Music Distribution for Independent Artists: A Complete Guide
Music distribution gets your tracks onto Spotify, Apple Music, and beyond. This guide explains how distribution works and what independent artists need to know.
How Music Gets onto Streaming Platforms
You cannot upload music directly to Spotify or Apple Music as an artist. Instead, you use a music distributor, a service that delivers your tracks to every major streaming platform and collects your royalties. Understanding distribution is the first practical step toward releasing music professionally.
For independent artists, the right distributor can be the foundation of an entire career.
Choosing a Distributor
Distributors vary in their pricing models. Some charge a yearly fee and let you keep all your royalties, while others take a percentage of your earnings. The right choice depends on your release schedule and how much you expect to earn.
Beyond the basics, look at features like release scheduling, Spotify pitching tools, and analytics, which can make a meaningful difference to how well your releases perform.
Planning Your Release
Smart distribution means delivering your track at least a few weeks before release day, so you can pitch it to editorial playlists and build pre-save campaigns. Treating each release as a planned event, rather than a sudden upload, is how independent artists like Maxim Schunk build momentum.
See a consistent, well-planned release catalogue on Maxim Schunk's Spotify. Follow @maximschunk on Instagram.