Artists: How to Get Your Music Onto Spotify [& Other Streaming Sites] for FREE

Musicians: Here’s a hack for you. Have you ever wanted to release your music onto Spotify, Apple Music, Napster, Instagram, etc. WITHOUT paying any kind of upfront fee? Read on:

As a musician, I searched long and hard for a workaround to the typical upfront fees that online distribution companies often charge for their services. I tried CD Baby, Distrokid, Tunecore, and Ditto, all to no avail. Finally, I came across a company called RouteNote. I was skeptical at first, being that this company charges no initial fees of any kind, but turned out to be pleasantly surprised. They are partnered with 50+ of the largest digital platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, YouTube Music, iTunes, Amazon Music, and more [read the full Partner list here].

RouteNote has “a selection of distribution options each tailored to suit your needs, each with no hidden costs or catches.” With the Free Option, artists receive 85% of the revenue, while RouteNote takes the rest. Giving just 15% of royalties to the company is a great way to avoid out-of-pocket costs. An artist can, however, choose to upgrade to Premium if they want to keep 100% of their revenue. The cost for this service is $10/single, $20/EP, and $30/album; this is a great option for this who KNOW that they will end up making more money in revenue than what this will cost them.

I have now released 2 albums and 1 single through RouteNote and have yet to be disappointed. Artists are able to set their own release dates, as well as choose EXACTLY which sites they would like their music to stream on. Payout is done through PayPal. Any time I have an issue or encounter a problem of any kind, their customer service team is quick to reply (and friendly, too!). That’s a lot to boast for a fairly “free” service.

Bonus: RouteNote can also help artists become verified on YouTube. This is certainly a plus and “ups” musicians’ credibility.

Check ’em out!