Music Distribution Platforms (Free): A Guide
By: Shereef Ragab
Hi I’m Shereef Ragab and this blog will give you tips on some of the main music distribution platforms where you can get your music out on major streaming services for free.
There are loads of free options available and it can be really difficult to choose between them. Think about what it is that YOU want. Do you just need to showcase your work? Are you looking to just get on Spotify and other major streaming services? Do you expect to have a lot of people listening?
If I were starting out, I would choose Amuse because you are unlikely to need any more than 12 singles in your first year of distributing music. One single per month allows you room to focus on creating a strategy rather than putting out quantity over quality. If you are just starting out, it's a good idea to focus on creating really good singles and leave creating an EP until later. You can look at creating an EP once interest has been shown in your singles. You can even release an EP containing your 4 most streamed songs. From there, look into collaborating with others, gaining funding, promotion, and THEN think about an album. But generally, albums will be for when you’ve created an audience or have enough interest in your songs to take your next step.
Ultimately it is more important for you to make the best music possible so that it catches peoples attention, as there are a lot of artists out there pushing their music.
Amuse
One of the most popular free distribution platforms is Amuse. Amuse will get your music on
all major streaming services and stores but only allows 12 free releases per year. Not only is
it free - you also keep 100% of royalties. There is, however, a fee of 15% for royalty splits if
there is more than one composer on any given song. Amuse is also available as an app and
through their website and this is useful for keeping track of your music on the go. They run a blog on their website with useful updates.
Bandcamp
An alternative to getting your music on the likes of Spotify and Apple Music is Bandcamp.
BandCamp is a platform that allows you to sell directly to your fans and helps you
promote your music. This option is great for showing fans new projects in both digital and physical forms, and the platform helps you to build a community of followers who you know will buy your music. Bandcamp is a great way to showcase your work online and is a recognised platform throughout the music industry.
Ditto Music
Ditto Music is a similar platform to Amuse focusing on distribution and publishing. It’s a simple site to navigate. However, it asks you to sign up for a paid account, although it does offer a free 30 day trial which gives you an opportunity to try out their platform, and the annual fee is only £19 per year. The free trial is a good chance to test out their service before moving to the paid option. After the trial, your Spotify profile and any music remains. The platform connects to all the major streaming services, offers advice through a blog, and runs a newsletter for unsigned artists.
Indiefy
Indiefy offers a free service that allows you to collect 85% of your royalties and release 10 releases per month. It is, however, free forever so your Spotify profile and songs will remain. Other well known streaming services, or ‘stores’ as Indiefy terms them, are also included with the free service, with the option to upgrade to a paid subscription per month if you want to reach more ‘stores’. If you are looking for royalties straight away, this isn’t the platform for you, as you need to reach 100 USD before you can cash out. If you have a small audience and it's not about the money, the free option would be perfect because the chances are that you won't generate enough streams to collect royalties.
Music Gateway
Music Gateway offers a free service where members receive 80% of royalties with distribution to over 300 digital service providers. You could look at the 20% cut as admin fees. They offer 5 tracks per year, although you can manage and register an unlimited number of songs. The platform offers a whole range of stuff that’s probably not for you right now, like syncing opportunities and representation, promotion tools and a space to create your own artist page and meet collaborators. However, you might have this kind of thing in your sights in which case Music Gateway will be able to help you grow.
Shereef’s Top Tip:
1. Sign up to DittoMusic for a 30 day free trialUpload everything you want on streaming platforms
2. Cancel your membership
3. Your music will remain on those platforms
You can sign up for a yearly subscription later down the road for £19 if you generate enough streams to collect royalties
Doing this will get your music on almost all of the platforms available (the same as a paid subscription)
Good luck!!!