokid, you can distribute your music to over 150 streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, and more. The benefit is that your music will be present wherever your fans, and potential fans, are listening to music. Additionally, with Distrokid, you can quickly go from "Ready for release" to "Released," as Distrokid distributes within 48 hours of submission.
I used a comparable service, Tunecore, to distribute my music before my record deal. Surprisingly, I heard consistently from the editorial teams at the DSPs that it is easier for them to playlist and support artists distributed through a distributor like Distrokid or Tunecore than it is for them to support an artist distributed by a major label, largely due to political pressures from the label to prioritize certain artists over others.
Distrokid also offers unlimited free storage with Distrokid Vault, so you don't have to worry about paying for every album or single you upload. Their dashboard lets you track your song's performance across all platforms, helping you optimize your release strategy as needed.
Ultimately, what sets Distrokid apart from other distributors is its Featured Artist program which provides direct access to labels and industry professionals. This is a great way for independent musicians who may not have connections in the industry yet – but still want their music heard at a larger scale – to connect with labels or DSP editorial teams.
Here's a step-by-step guide to getting started with Distrokid:
The first step in using Distrokid is to create an account. This process is quick and easy. Once you've made your account, you can upload songs and albums.
Once you have created your account with Distrokid, it's time to upload tracks or albums that you want to distribute. Drag and drop your audio files into the "Upload Tracks" area on the dashboard to do this quickly and easily. Each track must be under 50MB in size (or 20MB for video).
Once your tracks are uploaded on DistroKid's platform, they are ready for distribution across multiple stores & streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. When selecting where you would like your music distributed, you can choose from almost any store or streaming service imaginable, including Amazon Music, Pandora, or Deezer. It is important to note that once you've selected stores & streaming services, they cannot be changed.
After selecting which stores & services will have access to your music, there will be a one-time fee or an annual service charge depending on which plan best fits your needs.
Once your music has been released, you can use DistroKid's dashboard to monitor your song's performance.
Once you have distributed your music to the DSPs with DistroKid, you can use the artist platforms provided by Spotify, Apple Music, and other leading platforms.
Spotify for Artists and Apple Music for Artists are two of the most popular streaming services available to artists. Both offer a great way to monitor your track's performance, but there are some key differences between them.
Spotify for Artists is dedicated to helping independent artists grow their presence within the Spotify platform. It provides analytics, marketing opportunities, and access to exclusive playlists. With these features, Spotify for Artists is one of the most useful tools in an artist's tool belt following a release.
Apple Music for Artists helps musicians build their presence on Apple Music. It offers similar tools as Spotify for Artists, such as analytics, marketing opportunities, and access to exclusive playlists. One of the main advantages of Apple Music over Spotify is its ability to stream in high-fidelity audio formats like ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec), enabling your fans and prospective fans to hear your audio in the highest possible quality.
Distrokid is a popular choice for independent musicians looking to distribute their music, but other options are available. Comparing Distrokid to other distributors like CD Baby can help artists decide which platform is best suited to their needs.
CD Baby is one of the most established music distribution services, as it has been around since 1998. It offers a range of features for digital distribution, including free uploads, unlimited storage, and instant access to over 150 streaming platforms. Additionally, CD Baby offers a feature that allows independent artists to pay for their album or single artwork and get access to exclusive playlists. The main difference between CD Baby and Distrokid is cost – while Distrokid charges an annual fee of $19.99, CD Baby takes 9% of any sale made through its services.
Both platforms offer excellent support with knowledgeable staff always willing to answer questions or provide advice. Furthermore, both services are user-friendly and easy to use.
The most important part of your release is the music. Along with the music comes packaging – including your song's artwork, your artist name, and the song's name.
This is where Crate becomes instrumental as part of your pre-release preparation. Crate allows you to visualize what your music will look like once it has been released to the DSPs with its Spotify and Apple Music-inspired design.
With Crate, you can quickly test different artwork and variations of your song's name. You may want to try it in lowercase or all caps.
Beyond packaging, Crate is a key part of perfecting the music. Crate's version management feature allows you to neatly organize every version of your song before a release, including every demo, mix, and master. You can take notes on each version to remind yourself of the changes you made from version to version and be confident that the version you're releasing is the best version possible.
When I was an artist, this process of iteration was key. For some songs, I created over 20 demos alone, perfecting every detail before the song went to mix.
If you haven't already, sign up for Crate to perfect every release before distributing to the DSPs with a tool like Distrokid. There's nothing worse than wishing the artwork was different or that you had pushed for the song to improve in the production. Doing that extra version or fine-tuning the artwork is the key to having a catalog full of releases you're proud of, and we built Crate to help you do that.
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