Distrokid is the leading music distribution platform, with arguably the fastest distribution times, best customer service and affordable subscription plans. With so many people using Distrokid, you might be wondering how long it takes to get paid, and how long it takes for your music to go live.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about these points and answer the question “how long does Distrokid take to upload music?” Let’s dive in!
Contents
How Long Does Distrokid Take To Upload Music?
It takes 2-5 days to get your music uploaded to streaming services using Distrokid. This may take longer if you don’t ensure your track description, artwork and audio meet Distrokid’s requirements and your track may be flagged for manual review, which can take 1-2 weeks.
In my own experience, I have had songs processed in as little as 48 hours. It is important to have a release date in mind, uploading the song at least two weeks before in order for your release, to be considered for curated playlists on DSPs such as Spotify or Apple Music.
If you’re strapped for time and need a quick release, you can rely on Distrokid comfortably to get it to Spotify in 3-5 days. Please, if you have a release date, make sure you upload it on time because you can’t rely on this number exactly.
We have found this from personal experience, and your release may take longer.
Here’s how long does Distrokid take to upload your music to individual stores:
| Spotify | Apple Music/iTunes | Amazon | Youtube Music | Deezer | TIDAL | Facebook/Instagram | TikTok |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-5 Days | 1-7 Days | 1-2 Days | 1-2 Days | 1-2 Days | 1-2 Days | 1-2 Weeks | 1-3 Weeks |
It should take no longer than a week for your upload to be complete. If you are uploading to a social media platform such as Tiktok or Instagram, it takes slightly longer ranging between 1-3 weeks. A small number of uploads will go through manual review, lengthening the upload wait time by 1-2 weeks.
Distrokid does a good job of keeping you updated on the progress of your upload via email alerts. As well as streaming services, they’ll let you know about Instagram music, TikTok, and even extras like Shazam.
It should take 2-5 days for your music to be uploaded to streaming services through Distrokid. You should allow at least 2 weeks before your scheduled release date in order for your release to be considered for curated playlists. Otherwise, Distrokid may not be able to get it to stores on time.
Distrokid is known for being the fastest distribution service for releasing music on streaming services (they are on Spotify’s preferred distributor list).
This is less of an issue now as competitors such as Ditto and Tunecore have caught up and offer similar times. Distrokid may still be your preferred option however due to their commission rates on streaming revenue, instead, making their money from yearly subscription plans.
Why Is Distrokid Taking So Long & How Can I Speed Up My Release?
Your Distrokid release can sometimes take longer than expected. This is why it’s important to have a set release date at least 30 days before, so you have ample time to sort everything out. Often, releases can go to a manual review – so plan accordingly for this!
Here are some reasons why your Distrokid release is taking so long:
1. Artwork Issues
We’ve had personal experience with this. Your artwork must be crystal clear. Even if the design style is supposed to be blurry, Distrokid may decline it and it will go to manual review, so please consider this before uploading. I have had a particularly blurry artwork that went to manual review before.
2. Re-releasing Under A Different Artist Name
I’ve heard Artists re-release music under a new name, only for it to be rejected as the streaming platforms think they’re stealing someone else’s song. If you are re-releasing a song, you could take the old version down to avoid complications.
However, some people have reported that this doesn’t work because the meta data needs to be the same as the old track that’s on file.
3. Too Many Uploads Recently
If you have released an influx of music recently, it may take slightly longer for your upload to be processed. Don’t let this get in the way of your artistic expression, although make sure your releases are carefully planned and timed.
4. You Uploaded Early During The Week
If your release gets selected for a manual review on a Friday, your delay will be extended by the weekend it will not start. If speed is a priority, uploading on a Monday or Tuesday should help avoid this problem.
5. Cover Licensing Clearance
If you have uploaded a cover song, Distrokid will need to attain a special license for the song to be released. This costs an extra $12 per year to manage each cover song.
As a result, your wait time is longer than if it was an original release – taking up to 14 business days. This is sadly unavoidable, so you should take it into account when planning your release and surrounding content.
It is important to get these factors right in order to have a fast release. If you haven’t got much time between your release date and the time you uploaded, make sure to refer to this list to keep everything in check.
My Release Was Rejected – What Can I Do To Solve It?
There are numerous reasons why your release may have been rejected. Should this happen to you, Distrokid will email you to say what you need to fix in order for your upload to be accepted.
Here are a few reasons why Distrokid can reject your release:
- Song title Issues – (Emojis/odd punctuation in the title, features listed without brackets, social media handles, dates/years)
- Artwork blurry or not 3000 x 3000px – we’ve had personal experience with this. Your artwork must be crystal clear. Even if the design style is supposed to be blurry, Distrokid may decline it and it will go to manual review, so please consider this before uploading.
- Block Colour Artwork – we had a recent release rejected due to the cover art just being a navy blue 3000×3000 box. It seems streaming platforms need there to be more than just blank coloured cover art. To remedy this, we put a ‘parental advisory’ logo in the bottom right corner and it got accepted. If this happens to you, perhaps see it as a challenge to try your hand at graphic design, or alternatively hand it over to a friend more skilled in that area.
- Low Sound Quality – poorly recorded songs, or songs with bad audio quality may be rejected by streaming services.
- Similar Content – depending on what you are uploading, Distrokid may decide that your release sounds too similar to another song in a streaming service’s library. This would normally only be applicable to ‘ambient sound’ uploads such as rain or city noise.
- Unlicensed Features – If you have sampled an artist’s song or are using their acapella, this doesn’t necessarily grant you the right to list them as a feature on the song. Especially if the artist in question has a large following, the release will be outright rejected. In the case that it’s not rejected at release, it runs the risk of being taken down at any point. Make sure all listed collaborations are genuine and fully negotiated.
If none of that works contacting support is your best bet: [email protected]
How Long Does Distrokid Take To Pay Artists?
Distrokid takes 1-14 days to process payment from when you submit a withdrawal request. They pay for the previous month’s streams, which don’t update until the 14th-18th of the next month. This means you can’t request payment until these stats update. So, for instance, payment in January will be based on December’s earnings.
The fastest payout option is PayPal, which often takes 48hrs, although there are many other options such as ACH, eCheck, Paper Check and Wire Transfer. You will not be able to change your payout option until you are owed money on the platform, so make sure you choose one that works for you.
In my experience, using Distrokid with PayPal – you can expect a payout in around 48hrs. However, the reporting usually takes ages to update and there is no set date that Distrokid update it every month.
This means you’re often left waiting around to see what you made last month. You can’t see earnings in real time and you will sometimes be paid for streams you earned months ago.
However, this is not a Distrokid issue. This is a streaming service issue.
All streaming services operate with similar payout schedules, and the reporting is released by the streaming service. This means the distribution service you’re using has no control over when the reports come to them – they are essentially just a messenger.
How Much Does Distrokid Cost?
Distrokid doesn’t take any commission on your earnings. They charge a yearly subscription fee of $19.99. This can be considered a major benefit of using the platform, as most other distribution services take a cut from your streaming payouts.
If you want to control the release date of your music, you’ll need to pay slightly more for the Musician plus ($35.99) or Label ($79.99) membership plan.
Each of these plans has different benefits, here is a brief description of each:
- Musician ($19.99) – Upload unlimited songs to all major streaming services.
- Musician Plus ($35.99) – This plan allows you to control the release date of your music. Other features include Daily Sales stats and being able to customize your song’s ISRC Number and the name of the label you are releasing under. You can also upload to two separate artist pages with this plan.
- Label ($79.99) – All features listed previously are included with this plan, although you get to upload to up to 5 artist pages (As opposed to two in ‘Musician Plus’ and One in ‘Musician’).
Payment Options, Fees & Times – Which is The Best?
Distrokid‘s default payout method is Paypal, with its ease of use and quick transfer times it is a good choice – although if you are worried about fees, you may want to look at different options.
- PayPal – One of the fastest methods, funds should arrive within 48 hours. Fees are $1 plus 2% of the payment amount with a total ceiling of $2 in the U.S. Amounts over $10,000 will be split into separate payments.
- Wire – Most expensive fees per payment ($15 in US, $20 international in local currency and $26 International in USD). Arrives in your account instantly.
- eCheck – Can take 3-5 days to process. Takes a $1.50 per payment fee from U.S. customers and $5.00 from international customers.
- Check – Processes in up to 5 working days. $3 delivery fee.
- ACH (US only) – Also known as ‘Direct Deposit’. The money goes straight into your bank account. Takes a $1 Fee per payment.
How Does Distrokid Calculate Artist Payments?
Distrokid doesn’t calculate artist payments itself, it depends on the streaming service. Each streaming service has a different commission rate and takes factors such as country, length of the stream and whether the listener is a paying subscriber into account.
To use Spotify as an example, they split the revenue with distributors around 70/30. Distrokid takes their 70% and gives it to you. This is a major upside to using Distrokid as your distribution service of choice, they give you 100% of what they’ve received.
How Do I Check My Distrokid Royalties?
Once logged into your Distrokid account, you will find the ‘Bank’ page on the top right of the menu bar. This is the hub for keeping track of your streaming royalty payouts. You can filter the data by streaming service, song or artist (if you upload under multiple artist names within one Distrokid account).
If you find yourself needing more detail, there is a ‘See Excruciating Detail’ button.
Once this is selected, you’ll be taken to a comprehensive spreadsheet of all of your streaming payout data since you first opened your account. This is definitely the most helpful way to keep track of your earnings on Distrokid. You will find out where your song was being streamed, the month they listened to the song and how much you are being paid for each stream.
It’s important to note that payout rates change depending on the streaming provider, whether you have a deal with a label or not, and whether you have set up split payments for a collaboration. If using the royalty splits option, you should communicate with the collaborator and make sure that you are both on the same page in terms of percentages.
Setting Up Payment & Getting Paid on Distrokid
1. Choose Your Payout method
Head to the top corner and click your profile icon. Then you want to select “Payout Method”.
Once you’ve done that, select “Update Tipalti settings”
2. Update your Tipalti settings
Next, select whether you’re an “Individual” or a “Company” and fill out your details.
Then on the next page, you can choose your payout option. You can choose PayPal, Cheque, E-Cheque, Wire transfer etc.
3. Go To The ‘Bank’ Page
Next, click on the ‘Bank’ button to the right of the top menu bar. This will take you to a page where you can see an overview of all of your streams and how much they have earned you.
4. Withdraw Your Earnings!
You will find a blue button labelled ‘Withdraw Earnings’ on the left of the page. Once clicked, a message will come up asking if you to confirm the withdrawal.
5. Final Confirmation Message
A message will come up confirming the payment. It will also say how long you should expect to wait for your funds.
Below is a video from Distrokid’s own youtube page further explaining this process.
Summary
With the power to release unlimited songs at a relatively small cost, Distrokid is an amazing choice for all independent artists and musicians looking to release a single or even an entire album, free from record labels taking a hefty percentage of their royalties.
It’s easy to sign up, intuitive to use and lays out data in a straightforward way sure to save you time. It’s easy to see why Distrokid has so many artists using them to distribute their music and further their music career.
