I was asking myself the same question, can I use multiple music distributors. HOWEVER, the reason I was asking seemed to be different than everyone else. It should be obvious to anyone out there that distributing the SAME release through different music distributors is impossible. You’d simply be creating duplicate releases which isn’t good… So, why was I asking?
Being promiscuous with your music distribution services might be a good idea (especially if you’re not experienced). The reason I was asking myself if I could use multiple music distributors was simply to test multiple platforms at once. In other words, I would be releasing DIFFERENT releases through different music distributors. That’s how I ended up creating all of these in-depth reviews on music distribution services. Keep reading to find out more about my strategy for “interviewing” music distributors.
- Why you shouldn’t use multiple music distributors
- Why you might WANT to use multiple music distributors
- What about multiple artist profiles on streaming services?
- Other reasons you may want to use multiple music distributors
Why you shouldn’t use multiple music distributors
Releasing the same release through different music distribution services will result in duplicate versions of your music. That’s not going to get streaming platforms to like you very much…
The only time this situation should happen is TEMPORARILY.
The only reason that’d be the case is if you were switching music distributors.
Other than that, I honestly can’t think of any reason why you’d want to have the same music on different music distribution services. Do some of you think it’ll make you double (or triple) your earnings?
I’m curious, let me know in the comments!
If anything, it just ends up costing you more BUT… It doesn’t work either way!
Why you might WANT to use multiple music distributors
If you want to find the best partner for your music, you need to be patient. Expecting to find the best music distribution service the day of your scheduled release isn’t best practice…
I recommend choosing 3-5 and releasing 3-5 singles through them.
If you’re still at this stage, chances are you won’t really get much streams anyway.
Sorry for being so blunt, but the advantage of getting started is the ability to LEARN and MAKING MISTAKES. It’s best to do that when it doesn’t really matter.
Just remember that your releases can be pulled from streaming services anytime.
Also, keep in mind that you can always CHANGE music distribution service at any point.
What about multiple artist profiles on streaming services?
One of the most realistic concerns I came across the web (which I too, had) was the fear of creating a duplicate artist profile. The only way to find out was to take the risk, which I did!
While distributing my music using DistroKid, I also wanted to try RouteNote.
It was perfect timing since I also wanted to conduct this experiment. What ended up happening is that the streaming services grouped my music under the same profile.
I can’t explain how it happened, but I guess streaming services are smart enough!
If you use the same metadata on each music distribution platform, you should be fine.
I can’t guarantee that this’ll work for EVERY music distribution “pair”, but chances are that it’ll be okay. You’ll have one artist even though you’re distributing your music using multiple services.
Other reasons you may want to use multiple music distributors
Besides having the ability to “interview” these different music distribution services, you can also test for payout consistencies. If you understand how streaming royalties are calculated, you can simply determine how much each distributor pays per stream.
It’ll require some mathematical skills, but you’ll be fine!
I can’t confirm any of these cases, but I’ve definitely heard of music distribution services “cheating” their clients. It’s not impossible, so just make sure to do your due diligence.
That’s basically what this is!
Another reason I use multiple distributors is because some of them provide different advantages. For example…
- Soundrop makes it super easy/affordable to get cover licenses
- RouteNote allows you to monetize your SoundCloud/YouTube streams for FREE
- LANDR has several revolutionary perks and advantages
You can also choose to have one distributor assigned to specific platforms (for example, Spotify) and have that streaming service excluded from all others.
In those cases, you just want to make sure to have ONE ISRC/UPC code assigned per release.
If you want to learn more about that, read one and/or both of these articles:
I hope this article has provided you with some peace of mind. If you have any questions about music publishing/distribution, feel free to leave us a comment. If you want to work 1-on-1 with me, you can also schedule a consultation HERE. Thanks for reading!
Sources
https://www.reddit.com/r/WeAreTheMusicMakers/comments/abvkpn/using_multiple_music_distributors/
