Choosing a distributor is the first step to getting your music on Spotify. We know this process can feel messy, so we’re here to help you make sense of it.

What follows is an unbiased overview of the top music distribution companies for independent artists. We’ve gathered the most pertinent information including royalty splits, pricing, and services offered to help you evaluate them against your specific needs.

Additionally, each distributor profile (shown in alphabetical order) includes links to the specific pages where you can see further details for that topic.

First, let’s answer the Spotify question.

How do you get your music on Spotify?

To get your music on Spotify, you’ll need to work with a distributor. They serve as the pipes that deliver your music to Spotify (and all of the other music services/stores).

Each distributor we mention in this post can get your music on Spotify. However, they all differ in the specifics of what they can offer – costs, pricing, location, and additional services. To figure out who you should use, we recommend that you start by asking yourself several key questions below.

Questions to ask before choosing a distributor:

What are your goals as an artist?

Is this just a hobby or are you a career musician.

How much music do I plan to release?

This is crucial for picking the best pricing structure for your needs.

Do you need additional services?

Do you just need someone to get your music into the various stores or do you want promotional services, publishing, etc.

How much revenue do you expect your music to generate?

This will help determine what you can afford.

What is your budget for music distribution?

What are your funds currently to start paying for distribution.

The Best Music Distributors:

Company Profiles Below in Alphabetical Order

Name: Amuse

Based: Sweden (Stockholm)

Sweden (Stockholm) Founded: 2017

2017 Startup Risk: Moderate

Moderate You keep 100% Royalties: Yes

Yes Pricing (view details):

Free to use for Artists. Note: Amuse generates their revenue from signing 50/50 deals with artists to their label.

Frequency of Payment (view details):

You can withdraw from your balance anytime as long as you have at least a $10 in it.

Additional Services:

Label Services: Opportunity to be signed to label deal with a 50/50 split

Best for: You have no budget for distribution. Music is a side project or hobby. You are willing to make the tradeoffs in customer service, mobile app only, and additional bells & whistles in order to get your music distributed for free.

Name: CD Baby

Based: USA (Portland, OR)

USA (Portland, OR) Founded: 1998

1998 Startup Risk: Very Low

Very Low You keep 100% Royalties: No

No You keep 91%. CD Baby takes a 9% commission

Pricing (view details):

Singles $9.99 one time fee (standard plan)

$9.99 one time fee (standard plan) Albums $29 one time fee

Note: additional plans available.

Frequency of Payment (view details):

Weekly on Mondays

Additional Services:

Social Video Monetization

Music Licensing

Publishing Admin (with pro plan)

Best for:

You don’t want recurring/annual fees. You’re willing to make the trade off of paying a 9% royalty commission to access additional services and be with one of the most established distributors.

Name: Distrokid

Based: USA (New York, NY)

USA (New York, NY) Founded: 2013

2013 Startup Risk: Moderate

Moderate You keep 100% Royalties: Yes

Yes Pricing (view details):

$19.99 to upload unlimited albums & songs for a year

Frequency of Payment (view details):

You can request a withdrawal anytime – money will be sent within the 1-14 days of a withdrawal request. They have been known to be late on payments.

Additional Services (view details):

Shazam & iPhone Siri: $0.99 per song/year

Store Maximizer: $7.95 per album/year

YouTube Money: $4.95 per single/year, $14.95 per album/year, + 20% of YouTube ad revenue

Leave a Legacy: $29.00 per single, $49.00 per album of 2+ tracks (nonrecurring fee)

Best For:

You want to keep your costs down. You plan to release a lot of music, and want to retain 100% of royalties.

Name: Record Union

Based: Sweden (Stockholm)

Sweden (Stockholm) Founded: 2008

2008 Startup Risk: Low

Low You keep 100% Royalties: Yes

Yes Pricing (view details):

Singles $15/year

EP $20/year

Album ($25/yr)

Pricing shown above is to distribute to all music services available. Lower pricing is offered if you want to select fewer music services.

Frequency of Payment (view details):

You can request a payout anytime to your PayPal account

Additional Services:

Artists Opportunities – (Spotify Playlist Pitching, Record Union Spotify Playlist consideration)

Best for:

You want a distributor based in Europe that is established and reputable with promotion services

Name: Reverbnation

Based: USA (Morrisville, NC)

USA (Morrisville, NC) Founded: 2006

2006 Startup Risk: low

low You keep 100% Royalties: yes

yes Pricing :

Singles: $9.95/year

$9.95/year Album: $19.95/year

$19.95/year Lower pricing is available if you choose fewer music services

Frequency of Payment ( view details ):

You can withdraw from your balance anytime to your PayPal account.

Additional Services:

Promotion (social media, website builder, widgets)

Best for: You are already using Reverbnation and want to keep your music distribution, analytics, etc. all in one place. You are ok with being on a limited set of music services.

Name: Symphonic

Based: USA (Tampa, FL)

USA (Tampa, FL) Founded: 2006

2006 Startup Risk: Low

Low You keep 100% Royalties: No.

No. Artist keeps 85% on standard plan with no label services included

Plans with label services will have a negotiated rate

Pricing (view detail s ):

No fee to use – all costs are included in the 15% royalty commission (standard plan with no label services)

Plan with Label services – a custom percentage above 15% will be negotiated

Frequency of Payment (view details):

Monthly

Additional Services:

Label Services

Best for: You want label services and are OK with giving up a significant percentage of royalties. Note: Symphonic works with selected applicants only.

Name: Tunecore

Based: USA (New York, NY)

USA (New York, NY) Founded: 2005

2005 Startup Risk: Very Low

Very Low You keep 100% Royalties: Yes

Yes Pricing (view details):

Singles $9.99 per year

$9.99 per year Albums 29.99 for first year, 49.99 each following year

Frequency of Payment:

You can request a withdrawal anytime.

Additional Services:

Publishing Admin ($75 one time fee, you keep 100% of royalties)

Youtube ($10 one-time fee, keep 80% of YT revenue)

Tunecore Social (free for Starter plan, 7.99/month for Pro Plan)

Best for:

You don’t care about skimping on budget. You are ok with annual fees, and you want to be with one of the biggest distributors with the most services/resources.

So…who is the best music distribution service?

The answer will depend based on your needs and preferences.

As you review each company, think about factors are most important to you. Some questions to ask yourself are: What is my budget? How much music do I expect to release? Do I want/need additional tools or am I OK with just the basics?

One suggestion we highly recommend is talking to your fellow artists, either in person, online via sites like reddit – the WeAreTheMusicMakers subreddit is a phenomenal resource. Connect with artists that have similar goals so you can ask them for their personal experience with their distributor.

Lastly, keep in mind it’s 2019, there a many more distributors out there that are not listed above including – all have their strengths.

Additional Distributors to Consider:

We hope the info above helps simplify your process of choosing a distributor.

Once your music is live on Spotify, checkout our article “How to Get More Spotify Plays and Followers”.

Please note: this article does not contain any affiliate links, nor does Playlist Push have any incentive to promote one service over another.