Do I Need to Make Spotify Account Before Uploading on Distrokid
Today is a large day. As you guys know, I've tested all the music streaming distribution sites and have consistently ranked CDBaby as the best one, specifically for up-and-coming artists.
I finally got effectually to testing out Distrokid and accept been using it for the last three months (on 3 releases) and in this post volition share with y'all the pros and cons of Distrokid.
Will DistroKid knock CD Baby off its music distribution throne? Permit's get into the practiced, bad and ugly…
Bad Things Well-nigh DistroKid: Bad and Ugly
In that location actually ain't another style to put information technology: It'due south definitely the ugliest of the bunch.
The vibe I get from the site is it information technology's a one-man operation and that i man is either purposefully making the site look bad (to make us think he's passing on the savings to united states) or just completely ignoring basic design principles.
For instance, this is the upload folio:
Yikes! Now here's what happens when yous click "Team".
I hope you're sitting down for this.
Are yous nevertheless alive? I know, I know, everything is just manifestly bad.
It's so bad, I nigh didn't want to sign upward but so I saw that Derrik Sivers the founder of CD Infant, is recommending the site.
And since I appreciate Derrik'southward way of thinking, I was like "ah what the heck! Let'southward give this a shot!".
I wish DistroKid either doubles down on bad pattern or just does the web ii.0 way that'due south been in vogue for the final 10 years (*cough* but copy Tunecore).
This half-ass job, makes me feel like they're going to run to the Caymans with my $48 in streaming acquirement!
Upselling Me into Oblivion
I know trying to upsell your customers is the snazzy thing to do in eCommerce, but it's not cool and doesn't feel human.
Especially when all your customers are musicians: our whole thing is trying to feel more human being!
I mean, every song we make is trying to bring some god damn humanity into this cold wired world, and y'all're doing this to me:
This doesn't brand me feel more than human! Can't you just include this for free? And what happens when Distrokid dies?
Song Landing Folio
It's nice that they provide this feature and if y'all don't know what information technology is, information technology'southward just a landing page that has links to all the streaming services your vocal is on (Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, Deezer, etc).
But it looks so ugly, there's no style whatsoever artist should exist sharing that with their fans. In fact, anytime I detect a new creative person and encounter their link in bio is to Distrokid, I brace myself.
There's besides a little button at the top that says "Talk to me", which fans are supposed to employ to message the artist. This is a useless distraction as information technology takes away from the users' flow (to mind to the vocal!).
For independent artists, the vocal landing page, I like the nearly is the one from ToneDen.
It's the ane with the link which will usually start with fanlink.to.
It's free to use and looks much ameliorate than the ane Distrokid provides.
The Thing About Annual Fees
This isn't a bad matter but could be a bad thing if you make information technology a bad thing: why are yous making information technology a bad thing?
For artists who release one song every 10 years, paying an annual fee is not a expert idea (patently) and you'll want to stick with CDBaby.
Simply for the rest of u.s. who churn out songs weekly, Distrokid'south interests align not just with our interests but also with Spotify'southward.
You see at that place is reason to believe that Spotify'south algorithm rewards musicians who release music on a consequent and frequent basis.
This is why I recommend every artist, from major to mini, driblet a song in one case a month (at the very least) and you'll see in the next paragraph how Distrokid makes this economical.
The Good Things About DistroKid!
While the blueprint of the site makes me feel like they don't give a hoot about me, the actual services Distrokid offers tells me they are legit and 100% for contained musicians.
Allow's start with the biggest benefit: pricing.
And this is something you ameliorate be sitting downwardly for.
For just $xx a year, you can upload UNLIMITED songs to Spotify, Apple Music, and the whole streaming services cartel.
$xx a year!
Upload every bit many songs as you tin can brand!
With CDBaby and Tunecore, they normally charge nearly $10 per song. I don't get how they're going to compete with this, cause pretty websites ain't going to cut it.
Oh, and did I mention yous proceed 100% of your royalties.
I know this is sounding similar an infomercial right now. Merely in my CD Baby vs Tunecore review, you tin see exactly how much royalties they snip away from you.
And it's a lot college than 0%.
We musicians should treat our royalties like quondam men care for their lawn: get your damn self off my backyard!
Another matter Distrokid doesn't charge is for the UPC lawmaking, they just requite information technology to you for costless, which has always felt like a scam the other sites charged for.
Tik Tok Integration
Another benefit, which I presume CD Babe et all, will exercise is uploading your songs to TikTok.
If you lot haven't heard of TikTok or don't intendance, download the app and put 100% of your social media content creation into it (peculiarly if you are a musician) because in that location'south a skilful chance y'all'll go viral on your third post.
For me, I wanted my songs to continue TikTok so I could do silly videos to them and Distrokid is the simply one offering that service (and if others are they're not credible).
Distribution Speed
With CD Baby, it would take two weeks to go a song on Spotify and with Distrokid, my songs were getting on within 1-3 days. This isn't necessarily a adept affair anymore, as to go on Spotify'due south playlists they recommend submitting the vocal two weeks before release.
I'd recommend submitting information technology fifty-fifty earlier, which means setting your release appointment three to iv weeks in advance.
Withdrawing Earnings (Update: 2021)
Since I wrote this article, some people in the comments have mentioned they accept had problem withdrawing their earnings and I found that a little troubling. And so what did I exercise? I withdrew my earnings from Distrokid to become an idea of the process. I had over $2000 USD to withdraw from Distrokid and information technology transferred without any bug. I besides live in Canada so had to fill out the necessary forms (W8) and Distrokid and their payment partner Tipalti made it like shooting fish in a barrel to do and so.
The only thing that is a little frustrating and this isn't a knock against Distrokid but one against the streaming services, is why does information technology take so long to calculate and send our royalties? In most cases, it'southward at least a 2-month look. Don't computers do all the accounting? Why are yous sitting on our money for months? LOL. Merely I digress.
Bonus Tips
Now it should be pretty clear I recommend Distrokid over CD Baby, and so here are some bonus tips to help yous make the transition.
1) Get the $19.99 plan, instead of the cheaper $nine.99 plan, because y'all tin't choose your release date.
This is important for three reasons (and yeah I made all these mistakes, so you don't accept to):
(A) You lot have no thought when your music will exist released on all streaming sites as each streaming service has different processing times. And so if you tell your fans your song volition be out Friday, it might non exist out on Apple Music until the post-obit Mon.
(B) Yous won't be able to submit to Spotify's playlist as Spotify's editors won't have fourth dimension to review it. And yous at least want to try to get on a Spotify playlist, even though the chances are 0.02%.
(C) Yous can't fix your record characterization name, then on your release it'll say something ugly like "Distrokid 1872047202".
ii) If you've found anything I've said today helpful, utilise my VIP LINK to sign up for Distrokid. You'll get 7% off your membership and I'll get a small-scale committee from Distrokid.
Have you made the switch to Distrokid? Let me know in the comments what your experience has been with them.
Source: https://www.adgmastering.com/distrokid-review/
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