health | April 15, 2026

Is DistroKid good for producers?

The easiest way is probably using DistroKid. Before using DistroKid, do some research. Most producers I know have had good success with them, but one producer had some of his music removed when one of their algorithms discovered uncleared samples in a few of his beats.

Furthermore, how do I add a producer to DistroKid?

  1. Sign into DistroKid.
  2. Click the "More" menu in the upper right.
  3. Click "Credits & Liner Notes"

Furthermore, does DistroKid master your music? artists. A new add-on service from DistroKid makes it possible for any artist to get the "Mastered For iTunes" certification. Apple has a proprietary converter that its made available to select mastering engineers. The engineer can tweak the audio to make sure it still sounds good after it's been compressed.

Moreover, is DistroKid good for artists?

DistroKid, with its low prices, and a la carte business model, is the easiest way for musicians to get their music onto streaming services. Their cost effective, innovative and artist-friendly features have won over thousands of musicians and labels around the world since its inception.

Does DistroKid collect all royalties?

But today, ASCAP and BMI do the exact same thing: collect all your performance royalties, and send that money to your bank. Distrokid and other similar services are only for distribution and collect mechanical royalties for digital streams and sales.

Related Question Answers

How do producers get paid from DistroKid?

DistroKid can split earnings from any song or album. And automatically send those earnings to your collaborators. Then DistroKid will make sure they get paid for every stream and download. You never have to worry about accounting, and you never have to send money to anyone.

How much does DistroKid pay per stream?

In my experience, the number is closer to $0.003 or $0.004 per stream. The actual amount can vary by many factors, including where your music was streamed from. I think Distrokid is pretty reputable as well. Here's a link to a website that does research yearly on streaming rates from various platforms.

Can I replace a song on DistroKid?

DistroKid now lets users edit releases on it d.i.y. distribution platform. Users can now change song titles, album art, release date, etc. without having to delete and reupload each track.

How do producers get paid?

Usually, a producer is paid by the hour, by the number of master recordings completed, or a flat fee. He or she probably will ask for a royalty from the sale of the record as well. If you agree to such an arrangement, you'll have to account to the producer and make regular royalty payments, based on record sales.

Where does DistroKid distribute to?

DistroKid principally offers musicians and other rights-holders the opportunity to distribute and sell or stream their music through online retailers such as iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, Google Play Music, Tidal, Deezer, iHeartRadio and others.

Does DistroKid make a Spotify account for you?

DistroKid artists now get instant access to Spotify for Artists. This includes a blue verification checkmark and many “S4A” perks. Spotify for Artists is Spotify's app that gives artists: Access to streaming stats you can't get anywhere else.

How long does DistroKid take to upload to Spotify?

Generally speaking, those times are: Spotify - Usually a week or so. iTunes/Apple Music - Anywhere from same-day, to a week. YouTube Music - About 1-3 days.

How long does DistroKid take to release?

iTunes/Apple Music: 1-7 days. A very small percentage of albums go through manual review at Apple, which takes an additional 1-2 weeks or so.

Is Ditto better than DistroKid?

Ditto. Ditto is a bit like Distrokid - you pay one price a year and you're able to upload as many songs as you wish with no commission. The difference is that they seem to have better revenue and analytics reports + are a buck cheaper than Distrokid.

Does DistroKid steal your money?

The short and definitive answer is NO, Distrokid is NOT trying to steal your hard-earned money.

Is amuse better than DistroKid?

Distrokid simply offers so much more than Amuse in terms of features, reach, and more. So, while Amuse is an exciting platform with a lot of great features, it's hard to recommend it over Distrokid at this time.

Do I need BMI if I have DistroKid?

They are 2 different things. Distrokid is what you use to send your music to Stores and streaming platforms. BMI is what you use to collect royalties. So you should only need BMI, but you may need to register the use case at BMI in order to let them know it's being used (I presume with permission).

How much is DistroKid after the first year?

$29.99 for the first year. DistroKid charges $19.99 per year and lets you upload unlimited songs and albums. So, DistroKid is unlimited.

Does DistroKid pay monthly?

Sales reports and payments are available to you as soon as DistroKid receives and processes sales numbers and earnings from stores. Stores usually deliver these reports monthly, and they reflect sales from about 3 months ago. So, for example, you likely won't receive updated iTunes & Spotify numbers on the same day.

Which is better CD Baby or DistroKid?

Conclusion: DistroKid vs CD Baby

Also, CD Baby takes 9% of your income while DistroKid allows artists to keep 100% of the money they make. In addition, DistroKid offers automatic splits and easy cover song licensing to its users. However, when it comes to physical distribution, CD Baby is the way to go.

How much do you make on DistroKid?

How Much of My Sales Does DistroKid Keep? None! When you use DistroKid, you keep 100% of your earnings, minus banking fees/applicable taxes. We feel strongly that you shouldn't give a percentage of your sales & streaming

Does DistroKid take taxes?

DistroKid says this is for US tax withholding purposes, but as Dan mentioned, DistroKid didn't used to withhold, and not every other distributor withholds US income tax on non-US taxpayers.

Do I need to copyright my music before uploading to DistroKid?

Neither registration in the Copyright Office nor publication is required for copyright protection under the law. There are, however, certain advantages to registration, including the establishment of a public record of the copyright claim.

Is Spotify 16 or 24 bit?

Apple Music, Spotify, TIDAL and other online stores/streaming services – 16-bit/44.1k WAV files.

Should I upload WAV or mp3 to Distrokid?

Audio files should be WAV, MP3, AIFF, CDDA, M4A, Windows Media (WMA), or FLAC. If you're sending a WAV, we accept up to 24-bit, 96 kHz, or less. 16-bit, 44.1 kHz WAV is typical but pretty much anything works.

How loud should my master be?

How loud should your master be? Shoot for about -23 LUFS for a mix, or -6db on an analog meter. For mastering, -14 LUFS is the best level for streaming, as it will fit the loudness targets for the majority of streaming sources. With these targets, you're good to go!

What formats can I upload to Spotify?

What audio file formats does Spotify support? You can deliver your audio files to us in either FLAC or WAVE format, but we highly recommend using FLAC as it's much easier for us to work with.

Is Spotify mp3 or WAV?

Spotify uses the ogg format for all of its music streaming (apart from the web player), with varying bitrates for quality depending on device and subscription. Spotify on the desktop has 2 settings, normal quality 160kbps or high quality 320kbps (which requires premium).

What sample rate should I record at?

Research has shown that recording your audio at a higher sample rate (such as 48KHz or 96KHz) and then dithering it back to 44.1KHz doesn't improve the sound of the recording and even cause slight distortion. We highly recommend recording your songs at 44.1KHz.

What is the best DAW for mastering?

For a great DAW centered around mastering, WaveLab will give you everything you need and more to give your tracks the polish they need.
  • Pyramix. Although it sports a tough learning curve, Pyramix's editing tools are unparalleled.
  • Soundblade.
  • Reaper.

How do you master a song?

Here's a summary of the steps you'll need to take when you master your mix:
  1. Optimize your listening space.
  2. Finish your mix (to sound mastered).
  3. Check the levels.
  4. Bounce down your stereo track.
  5. Take a break (of at least a day).
  6. Create a new project and import your references.
  7. Listen for the first time (and take notes).

Does DistroKid collect YouTube royalties?

None! When you use DistroKid, you keep 100% of your earnings, minus banking fees/applicable taxes. We feel strongly that you shouldn't give a percentage of your sales & streaming revenue to your distributor. We keep 20% of the revenue from YouTube videos that we find, and send you the rest (80%).

Does DistroKid pay mechanical royalties?

Mechanical royalties are collected and paid by your distributor (DistroKid, CDBaby, etc.). These all revolve around physical or digital recordings of your music that are sold through a store. And note that these are one-time fee payments; not recurring royalty payments.

Do I need Songtrust if I have DistroKid?

You don't need to be registered with a Performing Rights Organization in order to collect your earnings from the stores you distribute to via DistroKid, but you're welcome to do register your works with them for additional publishing administration outside of DistroKid.