You are an aspiring musician, and you just finished recording your very first single. With the popularity of streaming platforms, you probably would want your song to be available on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music. However, how do you put your music in there? If you are signed by a major label, then you don’t have to worry about it, it’s all taken care of. But what if you are an independent musician who is just starting out? Well then, let me introduce you to digital aggregators.

Digital aggregators are companies that help distribute your music to streaming platforms. There are dozens that are available out there, including CD Baby, TuneCore, DistroKid, and Landr. Basically, all you have to do is create an account on their website. Then you can upload your music in a digital format, plus the album or single cover. After submitting all the important data like the title and the artist, you need to pay the fee. Once you’re done, you can just sit and wait until your song is finally out. Pretty simple, right?

(cottonbro studio / Pexels)

I think the most complicated thing about using digital aggregators is choosing which company that will suit you the best. Some companies, like TuneCore, ask you to pay an annual fee per song or album, but you will get 100% of the revenue. This is probably a great option if you know that your music will get a lot of streams. Other companies, like CD Baby, only ask you to pay upfront once, but they will ask for commission for every stream. This might be good if you just want your music to be out there and you don’t want to worry about paying annual fees. Some companies like DistroKid use a subscription system, where you pay an annual fee for unlimited numbers of uploads. This is probably great if you are the type of musician who likes to release music regularly. Whichever you choose, you need to do your own research, because each company offers different packages that come with different prices and benefits. 

(cottonbro studio / Pexels)

I hope this information that I just gave you will help launch your music career further. And I hope you are more excited to produce new music knowing that it can be heard by a wider audience. So, the next time someone asks where they can listen to your music, you can simply say, “it’s available on Spotify”.