5 Best Free Music Distribution Services and How They Work: Review
*This article may contain links to affiliate products & services. We have reviewed these services to try and ensure the highest quality recommendations*
After you battle through writing, recording, and mastering, it becomes time to share your music with the world. But how does that work? This article will go through the top five online music distribution platforms. None of these platform charge you a thing until you start making money. These are good options if you are new to releasing music and don’t know what kind of revenue you will be bringing in.
A less well-known platform, Amuse has some great benefits for artists who are just starting out. It’s a phone app that allows you to distribute music to all the major platforms, while keeping 100% of royalties. Amuse music distribution is easy, just download the app and upload your music.
Although they focus on licensing cover music, they also offer free distribution services. They get your music on all major streaming services and manage your digital revenue. They take a 15% cut from that revenue, but charge no upfront nor yearly fee. If you are trying to do a cover, they sell lifetime licenses for $9.99 per song.
For any track they distribute (cover or original), you can have them pay collaborators so you don’t have to deal with splitting up the payout.
This is a really simple option, great for anyone just getting into music. They will distribute to all the recognizable streaming services at no upfront cost to you. When people start listening to your music, revenue start coming and they will keep 15%, just like Soundrop. They also offer another option where you pay up front but keep 100% of the royalties.
Stem is another free distribution option that makes it really easy to pay everyone that was involved in creating the song. This company takes only 5% of revenue they collect, which is incredibly low for the service they provide.
This platform is in beta still, so they are offering their services for free. This also means you get to keep 100% of your royalties. Despite not really being a finished product, they have a really clean interface and a simple introduction video to show you how it all works.
DOING IT YOURSELF
If you don't want to be on Spotify, Apple Music, or any of the other mainstream music streaming services, you can always just upload your music on your own. YouTube and SoundCloud are the best self-serve distribution options and a great place to promote regardless of using another distribution service.
You’re familiar with YouTube. It’s the world’s largest video sharing websites and a great place to put your music with to get worldwide audience. To make some waves on this platform, you will probably need a great music video to go along with a terrific song. If you can get these elements right, there is serious potential to go viral.
Like all the other distribution platforms we’ve discussed Soundcloud is free to use. It lets users upload music, which will then be listened to by users all over the world. While it’s not as mainstream as something like iTunes, it can still be a valuable resource for helping people discover your music. It also allows you to upload any audio, so if you have interviews or podcasts, those can help promote your music.
FINAL THOUGHTS
These are our favorite free music distribution services available. It should be noted that the best approach is to use one of these service, and then look for organic promotion. These distributors will get the music on Spotify and Apple Music, but it’s up to you to get traffic to your songs. So, get uploading today and share your music with the world, I can’t wait to hear it.
When your song is ready to go, it's time to start promoting it to potential fans! Omari has the best organic promotion services money can buy. With packages for Spotify, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, we will get your music the traffic and attention it deserves! Click below for more information.
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© 2023 Omari MC, LLC. All Rights Reserved.