Those days of submitting unsolicited material to recored labels ARE OVER! I remember sending out my demo in hopes to partner with a label that would help me distribute it. It always seemed to be a giant black hole effect, because no one ever responded. Or how about having tons of songs just sitting on my hard drive. Well, thanks to this ever-evolving industry and it's forward thinking musicians, record labels are no longer needed if you're looking to distribute your own material. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying one should pass up the opportunity to be signed to a record label, but this should not stop you from distributing & LETTING YOUR MUSIC SPEAK.
Below are the top 3 (and some of my favorite) music distributors out right now, that help you distribute your music on all streaming platforms!
TuneCore
TuneCore paved the way for its successor distributors. Just for 9.99 you can put out a single for a year, and their album fee is $29.99. When the year is up you must pay the fee again. These fees also included the UPC code needed for distribution. From time to time they have specials, so make sure you check out their site provided below for updated prices. What I love about tune core the most is they ensure a speedy service delivery AND they do not touch any of your royalties! http://www.tunecore.com/
CD Baby
For all you hipsters, CD Baby was founded in Woodstock of 1998 by an independent musician named Derek Sivers, who launched the platform initially to sell his own music. He then branched out to helping his friends distribute to now having a 30% North American clientele. Unfortunately, CD Baby charges a 10% royalty commission fee, but they also only charge you a one time to fee to release an album or a single. Check their website for updated information: https://www.cdbaby.com/
DistroKid
What makes DistroKid unique is they offer a yearly membership and you can release as much music as you want during that time period. Like TuneCore, DistroKid doesn't take any royalty earnings and they make it easy to share royalties with your collaborators! For more info visit https://distrokid.com/
There are many other music distribution platforms. Do your research and you read the fine print before selecting your preferred service! After that, the wait is OVER. LET YOUR MUSIC SPEAK!