Is DistroKid For You?

So, you finally finished that piece of music, got a cover art ready, and you’re ready to get it out for the world? DistroKid is one example of the many different ways you can use to do just that ! 

Similar to Routenote, CD Baby, TuneCore, these are all digital distribution services (if you see the word “Distro” don’t get confused, it is short for Distribution). A “distro” helps make your music accessible on stores and streaming platforms. In this article, we’ll focus on DistroKid and why you might consider using it over its alternatives.

Table Of Contents:

1- DistroKid, why use it ?

2- Marketing your music

3- Back to DistroKid (Conclusion)

DistroKid, Why use it?

The main end goal of DistroKid is the same as any other distribution service, getting your music out. So, essentially, they are all the same (more or less, that’s what we’ll dive deep into right away, go grab your coffee). So, how can DistroKid help you ?

• Finances first, it’s not free (but so are the majority of them). You pay $19.99 yearly to get out as much music as you want. Royalties? You keep 100% of them ! That’s right, go make that hit and you’ll keep all the royalties assigned to you.
• Let’s talk numbers: delivery to over 150 Streaming platforms and stores (yes, including Spotify and Apple Music)
• Got a cover song? That is a bit more complicated than originals.However, DistroKid and Loudr (an external party) got your back with this.

 

Look, now we covered some great stuff about DistroKid. But, nothing in this world is perfect. DistroKid, like it has its upsides, it can be a bit concerning at times.

Cool, do you have an example, you might ask? Yes, I do, I might answer.

DistroKid isn’t 100% transparent, they will not be very open about all the additional benefits you can get, they’re not free of course. Which you would want to know about before becoming a member, in an ideal world anyways. 

Are you a composer, or a songwriter? You want to collect your Composition Royalties, can’t do that with DistroKid. Once again, another party would have to be involved. Think of SongTrust for example.

Look (again), many options, many services, many different prices and features, I know. Remember, at the end of the day, the core goal is the same, getting your music out there ! That’s what matters. 

With that being said, if you are a very consistent artist and like to release lots and lots of music, I will definitely advise you to go ahead with DistroKid. Oh, you will save A LOT of money !

 

Marketing Your Music

 

Alright, you’ve done it. You’ve finished that song you’ve been working on, found a distributor (let’s assume it’s DistroKid), and it’s now out for people to listen everywhere ! 

Congratulations, but now comes the hard part, getting people to listen to that piece of music (Hey, we can give you a hand with that).

You’re confused right? Isn’t “distributing my music via DistroKid is considered marketing and will help people listen to my music?” Yes and no. 

Yes: Getting your music distributed via distribution services will help get your music to people’s ears. Promoting the music is something that you and the label you’re signing with (if you’re not releasing independently) should take care of. In this instance, having a resourceful label would be a nice push, as they can help you financially with promotion and marketing costs, which can be quite high, depending on how far you want to go.

No: A distribution service doesn’t exactly aim to promote and market your music. They are there to help you because distributing your music by yourself is a nightmare. Let alone the fact that some platforms require that your music is sent to them via distributors. 

Back to DistroKid

 

So, after reading this article, should you give DistroKid a try?

As mentioned before, there will be charges for extras. In addition, you might experience delays in terms of your music arriving at the stores. However, on the other hand we discussed all the upsides such as the membership fee, the help with clearing covers, the variety of platform delivery and getting to keep 100% of the royalties (excluding composition royalties which we have also discussed).

To wrap things up, DistroKid’s core function is the same as every other “distro”, they can all get your music out there, and most if not all, will deliver to Spotify, Apple Music and all the major platforms. So don’t overthink it. At the end of the day, you are pushing your music and getting it out there, and that’s a big step that you should be proud of !