How to distribute music independently in 2026

Independent music distribution in 2026 means uploading your masters to a distributor (DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, AWAL, etc.) who pushes them to ~150 digital service providers (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, YouTube Music, TikTok, etc.) and collects master royalties on your behalf. Distribution covers the recording side only — publishing royalties (PRO/MLC/SoundExchange) require separate registration with a publishing administrator. Doing both well is the difference between earning the full ~$0.005/stream a song is actually worth and leaving 30-50% of royalties uncollected. Producer Tour does not distribute music — we sit on the publishing-administration side and pair with whichever distributor you choose.

Steps

1. Choose a distributor — DistroKid (cheapest, fastest — ~$22.99/yr), TuneCore (mid-tier, publishing add-on — $9.99-29.99/yr per album), CD Baby (per-release fee + lifetime — $9.95-$29.95), AWAL (invite-only, label services). All push to the same ~150 DSPs; differences are pricing model + bundled features. Producer Tour does not distribute — pick one of these for the distribution layer.
2. Prep your masters — WAV or FLAC at 44.1kHz / 16-bit or higher. Mastered. Each track titled clearly. ISRCs assigned (your distributor will assign if you do not have them).
3. Write complete metadata — Track title (no special characters), every performer + role, every writer + IPI + split, language, explicit flag, primary genre, release date. Bad metadata = unmatched royalties later.
4. Upload artwork meeting DSP specs — 3000x3000 px JPG/PNG, no website URLs, no social handles, no third-party logos. Spotify + Apple reject artwork that violates these rules without explanation.
5. Schedule release 3-4 weeks out — Pre-save campaigns + editorial pitching both require 3+ weeks lead time. Releases scheduled <2 weeks out skip editorial consideration entirely.
6. Register the publishing side — Distribution collects MASTER recording royalties. To collect PUBLISHING royalties (PRO performance, MLC mechanical, SoundExchange digital performance, foreign), register every work with your PRO + The MLC + apply to a publishing administrator like Producer Tour. Otherwise you leave 30-50% of total royalties uncollected.

FAQ

Which distributor pays the most?

All distributors pass through 100% of master royalties from DSPs — the differences are subscription model (DistroKid: $22.99/year, TuneCore: $9.99-29.99/year per album, CD Baby: $9.95-$29.95 per release lifetime). Per-stream payouts are identical because they come from the DSP, not the distributor.

Does Producer Tour distribute music?

No. Producer Tour does not distribute music — we are a publishing administrator + beat marketplace + AI music-ops platform. Pair us with a distributor (DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby) for full coverage: they handle distribution + master royalties, Producer Tour handles publishing royalty administration (PRO/MLC/SoundExchange/foreign), beat selling, AI artwork, the Type Beat Video Uploader, and label pitching.