Posted on
There are many UK music distributors from which to choose. The best digital aggregators will help you to get your recordings onto platforms where they can be heard by fans and by people who are influential in the entertainment industry.
Knowing how to distribute your music effectively online is essential if you want to be in with a good chance of succeeding as an independent artist. But how do you do it? In this article, we answer all your questions about how it works and which company you should choose.
Finding UK music distributors
Understanding music aggregation and distribution is extremely important for an independent musician. How do you know which is the best digital music distribution service for you? Well, we’ve compiled a list of the top contenders, along with their individual benefits.
There are two ways of distributing and sharing your music to the public:
- Physical sales. Previously the main way to distribute your music was through making CDs, distributing them into record shops and selling them at gigs.
- Digital sales. CD sales are in a massive decline these days due to the rise in technology and digital music sales.
What are music distribution companies?
Distribution is the process of getting your recordings to platforms where consumers can either purchase or access them. In the past, this used to mean taking a master tape of your recording, pressing it onto a master vinyl and then getting that duplicated. This would then be followed by the creation of the artwork sleeve, packaging and then distribution to stores across the country.
There was a similar process with cassette tapes and CDs but then digital formats like the mp3 came along. This suddenly meant that music could be distributed online and across without any of the production expenses or breakage risks that physical formats had. Digital stores began to prop up, leading to the development of iTunes and eventually Spotify. You couldn’t simply upload to these stores however, you needed a digital aggregator.
Aggregators make their money by charging upfront fees and/or charging a percentage of the revenue earned from the streaming and downloading of your music. In some cases, aggregators will also charge an ongoing annual fee to keep your content online. New subscription models are also starting to appear, where an annual fee is charged and set according to the number of songs or albums you want to distribute.
The best digital aggregator
It’s difficult to say which music distribution company is the best because it depends on who you are as an artist. If you’re just starting out stick with a simple and inexpensive digital platform.
Budget music aggregators
Here are some great options for newbies that won’t break the bank.
Songcast and TuneCore
- Both have a small monthly subscription fee for their services
- There is a one-off payment to be made for every single/EP/album you upload. The prices vary depending on which you choose.
- Both distribute your music to a large selection of online retailers, such as iTunes, Amazon, Shazam, Spotify, etc.
- You keep 100% of the royalties and all the rights to your music
- It is a month-by-month contract so you can cancel at any time! If an album/EP/single has been up for less than 8 months there will be a fee to remove each one from the site!
- It takes 2-3 weeks before your music will be on the sites. You will be paid monthly and can receive daily and weekly sales reports to see how each item you upload is selling.
- TuneCore also offers a Music Publishing Administration service. For a one-off fee, they offer a worldwide royalty collection service amongst other things!
Ditto music
- M usic gets distributed to a wide variety of online retailers and you keep all royalties and the rights to the music.
- Like the other sites, there is a one-off fee for uploading a single/EP/album, which then occurs a small monthly fee 12 months after uploading.
- Ditto can also offer the ability to get your music chart eligible.
- Ditto offers the ability to start up your own record label.
Best music distribution companies of 2020
These are better for more established artists due to their features.
1. Awal
Founded in 2003, Awal Distribution is owned by the Kobalt Music Group and represents more than 4000 artists and labels.
Its service is App-based and by invite-only. You can submit your own music, but Awal will review your sound quality, social media reach, press releases and Spotify plays from the past.
Awal distributes your music to 200 territories. Many download shops and streaming services are included in this:
- Apple Music
- iTunes
- Spotify
- Amazon Music
- Google Play
- Deezer
- Pandora
- Napster
- Tidal
- Beatport
- Boomkat
- Soundtrack your Brand
- Svooq
- Juno Records
- Traxsource
- Beatport
- Vevo and many more
There are n o upfront fees but Awal takes a 15% share of the revenue and y ou keep 100% ownership of your music. It offers data analytics.
2. DistroKid
DistroKid distributes your songs to more than 150 stores including:
- Spotify
- Apple Music
- iTunes
- Google Play
- YouTube
- Tidal
- Amazon Music
- Shazam
- Beatport
- Soundcloud
You pay an annual fee of under £20 to upload unlimited songs & albums. You keep 100% of your royalties when releasing music with Distrokid. Your money will be sent within 14 days of a withdrawal request.
3. Beatchain
Beatchain distributes your songs to the world’s biggest streaming sites and digital stores including:
- 7Digital
- Amazon Music
- Apple Music
- Deezer
- Google Play Music
- iTunes
- Napster
- Pandora
- Shazam
- Spotify
- Tidal
Distribution is just under £2 per month to upload unlimited songs and albums. Beatchain and its distribution partners keep a combined 10% of the royalties. You’ll also get free marketing and analytics tools, a social media manager to schedule posts directly to social media, data analytics and an image editor to create promo art.
4. Amuse
Amuse was founded in 2016. It’s as app-based, 100% free music distribution service. You can upload your tracks in .wav format via IOS or Android app. But you also need a Google Drive, Dropbox or iCloud account. Amuse is different in that they discover artists and offer them a record deal that includes marketing, financing, promotion and playlist pitching. Profits are split 50/50 with the artists.
Amuse distributes your music to following stores for free:
- Spotify
- Apple Music
- iTunes
- Deezer
- Google Play
- YouTube / YouTube Music
- Tidal
- Amazon Music
- Napster
- Shazam
- Pandora
5. Routenote
Routenote is a digital music distribution platform founded in 2007. They operate from Great Britain to help artists release their music with a free or premium plan. With free music distribution, it takes a 15% commission from your earnings. With the premium plan, you get 100% of your earnings, but you pay per music release. You can switch between the free and premium plan at any time. It’s non-exclusive and earnings are split between collaborators.
Routenote distributes your music to the following stores:
- Apple Music
- iTunes
- Spotify
- Amazon Music
- Google Play
- Deezer
- YouTube
- Shazam
- Pandora
- Melon
- Soundcloud
- Groove Music
- Claro Musica
- Tidal / WiMp
- eMusic
- Napster
- Omnifone
- Anghami
- Gracenote
- Kanjian
- + 30 Chinese Stores
6. Level Music
Level Music is a new global music distributor with no yearly fees or upfront cost and useful statistics tool to understand your listeners better. There is also a landing page for each release to promote your music more easily. You will be paid via PayPal, and so far there are no additional costs for using this service.
Level Music distributes your music to the 9 following stores:
- Apple Music
- iTunes
- Spotify
- Amazon Music
- Google Play
- Deezer
- Pandora
- Napster
- Tidal
Level Music keeps 8% of your download and streaming revenue. You can withdraw your payments via PayPal. You can showcase your music releases with landing pages that route fans to their preferred streaming or download service.
7. Bandcamp
Bandcamp is a great place to start. You can offer your songs as a free download and ask for an e-mail address, or set the price by yourself to distribute your latest EP or album. Another feature is the integrated store to distribute merch, vinyl, CDs, and tapes.
You also have many useful stats that you can use through Bandcamp, and you can create download codes to give some of your music away for free. Bandcamp keeps 15% of your download revenue. Your share of each digital transaction is transferred into your PayPal account 24 to 48 hours after the sale.
8. Soundrop
Soundrop distribution is the replacement for Loudr.fm which closed in 2016. They charge 15% of your download and streaming revenue if you use their service. You can set up splits for collabs.
Soundrop distributes your music to the following stores:
- YouTube Music
- Apple Music
- iTunes
- Spotify
- Amazon Music
- Google Play
- Deezer
- Pandora
9. Horus Music
Horus Music pays an upfront fee (starts from £10) for 100% of the revenue back to the artists. There’s a paid option to receive 100% of your royalties and paid options to create your own VEVO channel. You can sell your music video on iTunes, Tidal & FunonGo, as well as physical distribution. It’s also mastered for iTunes. It distributes your songs to over 200 stores including:
- Spotify
- Apple Music
- iTunes
- Google Play
- YouTube
- Tidal
- Amazon Music
- Shazam
- Saavn
- Beatport
- Vevo
- Soundcloud
10. Fresh Tunes
Fresh Tunes is another free music aggregator. They have zero fees and you keep 100% of your royalties and rights.
Just upload your music, after 24 hours your album or EP is checked and will immediately be sent to Spotify, iTunes, Deezer and other shops (a total of 14 streaming and download services). Another advantage is that you will be offered a pre-order function for your upcoming release.
They also provide promotional campaigns via Facebook or YouTube, to promote your next music release.
Fresh Tunes distributes your music to the following stores:
- Spotify
- Apple Music
- iTunes
- Deezer
- Google Play
- YouTube
- Tidal
- Amazon Music
- Shazam
- Yandex Music
- Saavn
- Kanjian.com
- Claro-Musica
- Zvooq
You can pay Fresh Tunes to get the promotion, album art video production, artwork production or to find a producer.
Who needs a digital aggregator?
If you’re an independent artist, you’ll need to use an aggregator. It’s slightly simpler if you’re signed to a major record label; they’ll do pretty much all the distribution work for you. Part of the contract will most likely mention that you don’t need to deal with digital music distribution, you just need to focus on making music.
So while there are many benefits of being signed to a record label , there is a drawback too. It will take a significant percentage of the royalties you earn from streaming. Instead, why not go it alone and see how you fare using a UK music distributor as an independent artist.
Related Questions
- How do I sell my own music?
Once you’ve recorded some original material and built up a fan base you may want to consider starting to generate some income for your music. This is done via steaming sites, aggregators and hard copy record sales.
- Why do you need music aggregation?
In 2020, streaming is the fastest growing way of consuming music. If you don’t have your music on services like Spotify or Apple Music, you’ll be missing out on the opportunity of reaching potential new customers.
Have you used a UK music distributor? Who have you found to be the best digital aggregator? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.