Think of a music distributor as a crucial middleman between you (the artist) and the digital streaming platforms (DSPs) like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Tidal.
These major platforms don’t accept music directly from millions of individual artists. It would be logistically impossible. Instead, they work with a limited number of approved distribution companies that aggregate and deliver music on a massive scale.
A distributor’s job is to:
Deliver your audio files and metadata (song title, artist name, genre, etc.) to all the DSPs.
Collect the royalties you earn from streams and downloads.
Pay you your share of those royalties.
Why Can’t I Just Upload My Music Myself?
You can! But only to a very limited number of places.
SoundCloud and Bandcamp allow direct uploads. They are fantastic platforms for community building and direct-to-fan sales.
YouTube allows you to upload videos directly.
However, to get on the “big four”—Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Deezer—you must use a distributor. This also includes getting your music into TikTok and Instagram Reels, which are now essential tools for music discovery.
