For independent artists, getting your music on Spotify is necessary in taking your music career to the next level. Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming platforms worldwide, making it a crucial platform for indie artists to showcase their work. Have you just finished recording your first single and want to know how to get your music on Spotify? In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps and give you some tips on how to promote your music once it’s on the platform. Whether you’re a singer-songwriter, a band, or a producer, you’ll have all the information you need about how to get your music on Spotify and reach a wider audience.
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1. How do I get my music onto Spotify?
To get your music on Spotify, you’ll need to go through a music distributor. Some artists sign contracts with traditional music distributors, either affiliated with a record label or not. Others decide to go with digital music distributors that are open to everyone. These music distributors provide a platform for independent artists and smaller labels to distribute music without having to go through major record labels or sign exclusive contracts. With the rise of streaming music services, these music distributors have become more and more popular.
In addition to distributing your music to Spotify, they often distribute your music to many other streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, Napster, Youtube music, and more. The days of downloading music are being replaced by online music streaming! Music streaming sites have made it possible to listen to millions of songs and discover new music easily. Unless you want to stay on Soundcloud forever, you need to be present on these streaming sites to be visible. If you want to sign a contract with a traditional music distributor, get in touch with them via Groover: the platform that puts artists directly in touch with music business professionals with guaranteed feedback.
2. Is it free to put music on Spotify?
So, to get your music on Spotify you need to go through a music distributor. Is it free to put music on Spotify? The short answer is no. If you go directly through a digital music distributor, they will charge you either a flat fee per release or an annual subscription to distribute your music. If you sign a contract with a traditional music distributor, either from a major label or independent label, you most likely will be giving away a percentage of your royalties in exchange for distribution. Keep in mind that some digital distribution services will take a commission from your royalties while others let you keep 100% of everything you make.
Keep in mind that when you send your music to a digital distributor, you need to upload lossless files with high audio-quality! Don’t skip the mastering 🙂
3. What are the best music distributors to get my music onto Spotify?
Now that you know how to get your music on Spotify, which distributor is the best for your own music? There are several digital music distributors out there and they offer different payment plans or subscriptions. Choosing a music distributor that is right for you depends on your needs and your budget. Here are the most popular music distributors to get your music on Spotify:
- DistroKid: DistroKid is a popular digital music distribution service that offers unlimited uploads for a flat annual fee. They provide distribution to over 150 music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and others. DistroKid also offers features such as Spotify pre-save campaigns, YouTube monetization, and tools to manage your earnings. They are also know to be one of the fastest digital distribution services out there! With DistroKid, you keep 100% of your royalties.
- TuneCore: TuneCore is another well-known digital music distributor that provides global distribution to streaming services. They have pay-per-release plans or unlimited plans that vary by what stage you are at in your career and offer more advantages depending on what you pay. TuneCore also offers additional services such as music publishing, YouTube monetization, and sync licensing. Similar to DistroKid, you keep 100% of your royalties!
- CD Baby: CD Baby is one of the oldest digital music distributor that has been around since 1998. They offer distribution to over 150 music platforms and provide a range of services such as music publishing, sync licensing, and physical distribution. They also offer promotional tools such as email marketing and social media advertising. Unlike the two previous distributors, they take a 9% commission on your royalties.
- Ditto Music: Ditto Music works on a subscription plan per artist per year. If you are a small label, for example, you can increase your subscription plan depending on how many artists you have. You keep 100% of your royalties!
4. How much does it cost to put your song on Spotify?
Depending on the digital music distributor you choose to work with, there are different payment plans in place. Out of the four music distributors mentioned above, their payment plans work as follows:
- DistroKid: For $19.99 per year, an artist can put out as much music as they like!
- TuneCore: You can decide to pay per release or sign up for an unlimited plan. These plans include: the new artist subscription for free, the rising artist plan at $14.99/year, the breakout artist plan at $29.99/year, and the professional artist subscription at $49.99/year. Their pay-per-release fees during the first year of distribution are $9.99 for a single, $29.99 for an album, and $19.99 for a ringtone. After the first year of distribution, the album price goes up to $49.99 each following year.
- CD Baby: CD Baby charges a one-time fee per release: $9.95 for a standard single, $29.95 for a pro single, $29 for a standard album, and $69 for a pro album.
- Ditto Music: For $19 per year, an artist can put out as much music as they like. For $29 per year, you can put out unlimited music for two artists.
| Read also: How to chose a budget for your release?
5. How do artists boost their streams on Spotify?
It’s pretty simple to get your music on Spotify nowadays with these digital music distributors. The real question is: how to get your music on Spotify and boost streams? Having a large listener following on this streaming platform can have a huge impact on your music career. Artists that “stream well” are more likely to get professional opportunities from labels, bookers, and media. To boost engagement on Spotify, here are some tips to follow:
- Create a Spotify for Artists account: Once you start releasing music on Spotify, you should create a Spotify for Artists account. This will give you access to Spotify’s analytics tools which can help you understand your audience and track your progress.
- Submit your music to Spotify editorial playlists: Using your Spotify for Artists account, you can submit your music directly to Spotify editorial playlists before it is released. This is key in growing your audience! If you end up in an editorial playlist, you’ll see your listeners skyrocket. Music discovery often happens on these curated playlists!
- Use pre-save campaigns and encourage people to subscribe to your profile: To get as many people to listen to your track on release day, it’s important to set up pre-save campaigns and encourage people to follow you on Spotify. Once your song comes out, it will be saved to their library or in their Release Radar algorithmic playlist.
- Collaborate with other artists: Collaborating with other artists from various genres can help you gain exposure and potentially increase your streams. If you are featured in a song by an artist who streams well, this could bring more traffic to your profile.
- Share your music on social media: Last but not least, be sure to share your music on all your social media platforms! It’s important to include links to your music and playlists to bring your fans to your Spotify profile. That way, you can turn a follower into a subscriber.
As an independent artist, getting your music on Spotify is one of the most important steps to get your music heard. It remains one of the most popular platforms for streaming, allowing music lovers to find new music easily. Now that you’ve got the tools you need, check out how to release music the best way!
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