How to distribute music independently in 2026

Independent music distribution in 2026 means uploading your masters to a distributor (DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, Producer Tour) who pushes them to ~150 digital service providers (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, YouTube Music, TikTok, etc.) and collects royalties on your behalf. Distribution covers the recording side only — publishing royalties (PRO/MLC/SoundExchange) require separate registration. 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.

Steps

1. Choose a distributor — DistroKid (cheapest, fastest), TuneCore (mid-tier, publishing add-on), CD Baby (per-release fee + lifetime), Producer Tour (bundled into $9.99/mo Pro with publishing). All push to the same ~150 DSPs; differences are pricing model + bundled features.
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 admin. 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, Producer Tour: $9.99/month bundled with publishing + AI tools). Per-stream payouts are identical because they come from the DSP, not the distributor.

Why does Producer Tour include distribution?

Distribution is upstream of publishing — when a beat or song is released through Producer Tour's distribution, we already have the metadata + writer info needed to register it with The MLC + your PRO + foreign societies automatically. Bundling distribution + publishing admin means fewer drops between systems and fewer unmatched royalties.