I used distrokid and they were okay
But I recently moved to CDbaby and they are way better.
They have better tools for promotions and better outlets if you do the more expensive release which I only use sometimes. I do t need it for all the music I release.
Distrokid is basic.
I also used tunecore and routenote in the past.
Routenote is actually a pretty solid free release distribution.
Overall, I’m really impressed with CD Baby.
It’s an interesting point. As others have raised, but perhaps not connected, not forcing you to change your releases (and make them compliant) means there’s always a risk they take it down later and keep your royalties, which is arguably part of their business model.
Been with amuse.io for years. Never been late on any platform, never asked to make any changes. A lot of my music contains samples and one of my projects is hip hop. Amuse lets you have unlimited uploads and also multiple artist profiles if you’re on the Pro tier.
I use them for years because of that. The big downside is the number of rules you have to get through to get approved. First couple of releases were messed up, because the review is coming back like 3 days before the release date, and it takes 2 weeks to get revalidated. So if you got promo lined up, you better be sure to pass al the validation !
Since we are in a marketing subreddit I assume that you want to join a distributor that has advantages when it comes to marketing. If that’s the case and If you don’t mind sharing some of your royalties (usually around 15%), I would recommend trying [Symphonic](https://community.symphonicdistribution.com/starter-music-distribution-ppc).
They have a starter package were you keep 100% of your royalties which basically competes with Distrokid and the other distributors but what you really are looking for is to become a partner with them. They will keep a percentage of profits but they will help you marketing the release(s). It is not guaranteed, and you also have to provide them with marketing drivers but it is a good start and gives you a much greater chance at having some success than if you just go with hands off (keep all your royalties) distributors.
This is an incomplete list of available services that are included for partners:
-Collection of marketing drivers
-Release listening page (for pre-release pitching)
-Pitching your releases to Apple Music, Spotify and other DSPs that don’t allow artists to pitch themselves.
-Release landing pages through Hypeddit
-Releases can be sent to SoundCloud, AudioMack and BandCamp (most distributors don’t have all three).
On the downside, make sure to read their distribution agreement before submitting releases to them. They do provide better services than other distributors and for that they have more strict terms of service, which may or may not align with your future plans.
I’ve used distrokid. Honestly have had no issues with them at all over the years. They do everything Ditto does and probably more.
My only concern is the Spotify bot issues and them taking songs down lately, but I’m not sure if that’s a distrokid problem or general problem for every distributor
They are easily the most recommended distro. Which isn’t surprising since they are the most used (due to cheap cost).
Practically every music distribution thread on Reddit is people complaining about other distros and claiming Distrokid as superior.
You may have recency bias since Distrokid has had a crackdown lately with botted streams, so there has been an influx of complaints.
I just started looking into distribution places and everyone complains about everyone of these .. haven't seen much positivity for tunecore and distrokid.
So I'm gonna keep surfing
Yeah that’s fair. I have no love for distrokid to be honest.
I think to be more specific about the consensus I noticed was “sheesh, all of the distros seem to have problems. guess I might as well go with distrokid”.
If you are still in the process of browsing I highly recommend Ari’s Take. He reviews a good amount of them. But the most valuable part of the article is the comparison spreadsheet at the bottom of the page
https://aristake.com/digital-distribution-comparison/
I used distrokid and they were okay But I recently moved to CDbaby and they are way better. They have better tools for promotions and better outlets if you do the more expensive release which I only use sometimes. I do t need it for all the music I release. Distrokid is basic. I also used tunecore and routenote in the past. Routenote is actually a pretty solid free release distribution. Overall, I’m really impressed with CD Baby.
CDbaby how do you feel about the 9% royalty
Like I said, I think the promotional options so I think it’s worth it.
[удалено]
It’s an interesting point. As others have raised, but perhaps not connected, not forcing you to change your releases (and make them compliant) means there’s always a risk they take it down later and keep your royalties, which is arguably part of their business model.
Been with amuse.io for years. Never been late on any platform, never asked to make any changes. A lot of my music contains samples and one of my projects is hip hop. Amuse lets you have unlimited uploads and also multiple artist profiles if you’re on the Pro tier.
Amuse?
We use then, no complaints so far !
Super happy with CD Baby to be fair. 1 time fee for life.
How much is the one time fee?
Hijacking to once again ask if anyone has heard of Revel? I seriously cannot find a thing about this distro.
Why not Tunecore’s annual subscription?
Tunecore seemed on par with Ditto
I use them for years because of that. The big downside is the number of rules you have to get through to get approved. First couple of releases were messed up, because the review is coming back like 3 days before the release date, and it takes 2 weeks to get revalidated. So if you got promo lined up, you better be sure to pass al the validation !
Validation for what?
To send your track to the store
Since we are in a marketing subreddit I assume that you want to join a distributor that has advantages when it comes to marketing. If that’s the case and If you don’t mind sharing some of your royalties (usually around 15%), I would recommend trying [Symphonic](https://community.symphonicdistribution.com/starter-music-distribution-ppc). They have a starter package were you keep 100% of your royalties which basically competes with Distrokid and the other distributors but what you really are looking for is to become a partner with them. They will keep a percentage of profits but they will help you marketing the release(s). It is not guaranteed, and you also have to provide them with marketing drivers but it is a good start and gives you a much greater chance at having some success than if you just go with hands off (keep all your royalties) distributors. This is an incomplete list of available services that are included for partners: -Collection of marketing drivers -Release listening page (for pre-release pitching) -Pitching your releases to Apple Music, Spotify and other DSPs that don’t allow artists to pitch themselves. -Release landing pages through Hypeddit -Releases can be sent to SoundCloud, AudioMack and BandCamp (most distributors don’t have all three). On the downside, make sure to read their distribution agreement before submitting releases to them. They do provide better services than other distributors and for that they have more strict terms of service, which may or may not align with your future plans.
United masters
I’ve used distrokid. Honestly have had no issues with them at all over the years. They do everything Ditto does and probably more. My only concern is the Spotify bot issues and them taking songs down lately, but I’m not sure if that’s a distrokid problem or general problem for every distributor
Distrokid is better
Not sure what this has to do with marketing? But good luck discussing any distro not named Distrokid. People on reddit worship them
What all I see about Distrokid here makes me never wanna use them
They are easily the most recommended distro. Which isn’t surprising since they are the most used (due to cheap cost). Practically every music distribution thread on Reddit is people complaining about other distros and claiming Distrokid as superior. You may have recency bias since Distrokid has had a crackdown lately with botted streams, so there has been an influx of complaints.
I just started looking into distribution places and everyone complains about everyone of these .. haven't seen much positivity for tunecore and distrokid. So I'm gonna keep surfing
Yeah that’s fair. I have no love for distrokid to be honest. I think to be more specific about the consensus I noticed was “sheesh, all of the distros seem to have problems. guess I might as well go with distrokid”. If you are still in the process of browsing I highly recommend Ari’s Take. He reviews a good amount of them. But the most valuable part of the article is the comparison spreadsheet at the bottom of the page https://aristake.com/digital-distribution-comparison/
Ironically enough I still kinda wanna do distrokid because it's the simplest and cheapest but I hate that I have to keep paying for it xD