Trade · Distribution
DistroKid
The default independent distributor. Fast, cheap, and a ceiling.
Correct for first records. Wrong forever if you start needing radio, advances, or a human.
DistroKid gets music onto DSPs quickly for an annual fee, lets you keep 100% of royalties, and will issue ISRCs if you do not have your own prefix. That is the pitch and it is true. The limits: customer support is a form, YouTube Content ID is a paid add-on with caveats, and partners (publicists, radio, DSPs' human teams) still treat a DistroKid email as 'no label.' Use it to ship. Graduate when you need someone to answer the phone, collect neighboring rights properly, or pitch editorial as a partner — AWAL, a boutique distributor, or a label license.
Ask Apparition about DistroKid
Musical context, the business around it, and what to do next.
See also
- TrAWALDistribution with a pulse. Selective, artist-friendly, still a deal.Trade · Distribution
- TrTuneCorePer-release distribution and a publishing-admin sibling.Trade · Distribution
- TeISRCThe identifier for a specific recording. One mix, one ISRC.Term · Metadata
- TeAggregator / distributorThe company that delivers your files to the DSPs and collects.Term · Infrastructure