Best platforms for independent musicians
In today’s digital age, a multitude of platforms exists for sharing your creativity and reaching a global audience. The music industry has been greatly influenced by the emergence of music streaming platforms, music distribution platforms, social networks, and crowdfunding platforms. The choice of a platform is crucial for those who wish to maximize their visibility and audience. In this article, the various options available to you will be explored.
Spotify: Massive Reach and Fierce Competition
Spotify reigns supreme in the world of music streaming! With over 345 million monthly active users worldwide, your audience is certainly a part of it. Spotify offers a tool called “Spotify for Artists,” a comprehensive dashboard that provides valuable insights into your audience, performance, and revenue. Additionally, if your music is featured in popular playlists, your visibility will skyrocket. However, despite these advantages, Spotify’s per-stream payment is often criticized for its low rates, and the competition is fierce, with millions of tracks available.
To give you a rough idea, you will earn an average of between $0.003 and $0.005 per stream on Spotify. That’s $3 to $5 for 1000 listens.
Apple Music: Higher Payouts and iTunes Integration
Apple Music is an alternative for you. This platform offers slightly higher payout rates compared to Spotify. Thanks to iTunes integration, music sales can still generate substantial revenue for you as an artist. However, Apple Music has a smaller audience than Spotify, and its data analytics tools are not as comprehensive.
As a general rule, with Apple Music, you will earn $0.0006, which is $6 for 1000 listens.
Deezer: International Audience and Personalized "Flow"
Deezer is the streaming platform that offers international reach! With availability in over 180 countries, it provides global visibility for independent artists like you. Deezer features a unique characteristic called “Flow,” a personalized recommendation feature that helps listeners discover new independent artists. While Deezer has a global audience, it is not as extensive as Spotify’s. Additionally, Deezer may not be as well-recognized as Spotify or Apple Music in certain markets.
Just like with Apple Music, you will earn $0.0006, which is $6 for 1000 listens on Deezer.
In the end, the choice of a music streaming platform depends on your goals, target audience, and personal preferences as an independent artist. Diversifying your presence on these platforms is often a smart strategy to maximize visibility and income.
II. Music Distribution Platforms
You may not be aware, but there are music distribution platforms at your disposal that also allow you to showcase your work on a global scale.
DistroKid: Artist-Friendly Simplicity
DistroKid is known for its user-friendly nature, making the process smooth for independent artists like you. You only need to upload your music, provide the required information, and DistroKid takes care of the rest. Your music can be online on various streaming platforms in record time, sometimes within hours. Furthermore, DistroKid’s affordable rates enable you to retain a larger share of your earnings. Your music will also be available in online stores like iTunes and Amazon, further expanding your reach. However, DistroKid operates on an annual subscription model, which may not be cost-effective if you plan to release only a single song or album and don’t intend to do so annually. DistroKid offers rapid uploading but gives you less control over the exact release date compared to other distributors.
TuneCore: Reliable Distribution
Similar to DistroKid, TuneCore is a music distribution platform that offers a comprehensive distribution process. You upload your music and provide the necessary information, and TuneCore handles distribution to various streaming and online sale platforms. In addition to distribution, TuneCore provides YouTube monetization services, detailed sales reports, and copyright protection assistance. This allows you to manage your music career professionally and make informed decisions. However, TuneCore charges upload and annual album or single fees, which can become costly if you regularly release music. Unlike DistroKid, TuneCore does not offer a single annual payment model, and you must pay for each release, which can add up quickly.
CD Baby: Full Support for Independent Artists
CD Baby stands out by offering comprehensive support to independent artists. This platform provides a range of services aimed at helping artists succeed in the music industry. You will have complete music distribution, including streaming platform uploads, physical distribution of CDs and vinyl, as well as YouTube monetization. CD Baby also offers educational resources and guidance for independent artists to navigate the music industry. The slight drawback is that CD Baby charges one-time fees for each album or single you release, which can be more expensive than annual subscription models if you plan to release a lot of music. CD Baby offers a more comprehensive distribution service, but it can result in longer release times compared to, for example, DistroKid. Finally, CD Baby takes a percentage of your music revenue.
These three platforms – DistroKid, TuneCore, and CD Baby – offer diverse solutions to help you share your creativity. It’s up to you to weigh the pros and cons.
Audius: Free Access for Your Creativity
If you want to get started without paying, Audius is a platform that offers innovative alternatives! It focuses on promoting your music by allowing you to upload your music directly to the platform without any fees and without the need for record labels. Isn’t that great? Your listeners will have free access to your tracks. However, compared to other platforms, Audius has less mainstream music content and a potentially complex user interface for some users. Since the platform allows you to upload your music directly, there is a risk of unofficial content or copyright violations that the platform must proactively manage to maintain its quality.
III. Social Media and Content Sharing Platforms
What’s great for you is that we are in a digital era that can propel you at any moment through social media.
YouTube: Ideal for Music Videos
YouTube remains an essential platform for independent artists looking to express themselves visually and reach a wider audience. This robust platform allows you to upload music videos, video clips, live performances, and much more. Creating high-quality visual content can captivate your viewers and convert them into devoted fans. Besides marketing, YouTube offers the opportunity to generate revenue through video monetization and partnerships with brands. Views, subscribers, and advertising can become a significant source of income for you.
Revenue from advertising on YouTube depends on the number of views and engagement. On average, you can earn between $0.25 and $4 for every 1,000 views of your video. Just imagine the potential earnings when you reach millions of views!
SoundCloud: A Guaranteed Fan Community
SoundCloud stands out for its engaged community of creators and music enthusiasts eager to discover new music. This platform enables you to upload original tracks, demos, and mixtapes. It encourages direct interaction with listeners, who can leave comments and provide valuable feedback. However, SoundCloud may have limitations in terms of payment rates, often lower than major streaming platforms, which can make it challenging to achieve significant profits but not impossible.
It’s important to note that revenue on SoundCloud primarily comes from platform monetization, including SoundCloud Go+ subscriptions. So, you can earn a share of the revenue generated by these subscriptions. For example, an artist could earn between $0.002 and $0.003 per listen on SoundCloud Go+.
TikTok: Musical Virality at Your Fingertips
A relatively new social network, TikTok has revolutionized how music is discovered, shared, and popularized. TikTok has propelled independent songs to the top of the charts through viral challenges and music trends. You now have the opportunity to leverage this platform to gain rapid visibility. To succeed on TikTok, you must create authentic content and actively engage with the community.
Income on TikTok can come from various sources, including partnerships with brands for sponsored videos. You can earn thousands of dollars for a single sponsored video, depending on your audience. For example, a creator with millions of followers could earn anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 or more for a collaboration with a major brand.
IV. Crowdfunding Platforms: Financial Support for Your Projects
Crowdfunding platforms are a means for you to realize your artistic ambitions. We have selected two for you:
Patreon: Engaged Community
Patreon allows you to build a strong community. Many independent artists have successfully leveraged Patreon. For example, folk musician Amanda Palmer used this platform to fund her album production, preserving her artistic independence while creating a devoted fan community. What’s cool is that you not only have moral support from your community but also regular financial support from your fans. You set different support tiers with corresponding rewards, such as access to exclusive content, and fans subscribe to these tiers to support you financially and access rewards. This enables you to fund your work continuously and develop an engaged community.
To give you an example: Lindsey Stirling. The musician, videographer, and director is known for her unique violin performances and electronic music, and she has used Patreon to build an engaged community of supporters.She offers her subscribers benefits such as access to exclusive behind-the-scenes videos, live Q&A sessions, instrumental versions of her songs, and even opportunities to personally meet her subscribers at concerts. This approach has allowed Lindsey Stirling to fund the creation of her music and videos independently.
This demonstrates that Patreon can be a powerful tool for artists who want to maintain their artistic independence while receiving direct financial support from their community.
Kickstarter: Empowering Funding for Your Projects
Kickstarter helps you gather funds for your ambitious creative projects. You simply set a financial goal for your project and launch a Kickstarter campaign. Contributors, known as “backers,” financially support the campaign in exchange for project-related rewards. These rewards can take various forms, such as signed copies of the album, credits in a film, or other creative incentives. Whether it’s producing a new album or realizing any other artistic vision, Patreon and Kickstarter are valuable allies for turning your dreams into reality.
Another example of an artist who maintained their artistic independence through Kickstarter is the American musician Dessa. In 2018, Dessa launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the creation of her album “Chime.”Dessa is an independent artist known for her hip-hop music and lyrical writing. Instead of signing with a major record label, she decided to directly reach out to her fans to finance her album. Her Kickstarter campaign allowed contributors to pre-order the album and receive rewards such as special editions, private concerts, and even handwritten lyrics.
Thanks to this campaign, Dessa was able to create the album “Chime” while retaining complete creative control over her work, which is essential for her as an independent artist.
Conclusion
By diversifying your presence on the platforms presented in this article, you can maximize your visibility and income while pursuing your artistic passion successfully. Before considering all of this, you first need to produce your music professionally. That’s where Hall Up steps in to guide you step by step in creating your music before distributing it on your desired platforms.
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