It is a common question from independent musicians and record labels whether it is free to distribute their music on digital music platforms like iTunes. The short answer is yes, there are no upfront costs to submit music to iTunes and other major streaming services. However, it does require jumping through some technical hoops and meeting eligibility requirements. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about getting your music on iTunes and other digital music platforms for free.
How Does Music Distribution to Digital Platforms Work?
In the past, the only way to get music distributed at scale was through a traditional record label. Record labels would handle all the logistics of getting physical products manufactured and distributed to brick-and-mortar music retailers. With the shift to digital music consumption over the past two decades, this model has radically changed.
Today, digital aggregators act as intermediaries between independent musicians/labels and major digital music platforms like iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. Aggregators encode music into the proper file formats, deliver it to digital stores and streaming services, collect royalties, and pay out earnings to rights holders. This allows musicians to tap into the major digital music ecosystem without needing the infrastructure of a conventional record label.
Do You Need a Distribution Agreement?
Yes, to distribute your music to digital platforms through an aggregator, you need to sign a digital distribution agreement. This grants the aggregator the right to encode, deliver, and collect earnings for your music on digital services. You maintain ownership of your music copyrights and master recordings.
Distribution agreements typically last for 1-2 years initially but can be terminated earlier or extended as desired. The aggregator takes a percentage commission, usually 10-15%, for providing distribution services.
When evaluating distribution deals, pay close attention to the terms about who owns rights if the agreement is terminated, whether exclusivity is required, and royalty payment schedules.
Eligibility Requirements
To use a digital music aggregator and distribute to stores like iTunes, you must:
- Own or control the copyrights and master recordings for the music.
- Have all necessary rights from co-writers, featured artists, sample owners, etc.
- Provide all required metadata like song titles, artist names, album, genre, etc.
If you use any samples or parts created by others, you need licenses allowing distribution – otherwise your music can get taken down for copyright infringement.
You don’t technically need to own your masters or copyrights if all rights holders agree to the distribution. But aggregators usually require that one entity control the necessary rights.
Technical Specifications
To be encoded and delivered digitally, your music files need to meet certain technical specifications:
- File Format: WAV, AIFF, FLAC (minimum 44.1 kHz, 16 bit depth)
- Peak loudness: -9dBFS to -13dBFS range
- Minimum 3-5 seconds of lead-in silence
- Cue sheet if delivering an entire album
- Album/cover artwork (3000×3000 or larger)
If you are mastering tracks yourself, aim for loudness around -12 to -13 dBFS integrated LUFS to ensure good normalization across platforms.
Providing high quality materials meeting technical specs is critical for stores to accept and process your music for release.
Steps to Release Music on iTunes via Aggregator
Here are the basic steps to get your music onto iTunes and other platforms through an aggregator:
- Finalize your mixed and mastered tracks
- Sign up with an aggregator like CD Baby, TuneCore, DistroKid, etc.
- Provide your completed audio files and metadata
- Complete enrollment and digital distribution agreement
- Aggregator encodes files and delivers to platforms
- Music gets published globally across platforms
- Aggregator collects and pays out royalties
The timeline varies by aggregator but is usually at least 1-2 weeks from delivering your final masters to global release. Some light marketing through iTunes and Spotify can help get early discoverability.
Pros of DIY Distribution via Aggregator
Releasing music directly to digital platforms through an aggregator has many benefits compared to traditional record deals:
- No upfront costs – most aggregators are free or cheap to enroll
- Keep control of your copyrights and masters
- Released globally to hundreds of digital stores and streaming services
- Easier access to iTunes featuring like New Music Fridays
- Daily royalty payouts rather than biannual with major labels
- More royalty earnings compared to label deals (up to 10-15% more)
- Get to set your own release timeline
For independent artists, using a digital aggregator provides more ownership and higher revenue share – at the tradeoff of having less marketing support. But with the right promotion, DIY distribution can be very empowering.
Cons of DIY Distribution
While DIY aggregator-assisted distribution has many perks, it also has some notable drawbacks:
- No advance payment like you may get with a label deal
- Less chance of major marketing exposure and radio promotion
- Harder to stand out among a flood of DIY releases
- No built-in support services like publicity, radio promo, etc.
- Less dedicated relationship-building with platforms like iTunes
- Aggregator may not prioritize pitching your music to playlists, radio, etc.
- Need to handle scheduling your own release marketing and promotions
Unless you already have a strong fanbase, a DIY release has a higher chance of getting lost in the shuffle without label-supported marketing. But for many musicians, the creative freedom and ownership justify the extra effort.
Which Digital Aggregator Should You Use?
The top digital music aggregators include:
- CD Baby – One of the first aggregators, been around since 1998. No annual fees. 9% commission on download stores, 15% on streaming.
- DistroKid – $19.99 annual fee for unlimited uploads. $35 tier with more performance analytics. 0% commission besides annual fee.
- TuneCore – $9.99 – $49.99 annual fee per release. 10-15% commission after stores take their cut. Added services like advance access, ad campaigns.
- Soundrop – $19 monthly subscription with unlimited uploads. 15% revenue commission, $10 mechanical royalties fee per release.
- Level Music – $399 annual fee includes distribution + marketing tools. 15% commission, 87.5% royalties after stores take their cut.
All top aggregators provide the essentials like global publishing to iTunes, Spotify, Amazon etc. Differentiators come down to price structure, commissions, additional marketing tools provided, ease of use, artist service and support, timeliness of payments, and more.
Research thoroughly before choosing an aggregator – your distributor will be your partner in this digital music journey!
Marketing Your Release
To maximize your odds of getting good exposure on iTunes and other platforms, you need an accompanying marketing strategy. Simply uploading your music to an aggregator does not guarantee listeners will find it.
Effective release marketing ideas include:
- Run an email signup pre-order campaign on your website
- Promote pre-saves on Spotify to boost algorithm placement
- Send new music announcements to your email and text subscribers
- Pitch streaming playlists relevant to your genre for adds
- Use social media ads (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) to promote your release
- Outreach blogs and music sites for reviews, premieres and features
- Boost social posts promoting your release day
- Run an Instagram/Facebook Live session on release day for fan engagement
Execute timed marketing initiatives in the month leading up to and after your release date to maximize its visibility during the critical discovery period. Consistent marketing both pre- and post-release makes all the difference.
Pro Tips for iTunes and Spotify
Here are some expert tips specifically for standing out on iTunes and Spotify:
iTunes Tips
- Upload eye-catching album artwork to catch browsers’ attention
- Pick a popular yet not oversaturated genre/sub-genre for better placement
- Aim for Friday new music releases to catch weekend listeners
- Submit to music blogs specializing in iTunes premieres
- Check if your release qualifies for New Music Fridays editorial playlist
- Use Apple Music promo tools like banner placements and social sharing
Spotify Tips
- Capture emails for pre-save campaign to boost opening day streams
- Submit for indie Spotify playlists like Fresh Finds to build organic reach
- Do an Instagram story takeover on a top playlist in your niche
- Pitch playlist curators directly using online curator tools
- Consider opting for Spotify Canvas looping visuals
- Analyze Spotify Analytics data regularly to assess opportunities
Gaining traction on leading platforms requires research into how each platform’s unique algorithms, editorial playlists, and promo tools work.
How Much Does iTunes Pay per Stream?
Here are current iTunes royalty payouts:
- iTunes Downloads: $0.69 per download
- Apple Music Streams: $0.01 per stream
Note iTunes downloads pay about 70x more than streams! This is why download sales are still highly lucrative, especially globally in markets behind the streaming adoption curve.
But since Apple Music provides the majority of revenues for most artists today, streaming royalty rates are the bigger factor.
At a penny per play, it takes almost 70,000 Apple Music streams to earn $700 – equivalent to 1,000 paid iTunes downloads. This shift to streaming’s micro-payments scale is why high volumes are required to earn decent royalties.
How iTunes Royalty Payouts Compare
Apple Music’s streaming royalties are on par with industry standards. Here’s how iTunes royalties stack up against other leading platforms:
| Digital Platform | Royalty Per Stream |
| Apple Music | $0.01 |
| Spotify | $0.003 – $0.005 |
| Amazon Music | $0.004 – $0.007 |
| YouTube | $0.001 – $0.002 |
| Tidal | $0.0125 |
| Pandora | $0.001 – $0.0025 |
Tidal pays the most per stream, which is a selling point for its HiFi service. But the much smaller user base makes it hard to earn significant revenues there. Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon hold the most earning potential for reach while still paying decent streaming rates. This can fluctuate based on negotiated artist deals.
Do Artists Get Paid for iTunes Radio?
Apple pays sound recording royalties for iTunes Radio plays based on how the service categorizes the station:
- Stations Based on Users’ iTunes Libraries: Apple pays top royalty rate of $0.24 per 100 spins, equal to $0.0024 per play.
- Featured Stations: Royalty rate is $0.14 per 100 spins for songs on featured stations, equivalent to $0.0014 per play.
- Other Broadcast Stations: General broadcast stations pay $0.05 per 100 spins, so $0.0005 per play.
So songs played on iTunes Radio earn significantly less than Apple Music on-demand streams. But it can add up with volume.
Performers are eligible for SoundExchange royalties for digital performances too. So iTunes Radio plays generate both sound recording and public performance royalties.
Do Independent Artists Make Money on iTunes?
Yes, independent artists absolutely can earn meaningful revenue from iTunes and Apple Music. While streaming micro-royalties require high volumes, Apple Music’s sizable reach makes this feasible.
Perks for DIY artists include:
- Keep 100% of royalties rather than share with labels
- Payments come straight to the artist rather than going through others first
- Chance for global downloads revenue, especially in emerging markets
- Opportunity for algorithmic and editorial playlist placements
- Direct communication with Apple Music for Artists team
Independent rapper NF earned over 65 million streams on Apple Music in 2020 entirely DIY with no label. This shows potent iTunes earnings are possible both via downloads and streaming. But it requires tapping all promotional angles and fan channels available.
Do You Make More Money with a Label?
Signing with a record label that invests in marketing, radio, publicity, etc. can lead to much more exposure and faster growth on iTunes and streaming platforms. While you keep a lower royalty share, the dramatically bigger audience size often offsets the difference.
Consider how these scenarios compare for $100,000 in Apple Music earnings:
- Independent: Keep 100% of $100,000 = $100,000
- Major Label Deal: Keep 15% of $1M = $150,000 (6x more)
The above shows even a 15% royalty with a label provides over 50% more earnings if they grow your streaming audience 6x bigger. The crossover point depends on the label’s marketing reach and your niche. But the scale benefits are clear.
This is why many successful independent artists sign label deals after establishing a core fanbase themselves first. The best of both worlds.
Conclusion
Releasing music on iTunes and Apple Music through an aggregator distributor is completely free. But earning substantial income requires good music and serious marketing work.
While streaming royalties are small, Apple Music’s reach provides an opportunity for DIY artists to build a sustainable career on their own terms using today’s direct-to-fan digital channels.
Success ultimately comes down to the quality of your songs and connecting with your target audience. But embracing digital platforms like iTunes gives you the best chance for your music to be heard globally today.