If you’re looking for the best music distribution services to release your music on global streaming platforms, you’re in the right place. Independent music distribution platforms have become essential for artists looking to not only release their music worldwide but also grow their careers to new heights. In this article, we’ll break down how we stack up against DistroKid, CD Baby, TuneCore, Ditto, UnitedMasters, ONErpm, TooLost, and Amuse in terms of pricing, customer service, marketing, and more. Let’s talk about it…
1. Symphonic Distribution
Pricing and Fees
Single: $10/year
Album (up to 20 tracks): $50/year
Revenue share: 15% of royalties
Symphonic’s Plans
Symphonic offers two main options: Starter and Partner. The Starter plan is $19.99 per year and gives artists 100% of royalties on unlimited tracks and releases. In contrast, the Partner plan is application-based with no sign-up fees; however, accepted Partner artists and labels share a percentage of royalties with Symphonic. Additionally, Partner artists and labels receive extra service offerings not available to Starter artists. Because Symphonic caters to a wide range of genres and offers extensive support, many consider it among the best music distribution services for independent artists.
Customer Service and Support
Symphonic provides dedicated artist support via email and chat, along with account managers for artists on the Partner plan. This hands-on approach ensures artists receive assistance with everything from royalty inquiries to marketing strategies.
Marketing and Advertising Tools
Symphonic offers robust marketing tools, including playlist pitching, sync licensing, social media marketing, and YouTube monetization. Moreover, artists can easily track their campaigns in the SymphonicMS, providing a centralized hub for all promotional efforts.
Extra Tools and Features
Symphonic provides additional features like music video distribution, sync licensing, and detailed royalty analytics, making it a comprehensive platform for artists seeking professional growth. Beyond digital, Symphonic offers physical distribution options, including vinyl and CD manufacturing. This benefit is especially helpful for artists wanting to offer physical copies to their fans.
Rights Management
With Symphonic, you can monetize content on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitch, SoundCloud, Triller, and more. In addition, platforms such as ACRCloud, Audible Magic, and Pex Attribution Engine monitor numerous channels for catalog iterations. Symphonic delivers to these platforms to maintain the best “big data” picture of releases across the industry, protect intellectual property, and maximize monetization strategies.
SoundExchange and Additional Royalties
Symphonic also works with SoundExchange to enable the collection of digital performance royalties, as well as performance royalties / neighboring rights from worldwide territories. (That includes royalties from any of your music played on SiriusXM and Pandora.) Plus, we make it as easy as selecting SoundExchange as a DSP. Notably, collecting digital performance royalties isn’t even an option from some other distributors, so we’re proud to offer it.
2. DistroKid
Pricing and Fees
Model: Subscription-based
Musician Plan: $22.99/year (unlimited releases for one artist)
Musician Plus: $35.99/year (for two artists)
Label Plan: $79.99–$1,199/year (for 5–100 artists)
DistroKid doesn’t charge per release, allowing artists to keep 100% of their royalties.
While DistroKid is popular, especially for unlimited releases, some artists seeking the best music distribution services may prefer a platform with more marketing tools.
Customer Service and Support // DistroKid has limited customer service, mainly offering online help articles. However, there is no phone or chat support available.
Marketing and Advertising Tools // DistroKid offers basic marketing tools like Spotify pre-save links and its “HyperFollow” feature, though it lacks more advanced marketing services like playlist pitching.
Extra Tools and Features // DistroKid’s standout tool is Splits, which automatically divides royalties between collaborators. They also offer YouTube Content ID for collecting YouTube royalties, similarly to Symphonic.
Note: If you produce Electronic music, there are additional fees to supply material to Electronic Dance Specialty DSPs and providers with DistroKid. With Symphonic, you can deliver to Electronic Dance DSPs without any extra fees or plans. Keep in mind, as an electronic musician, it’s beneficial to work with a team that best understands the genre.
3. CD Baby
Pricing and Fees
Model: One-time fee per release.
Single: $9.95 (Standard), $29.95 (Pro)
Album: $29 (Standard), $69 (Pro)
- Revenue share: 9% of digital royalties
- CD Baby’s Pro service includes publishing administration and worldwide royalty collection.
Customer Service and Support // CD Baby offers customer service via email and phone, and has a good reputation for being artist-friendly and responsive.
Marketing and Advertising Tools // CD Baby provides several marketing services, including sync licensing, YouTube monetization, and CD Baby Pro Publishing, which collects publishing royalties from around the world.
Extra Tools and Features // They also offer physical distribution (CDs, vinyl) in addition to digital distribution, making them a good choice for artists who want to sell physical media. CD Baby also partners with numerous physical retailers, enabling artists to sell their music in brick-and-mortar stores worldwide.
4. TuneCore
Pricing and Fees
Model: Annual subscription for each release.
Single: $14.99/year
Album: $29.99/year (first year), $49.99/year (subsequent years)
Artists keep 100% of their streaming and download royalties.
Customer Service and Support // TuneCore offers email support but has received some criticism for its slow response times.
Marketing and Advertising Tools // TuneCore provides social media marketing, sync licensing, and YouTube monetization services. Its TuneCore Social feature helps artists manage multiple social media platforms from one dashboard.
Extra Tools and Features // In addition to distribution, TuneCore offers publishing administration, making it a solid choice for artists looking to monetize their music publishing rights.
5. Ditto Music
Pricing and Fees
Model: Subscription-based
$19/year (unlimited releases for one artist)
Label Plan: $29/month (up to five artists)
Ditto allows artists to keep 100% of their royalties.
Customer Service and Support // This platform provides email support, though some users have reported delays in response during high-traffic periods.
Marketing and Advertising Tools // Ditto offers playlisting services and sync licensing opportunities, though its marketing tools are more limited compared to competitors like CD Baby and Symphonic.
Extra Tools and Features // Ditto also offers label services and a music mastering tool, making it a decent choice for independent labels or artists needing more than just distribution. Plus, they offer press and PR campaign services for an additional fee.
6. UnitedMasters
Pricing and Fees
Model: Free and premium options
Free: UnitedMasters takes 10% of royalties
Select Plan: $59.99/year (artists keep 100% of royalties)
Customer Service and Support // UnitedMasters provides email support, prioritizing faster service for artists on its premium Select Plan.
Marketing and Advertising Tools // This distributor specializes in brand partnerships and sync licensing, giving artists opportunities to connect with major brands for promotional deals.
Extra Tools and Features // UnitedMasters focuses on syncing artists with brand sponsorships and offers a mobile app that allows artists to track their performance.
7. ONErpm
Pricing and Fees
Model: No upfront fees
Free: ONErpm takes a 15% cut of streaming royalties
Premium Plan: Custom pricing for larger, high-profile artists.
Customer Service and Support // ONErpm offers dedicated account managers for larger artists, with email support available for independent artists on the free plan.
Marketing and Advertising Tools // They provide playlist promotion, YouTube MCN services, and advanced marketing tools for premium clients.
Extra Tools and Features // ONErpm’s premium services include YouTube MCN management and royalty collection. Because they operate as a YouTube Multi-Channel Network (MCN), they can help artists manage and maximize their YouTube channels’ revenue.
8. TooLost
Pricing and Fees
Model: Free and premium options
Free: TooLost takes 20% of royalties
Premium: $9.99/month (artists keep 100% of royalties)
Customer Service and Support // TooLost offers email support and a knowledge base for troubleshooting.
Marketing and Advertising Tools // They offer basic marketing features like playlist pitching and YouTube monetization.
Extra Tools and Features // TooLost provides revenue-splitting tools and Spotify pre-save features to help artists streamline their release strategies.
9. Amuse
Pricing and Fees
Model: Free and premium plans
Free: Amuse takes 15% of royalties
Pro Plan: $24.99/year (artists keep 100% of royalties)
Customer Service and Support // Amuse offers email support for free users and dedicated account managers for Pro users.
Marketing and Advertising Tools // Amuse Pro provides playlist pitching, social media marketing, and artist branding tools.
Extra Tools and Features // Amuse has a mobile-first approach, allowing artists to distribute and manage music via an intuitive app. This is ideal for those seeking simplicity and flexibility.
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Some things Symphonic does better (according to chatgpt):
- Symphonic has established a strong presence in niche genres like Latin music, hip-hop, and electronic music, offering services that cater specifically to these genres, such as connections with key industry players, event sponsorships, and tailored marketing campaigns. Competitors like DistroKid and Amuse lack this genre-specific expertise.
- Symphonic offers detailed data insights and analytics that go beyond simple streaming statistics, providing actionable insights into audience demographics, engagement, and sales trends. This level of data reporting is more advanced than the basic insights offered by some other platforms.
- Symphonic offers dedicated account managers for premium clients, providing direct, human support for distribution, marketing, and promotional needs. Many competitors rely on automated support or general help desks, making Symphonic’s personalized support a significant advantage, especially for mid-to-high-tier artists and labels.
In conclusion, if you’re comparing the best music distribution services for your own projects, consider factors like your budget, your need for advanced marketing tools, your genre focus, and whether you plan to offer physical formats. Each platform has its own strengths, but be sure to choose one that aligns with your career goals and provides the support you need to thrive in today’s competitive music landscape.
