I have used a few different
distributors (Symphonic Distribution, CDBaby and Tunecore) for my own original
music over the last few years, trying to figure out the best one for
me, the pros and cons. I recently came across DistroKid and decided
to open up an account and explore some of their features.
The front page of DistroKid
is
fresh, simple, gives you some info and demands email sign-up to start
your distribution. Straight to the point, no messing around.
First of all, DistroKid lists ten big
name retail outlets, which is comparable to what Loudr.fm offers,
minus Pandora submissions and direct-to-fan sales. DistroKid mentions
that they will assist you with cover song licensing and distribution
as well, but there aren't a lot of details on the front page.
Loudr.fm boasts a very detailed cover song licensing and distribution
plan, but more on that in my upcoming Loudr.fm review.
On the surface, it seems like cdbaby
(30+), Tunecore (40+), Mondo Tunes (100+), Reverb Nation (30+) and
Symphonic Distribution (300+) offer a lot more retail stores. It
seems that DistroKid is more focused on dealing with the main
distributors and not as many of the smaller companies. I don't mind
that philosophy, but not having “Shazam” on the list is a
shocker. Shazam is a useful tool that has helped me out. Sometimes
people hear a song and just want to identify it quickly with the
Shazam app, but if you're dealing with DistroKid or Loudr.fm, you are
out of luck. (This blog post is from January 2016, so if this
changes, I will update this post.)
The following chart is a brief
comparison between DistroKid and Loudr.fm
DistroKid |
Loudr.fm |
|
Amazon | Yes | Yes |
Apple Music | Yes | No |
Beats Music | Yes | No |
Deezer | Yes | Yes |
Direct to Fans | No | Yes |
Google Play | Yes | Yes |
itunes | Yes | Yes |
Pandora | No | Yes |
Rdio | Yes | Yes |
Spotify | Yes | Yes |
Tidal | Yes | No |
YouTube Music | Yes | No |
MediaNet (150+ stores) | Yes | No |
Annual Fee? | $19.99 | $0.00 |
Distributor Commission | 0.00% | 15.00% |
DistroKid claims to get your music onto
the popular sites 10-20 times faster than others, I guess that's a
good selling point, but every company I have dealt with so far is
pretty fast.
In order to find out more details about
DistroKid's offerings, I went ahead and registered my email address
with their site and created a login.
Once I signed in, I was introduced to
the three different flavors of DistroKid services. The single artist
option ($19.99 per year for one artist.) The Musician Plus option
($35.99 per year for two artists) and the Record Label Option ($79.99
per year for 5+ artists). All of these options are great, depending
on what your business model is.
Here is my first impression as of
January 2016:
Positives:
- DistroKid covers most of the major places you want your music to be found. (with the exception of Shazam and Pandora)
- DistroKid is affordable. $19.99 for unlimited distribution per year of unlimited tracks is an awesome price for the active musician with a large catalog.
- DistroKid offers package deals if you would like to distribute more than one artist, then there are discounts. Very cool.
Negatives:
- When and if DistroKid ever adds Shazam, then they will be a better value in my eyes.
- Not all tracks make it onto Pandora that are submitted, but there are many other distributors that offer this submission service in 2016 (Symphonic Distribution, Mondo Tunes, Loudr.fm).
- DistroKid covers all of the popular, general distributors, but if you produce Electronic Dance Music you are missing out on some big time sites like Beatport, Djdownload.com and others. This may not be a negative if you do not produce EDM.
- Although it's an inexpensive subscription, some artists may just want to pay a one-time fee and upload their album. For the light hobbyist, producing and marketing more than an album a year is ambitious. Eventually subscriptions could eat up all of your royalties if you produce very little music. Symphonic, Loudr, Cdbaby and others may be better alternatives.
- As far as I can tell, DistroKid does not offer Publishing Administration services and are not partnering with any companies that offer this service. You can lose a lot of royalties for streaming and downloads without a Publishing Administrator. I will blog about that topic soon.
These are really nice tools. Cryptex Technologies hold expertise in making Music Distribution application for Label. If you need any help from us email at: info@cryptextechnologies.com
ReplyDeleteDistroKid actually has Shazam, and it's a $1 up-charge on each of your submissions. You only see this on the submission page.
ReplyDeleteGood to know. Thanks!
DeleteNice post, thanks for sharing. If you are looking for Music distribution application, then Cryptex Technologies is the right place for you. For any queries email us at: info@cryptextechnologies.com
ReplyDeleteRecording Artists are Robed by the Labels and when the Artist starts on His own Label they are told Sorry you need a DISTRIBUTOR DUDE. So we continue on looking for a Honest Business Relationship for our Music? ??--- Who do we Trust ?----- I am Vice President of a Small Label and Vice President of a On line Web Site that gets Thousands of hits a Month from all over the World
ReplyDeleteAnd all our Music is up on our site for sale with PayPal as the Money Handling source and yet People still worry about the credit card info is not safe with PayPal from our site. Yet we have been in business since the beginning of time
That is Internet time. So I am still amazed with the way the So called Honest recording company still keep it just about them make who they want destroy who is a threat and Make sure they end up on the Grammy Stage Laughing and Heading to the Bank.
Its Battle for all of us Recording Artists and those who are on the way in
You are Unique Musicians with Your Music you Hear and bring to our Ears
And same with my Musical Friend.
Be smart and Listen not Texing use your ears forget the Texing.texing is not Music.
i wrote a guide to saving 40% on DistroKid, which makes it just $12 to get on iTunes, etc.
ReplyDeletethere are NO affiliate links, this is just a hack:
http://www.ryanckulp.com/distrokid-promo-code-growth-hack/
cheers,
ryan
thx man
DeleteWell people I signed up with DistroKid and sold not one song when I sold a lot with CD Baby. I just wanted to try another company that's cheaper and more profit. I think DistroKid is a really bad one to choose not enough features and stores. I just cant believe not one sale with these guys after having my music up for 6 months.........unreal.
ReplyDeleteHello friends
ReplyDeleteWhat phone are you using with default ringtone? Want to change? I have the best quality ringtone collection you can refer and leave a comment. The sound effects of my ringtone are of the best quality. Visit my homepage to find more ringtones and settings by following the instructions:https://ringtonesmobile.net/
Five popular ringtones in 2018:
- iphone 8 ringtone download
- Neha Kakkar – Hate Story 4 ringtone download
- iPhone X ringtone download
- Koi Vi Nahi ringtone download
- Mere Rashke Qamar ringtone download
Wish you have the best ringtone on your mobile phone. Free quality ringtones. Share to download your favorite ringtone. Thank you!
It is a grand site and OK share. I need to appreciative. Uncommon occupation ! Every one of you do an amazing online journal, and have some remarkable substance.
ReplyDeletespotify playlist promotion
This is my first time i visit here. I found so many interesting stuff in your blog especially its discussion. From the tons of comments on your articles, I guess I am not the only one having all the enjoyment here! keep up the good work
ReplyDeleteMusic distribution
I think this article will fully complement you. Please continue publishing helpful topics like this. Regards, from
ReplyDeleteonline distribution spotify
digital music online
digital music distribution
Great things you’ve always shared with us. Just keep writing this kind of posts.The time which was wasted in traveling for tuition now it can be used for studies.Thanks buy spotify plays
ReplyDeleteThis is truly a great read for me. I have bookmarked it and I am looking forward to reading new articles. Keep up the good work!.
ReplyDeleteMusic distribution
Thanks for sharing this quality information with us. I really enjoyed reading. Will surely going to share this URL with my friends.
ReplyDeleteAcheter des écoutes spotify
Thanks for sharing.Keep it up.Music distribution
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.Keep it up.psd to html
ReplyDeleteDigital music distribution is a crucial part of sharing music with your fans. By partnering with a music distributor, you can upload your music and have it delivered globally to all major platforms..
ReplyDelete