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In this episode, I talk to you about how to upload your music to Spotify through Online Music Distribution, with DistroKid.

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In order to submit your music to Apple Music, Spotify, and other music streaming services, the process is called Digital Distribution.

We need to use a Music Distributor who submits our music to the various music streaming platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal.. and any new music streaming service that pops up later on (as there as way too many to choose from).

How to Choose an Online Music Distributor

Just like there’s so many choices of where to listen to music, there’s so many Music Distributors.. making you wonder What is the Best Online Music Distributor?

Choosing the Best Music Distributor is tricky because they have pros and cons.. like some charge a one-time payment and a small commission from any sales and royalties.. or some music distribution companies charge a yearly fee and take 0% commission.

My recommendation for how to select a music distributor is to understand your needs as a music artist or producer.

Music Distribution Features:

Do you work with other artists (known as collaborating) ?

If so.. you’ll want to make sure your Music Distributor allows for commission splits, which is an easy way to share royalties from music you collaborated on. (It can also help to have this third-party evidence of proof of earnings so that no one thinks they are getting cheated).

How to Prepare for Online Music Distribution

You should definitely take my Music Distribution Course. I break all this down step-by-step in very helpful videos.. I’ve released over 14 album releases of my own, and am very organized in my uploading approach in regards to album artwork, mastered music, setting up a tracklist, etc.

Here’s a list of what you need to submit your music:

  • Album Artwork (Perfectly Square, and at 3000×3000)
  • Your Album TRACKLIST (The Order Your Songs are In)
  • Mastered .WAV Audio Files (For the Best Music Quality)

The music distribution process is pretty straightforward, but if you want to become a good producer, it’s all about consistency in your branding.. so make sure to follow all rules, such as no websites or social names in your artwork..

Example of Music Distribution Artwork

BEAT TAPES By GratuiTous Vol. 10
BEAT TAPES By GratuiTous Vol. 10 Artwork
This is the album I use in Online Music Distribution Course, where I show how to upload music to DistroKid video tutorial.

You also want to make sure your mastered music is all at a similar volume when it comes to your loudness meter, otherwise the listener will get a bad experience by having to adjust volume when a song changes.

Your album tracklist is really important to setup BEFORE you submit your music to Spotify with Digital Distribution, because you need to know this order as you upload your music..

Again, I share this step-by-step in my Online Music Distribution Course.

Online Music Distribution Course (Digital Music Distribution Course) - How to Get Your Music on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music

I share what album artwork should look like, and how to upload music to DistroKid to get music on music streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, and more.

What’s the Best Online Music Distributor?

There’s really no “best music distributor”.. it’s most important to know what you need out of an online music distributor.

I typically just release my own music and own 100% copyright, so things are easy on my end.

DistroKid has been the best music distributor I’ve used over my years. The company is affordable, has a great feature set, and is usually the first to adopt new technology, which is pretty important in the music streaming service world, where music listeners always want the newest technology.

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Should You Use a FREE or Paid Music Distributor?

Free Music Distributors are becoming common for music submission. The idea of free sounds awesome because you don’t have to pay anything.. at least up front.

I personally think this business model works well if a free music distributor charges no upfront cost, and takes a 10-15% comission.

It would be nice if that same company then offered a paid plan.. whether that’s a one-time fee to digitally submit your music, or an on-going yearly fee, where they take 0% commissions from your music royalties.

If you do select a free music distribution option, I would be cautious and read reviews, as sometimes your music can be taken down, causing MORE WORK for you later on, because you opted-in for the cheap music distribution option.

In my experience, DistroKid is affordable, and while they charge a fee, this revenue will hopefully fuel the company in the long-run.. they’ve provided me with quick email support, too.

I hope you enjoyed this episode. Contact GratuiTous for any beatmaking questions!