DistroKid

DistroKid is an independent digital music distribution service, founded in 2013 by American entrepreneur Philip J. Kaplan. DistroKid principally offers musicians and other rights-holders the opportunity to distribute and sell or stream their music through online retailers such as iTunes/Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, Deezer, iHeartRadio and others.

DistroKid
The official front of Distrokid
Type of site
Digital distribution
OwnerPhilip J. Kaplan
IndustryMusic
URLdistrokid.com
LaunchedMay 2013
Current statusActive

History

DistroKid was developed in 2012 by Philip J. Kaplan and launched in mid 2013.[1] It began as a side-feature of Kaplan's music social network, Fandalism,[2] and was split out into its own company in 2015.[3]

In July 2015, a DistroKid release by musical act Jack & Jack went to number one worldwide on the iTunes charts.[4][5] This was particularly notable because DistroKid does not take a commission or royalties, making this the first time a number-one charting artist was able to keep 100% of their earnings.[2]

In May 2016, DistroKid launched a feature called "Teams" that makes it possible for royalties to be automatically sent to collaborators and shareholders.[6][7] In 2018, DistroKid reached an agreement with Spotify to support cross-platform uploads for Spotify artists who upload directly or have direct licensing deals with the company.[8][9][10] In 2021, the company launched an initiative allowing record labels to mine its data in search of new artists. It receives a finder's fee from record labels each time a label signs a new artist by way of the platform. The first label to take part in the initiative was Republic Records.[11]

In September 2023, it was announced DistroKid has acquired the music distribution and website hosting platform, Bandzoogle.[12]

References
  1. "DistroKid Launches Much Cheaper TuneCore Alternative". Hypebot. Bandsintown. 29 May 2013.
  2. Herstand, Ari (July 24, 2015). "The Artist Who Has The #1 Album On iTunes Is Getting 100% Of The Royalties". Digital Music News.
  3. Biggs, John (October 10, 2013). "Philip Kaplan Officially Launches DistroKid, A Cheap, Efficient Way To Distribute Lots Of Music". TechCrunch.
  4. Robehmed, Natalie (July 24, 2015). "How These Independent Artists Reached No. 1 On The iTunes Chart". Forbes.
  5. Biggs, John (August 6, 2015). "The DistroKid Music Distribution Service Has Launched An Indie Artist To The Top Of The Charts". TechCrunch.
  6. Biggs, John (May 19, 2016). "DistroKid's music payment system now lets you send cash to everyone on a track". TechCrunch.
  7. Herstand, Ari (May 19, 2016). "DistroKid Will Now Pay Everyone Who Worked On Your Song". Digital Music News.
  8. Perez, Sarah (October 17, 2018). "Spotify takes a stake in DistroKid, will support cross-platform music uploads in Spotify for Artists". TechCrunch. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  9. Sisario, Ben (September 6, 2018). "A New Spotify Initiative Makes the Big Record Labels Nervous". New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  10. Deahl, Dani (September 20, 2018). "Spotify will now let artists directly upload their music to the platform". The Verge. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  11. Stassen, Murray (January 28, 2021). "DistroKid launches 'matchmaking service' to help labels find unsigned artists; Republic Records named first partner". Music Business Worldwide. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  12. "DistroKid acquires website builder Bandzoogle in effort to "empower artists"". MusicTech. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
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