How to pick the best music distributor for artists? 

As an independent artist, you have to face a lot of challenges to survive in today’s competitive music industry. The biggest challenge you have to deal with is distribution. Distributing your music independently is hard work. 

Before you even decide to go with any music distribution service, you will want to research each company. This will help you make an informed decision when you finally decide on which one you want to go with. You should ask questions about the services offered and how they work. Check out our extensive review of the top 4 best music distributions of 2023. 

After all, there are many factors to consider for choosing the best music distributor for your needs. So we made a comprehensive guide to help you decide which criteria you should take note of when doing your research. 

What Are Music Distribution Services? 

Getting your music to the public is a process of music distribution. After that, your songs will be available on music stores and streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, etc. This is an important part of your music career.

Nevertheless, you will likely have to license your music to music stores and streaming platforms for your songs to be available to the public. This can be a costly process, but it can also be a major source of income for your music career if you don’t have a major label. This is where the rise of digital music distribution allows accessibility to independent artists. 

Digital music distribution allows you to easily share your music with a global audience. This allows for a wider range of people to stream and download the artists' music, which in turn helps to promote their work and increase their popularity. Moreover, to complement their releases, some artists use music promotion services such as Base For Music to grow their fans after releasing their songs.

Pros & Cons of Using A Music Distributor

Here are some brief benefits and risks of going for a music distributor but it will greatly depend on the service you choose. However, having this as a context for your decision will help you to choose the right one. 

Pros

• Getting a music license will be easier with a music distributor's help. 
• Distribute your music to people all over the world. This means that it will be easier for your music to spread globally and be purchased by fans.
• You will gain exposure. By using a music distribution platform, you will make it easier for people to find your music.
• You will be able to monetize your songs on social platforms (Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, etc) and earn money for doing so.

Cons

• It can be expensive and difficult to find one that is right for you.
• This requires money to distribute your music.
• Your songs will only be available for a limited time.
• The process can be slow depending on the distributor. 

Criteria to Choose The Best Music Distributor

Once you understand the pros and cons of a music distributor, let's head on to the criteria when choosing a music distribution service:

• The distributor’s experience:

The first thing you will want to look at is how long the distributor has been in business. You will know whether or not the distributor is trustworthy if they have been around for long enough.

• The distributor’s reliability:

This is the most important part of your decision. You want to make sure that the distributor has the resources to promote your music. Hence, we recommend you go with the popular and credible ones rather than a cheap one when it comes to digital and physical distribution. 

• The distributor’s track record:

You will want to research whether the distributor does a good job of distributing other artists’ music. If they worked with big artists and labels, this can be a major green flag. They should also have the ability to share music with various digital stores. Looking at their current customer base can be a great estimation of how proficient they are. 

• Pricing:

When choosing a music distribution service, you will want to choose one that has competitive rates or even offers free distribution. The price should be within your budget as you need to save money for your music promotion plan after the music release. Some distributors offer a standard rate of $50 to $100 per month and some allow pay per track. The offers are endless as the field is getting more competitive with more players like CDBaby, Tunecore, Distrokid, etc. 

With the current competition in the music industry, it's not enough to simply distribute your music and expect overnight success. You will need a strong music promotion plan after every release. Hence, Base for Music is a solution for you if you are looking for a simple tool to help you promote your song effortlessly. We can help boost your release visibility by targeting your ads to the right audience.

Sign up for a free account and start generating your ad campaigns on popular advertising platforms (Spotify Ads, Facebook Ads, TikTok Ads, Youtube Ads, etc) through a simplified dashboard across popular advertising platforms like Spotify, Facebook, TikTok, and Youtube.