5 Best Music Distributors for an Independent Musical Artist

Are you a budding musician who wants to share their songs with the world? You simply don’t want to confine your artistic endeavors to your workstation. Do you wish to spread your ideas
and songs around the world? But skeptical of the method? Is it because you are unable to
locate the top music distributors who will support you and act as a conduit for your consumers?
So let us help you discover your musical fantasy by presenting you with a list of the best music
distributors. Music distribution is the key to expanding your music business worldwide.

RouteNote Music Distributor

For any artists that are researching or have researched about distributors to share their
music, they are well aware of the leading distributor Routenote. It is a popular distribution
platform for artists of all sizes. For more than 10+ years Routenote has built the trust for the
artists to release their music smoothly. Founded in the countryside of Cornwall, UK in 2007,
The distributors are now prime digital distributors in all of Europe. Their goal is to make the
artists reach audiences of all sizes without any worries!
Pricing plans :

RouteNote offers both free and premium plans to artists of all types and sizes.

Pros and Cons of RouteNote:

Pros:

• Distributing music for free
• A straightforward and intuitive Layout
• Extensive coverage and worldwide reach
• Fairness revenue sharing

Cons:

• Lengthy processing durations
• Limited assistance for customers

That brings RouteNote to the top of the list of Best Music Distributors.

TuneCore Music Distributor

Tunecore was established in Brooklyn, New York, in 2006. They are right now one of the most
popular digital distribution platforms. Further explanation won’t be needed for them if you are an
artist in the scene for a long time or even if you are an artist just starting in, Tunecore comes at
the top. They distribute the artists’ songs to famous and over 150+ online streaming retailers
making the artists their potential independent music careers.

Pricing plans :

Right now, they have made some changes in their pricing scenario making it competitive
compared to other distributors. They have both free plans and paid plans. The pricing starts at
$14.99 to $49.99 with different plans according to the needs of the artists.
You will get to keep the 100% royalties from DSPs on paid plans.
And on free plans, you will get to keep 80% royalties from the DSPs, as they will keep the rest
20% as their commission.

Pros and Cons of TuneCore:

Pros:

• Interface that is easy to use
• Cutting-edge features and tools for artist development
• thorough reporting and analytics
• Advances in revenue determined on previous performance

Cons:

• Way too simple for some already famous artists
• 20% of social media platform commission.
• Lackings of robust marketing assistance e.g. – playlist insertion.

That brings TuneCore to the top 2 of the list of Best Music Distributors.

DistroKid Music Distributor

Distrokid is another independent digital music distribution platform that allows artists to explore
and have smooth uploads of as much as they want per year of their music just with a one-time
payment. The artists don’t even have to worry much as Distrokid distributes music to the
leading streaming platforms as well as Instagram and TikTok. They also provide mechanical
licenses to artists who want to do cover songs in the form of commercial earnings.

Pricing plans:

Artists can keep 100% of their royalties. They have pricing plans per year for different numbers of artists.

Pros and Cons of Distrokid:

Pros:

• No commissions at all.
• SMS marketing tools that allow artists to engage with fans directly.
• Easy interaction with Tiktok.
• Auto revenue splits.
  Mechanical licenses for song covers.
  Instant Spotify-verified artists

Cons:

• probable challenges with customer service.
• Hidden fees.
• Fewer revenue insights.

That brings Distrokid to the top 3 of the list of Best Music Distributors.

Ditto Music Distributor

Ditto Music is a top music distributor in the market. Artists like Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith,
Chance The Rapper, Stormzy, Royal Blood, Malta, Sarkodie, and many more have been a part of
ditto music distribution in their career. In 2007, Ditto Music started the journey by distributing
Blag, steal, and Borrow by Koopa made it to the UK top 40 charts for unsigned artists, the
accomplishment also is in the Guinness World Record. One of their unique features are
RECORD LEVEL IN A BOX, which helps artists to set up their labels.

Pricing plans:

The ranges start from $19 to $89 per annual year as they offer multiple plans for the artists
and labels. Artists keep 100% of their royalties. They allow music videos to the Official VEVO
channel which costs around $100 one time per video. They have 30 days of free trials.

Pros and Cons of Ditto Music:

Pros:

• No commissions on the artist’s earnings.
• Free release day schedule.
• Free UPSC & ISRC also YouTube content ID.
• Developed marketing tools.
• Transparent revenue outline.
• RLIAB for the artists owning a label.
• Immediate payments.

Cons:

• Claims to be fast but not the fastest service.
• Hidden payments.
• Unable to provide detailed data.
• slow support in customer services

That brings Ditto to the top 4 on the list of Best Music Distributors.

CDbaby Music Distributor

A Portland, Oregon-based online distributor for independent artists in the music industry,
CDbaby was founded in 1998 making it the oldest distribution in this list. They began the
journey by offering both Physical and digital distribution. CDbaby has been in the business for over
25 years and they have worked with millions of artists. They have also partnered with Spotify.

Pricing plans:

For singles or albums $9.99, they charge with extra costs for upgrades up to $49.99
(One time). Artists keep 91% of their musical earnings. However, they need to pay 15%
commission to CDbaby on royalties in streaming. If you have a budget you can go for CDBaby
Pro for better access to the platform, but if you just starting and don’t want to spend much
then go for CDbaby.

Pros and Cons of CDbaby:

Pros:

• For musical promotion, they offer HearNow and show.co
• Physical and digital distribution.
• Extra musical marketing sites.
• Strong base on legacy and history.
• Separate admin service on publishing music.

Cons:

• Expensive for aspiring artists.
• Separate subscription offers.
• Issues in customer services and inconsistent reports from previous complaints.

That brings CDbaby to the top 5 on the list of Best Music Distributors.

These music distributors are here to help artists all over the world spread the magic they
have created with the world of music lovers. It helps the audiences as well to dive deep into
various genres of music.

Things to Know with Best Music Distributors :

● None of these distributors own your music but rather they act as a connecting hub
between the artists and the audiences.
● Always read the terms and conditions, even though you select the trusted distributors
knowing and being clear about the agreements are necessary.
● Even though they help you with the royalties and earnings you still hold the copyright of
your music.
● As an artist you have full rights to select and choose your desired distributors and you
can shift from premium to free plans and vice versa on almost all platforms.
Never stop your independent artist dream fade away. You are one step away from letting it play and
join into the listener’s playlists