Contents
Reverbnation Review
CD Baby is a pillar in the music distribution community. However, how does thier track record stack up against their competitors both new and old? Read more to find out!
Free Plan Available!
Features
4/5
Large set of features which can be overwhelming at times and you will have to pay to utilize some of them
Price
3.5/5
Free Plan Offers Limited Features
Ease Of Use
3.5/5
The site is easy to use for the most part but there is a lot going on which may using the platform a struggle for some artists
Support
4/5
Very Strong Support Options
- Festival, label, playlist, radio and audition submission opportunities
- Keep 100% of commissions
- Great place to connect with other artists and learn from their successes
- Social media integration
- No publishing Admin
- Greater fees without premium plan
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Reverbnation Distribution Review 2019 – What You’ll Learn
- How CD Baby helped kickstart the independent music revolution
- What features CD Baby has to offer and why they are the benchmark for many other distribution companies
- How CD Baby’s pricing compares to the competition
- What learning resources CD Baby provides to help you succeed as an independent musician
Who Is CD Baby For?
With the large amount of features that are thrown your way it is hard not to consider Reverbnation as possible option when determining how to distribute your music. I think the ability to get show offerers and other rare opportunities makes Reverbnation a great place to be. For distribution alone I think you will have a better experience elsewhere. Especially considering the costs associated with your distribution model, they are a bit on the pricey side especially if you decide against the premium option.
Fees & Commissions
Where Reverbnation is concerned they allow you to join their platform for free. While this may seem like nothing, the Reverbnation platform has been around for a while and has a long list of features that you can utilize on a free profile.
When it comes to distribution, Reverbnation provides artists with 4 plans, all of which do not take any commissions on the royalties of your music.
The breakdown of their offering can get a bit confusing since they also promote three options consisting of a Free, Basic and a Premium plan. According to their site “Premium members can distribute two free releases each year. All members can distribute a single release at starting at $1 per year and an album release (up to 100 tracks per album) starting at $9 per year with the Select Package.”
Again, with all of the different plans you still keep 100% of your rights and 100% of your royalties.
New Stores & Takedown Costs
To our knowledge there are zero fees for adding new stores if Reverbnation acquires them. With that said you need to consider what plan you are on. In a free plan they limit what stores your music gets distributed to. With a basic or premium plan you should be in the clear.
To remove you music from stores you will need to make a takedown request which is free of charge with Reverbnation.
Outlets & Release Options
Where Reverbnations distribution channels are concerned, they are not as far reaching as many of their competitors. They do however distribute your music to about 100 stores but do not give you the option of opting out of outlets or territories.
Speed To Stores
Speed to iTunes and Apple Music is 1-3 days while Spotify is 1-2 days. Taking into account all the other stores however they request 6-8 weeks to ensure that the release goes smoothly. (https://help.reverbnation.com/hc/en-us/articles/204470500-What-do-I-do-if-I-have-a-specific-release-date-)
Release Dates & Pre-Order
On the Reverbnation platform you have the ability to set specific release dates however there are no pre-order options available.
General Features
Fan Reach
FanReach is ReverbNation’s fully-featured mailing list application. It is a powerful solution for artists and venues that are seeking a way to regularly communicate with fans and manage their email lists.
Press Kits
An RPK is a Reverb Press Kit, or a digital press kit that allows you to send key information about your band to agents, labels, managers, and venues in order to get your band more exposure or book shows.
Site Builder
With Reverbnation, you can build a mobile ready website for your music. You can showcase all your songs, photos, shows and band information on a customized website for your fans and the music industry to learn more about you.
Crowd Reviews
When you order a Crowd Review, Reverbnation plays your song for real music fans in the United States and collects their feedback on what they thought about your song. They then, organize the feedback into a detailed report, covering different aspects of your song.
Gig Finder
GigFinder is one of the largest free venue databases in the world, and can even recommend venues that fit you based on where you’ve played in the past, where comparable artists like you play when they tour, and venues that book your type of music!
Widgets
Pro Widgets are Reverbnations best widgets to date. They allow you to put your content – songs, videos, show schedules, etc. – anywhere on the web that accepts Flash postings.
Listings/Opportunities
Provides you with a list of opportunities that you can apply/submit to. These consist of live events, publication opportunities, radio play, licensing, conferences, record labels. Professional services and more.
Artists Listings
If you are in need of a new drummer or other musicians to help you on tour then you can utilize the ReverbNation listings to help fill the position. You can advertise your needs to thousands of ReverbNation Musicians looking to play.
APM Sync Licensing
ReverbNation provides sync licensing opportunities to selected ReverbNation artists to place their music in TV programs, movies, commercials and video games. ReverbNation offers this program in association with APM, one of the largest sync licensors in North America. Currently, this program is by invite only.
Facebook App
A cool feature that helps you to integrate your Facebook account with your Reverbnation account. This is pretty helpful when it comes to managing and keeping track of your fan base.
Reverbnation Discover
ReverbNation Discover lets you stream hours of hand-picked, ad-free music from ReverbNation’s community of more than 4 million global artists.
Promote It Campaigns
ReverbNation’s Promote It product allows artists to create and run custom ad campaigns on Top Music Sites around the web, as well as Facebook.
Cover Songs
With Reverbnation, you can submit cover songs but you will need to obtain the mechanical licenses on your own.
Artist Payout
Payments can be taken out when you have met the $5 threshold. Withdrawals can be made via paypal however reverbnation does not provide payment splitting for artists.
Analytics & Reports
Weekly iTunes trending reports long with key geographical data is provided. Social media related stats and other integrations to track outside information from other platforms is also enabled for artists using the platform. They provide a pretty comprehensive range of insights they are not the easiest to understand at times.
Ease Of Use
To be honest I tend to find this site a bit overwhelming at times which is unfortunate because they do have a lot to offer. The fact that they do provide so many tools and features is a double edged sword as it can be hard to navigate their site if you are not familiar with it. They have a very comprehensive FAQ and help you along the way but there is a lot going on.
Customer Support
No live chat is available for artists and the best way to reach them is via email or by utilizing their FAQ section. Typically, they respond within 1 business day but you can also reach them via phone but will need to get in touch via email first.
CD Baby Alternatives
Symphonic
Tunecore
Distrokid
Final Verdict
Reverbnation is a platform that I believe many artists can benefit from if they use it correctly. They have a ton of features, more than any platform out there which I feel has to do with them being around for so long. They have a lot to offer but their achilles heel is the fact that a lot of their offering relies on the average music listener coming to Reverbnation to enjoy your music. I am hard pressed to believe that people are running to Reverbnation to purchase and stream music ahead of the likes of Spotify and iTunes. Granted Reverbnation has take huge strides to offer distribution and strengthen their feature set, I believe they have a tough road ahead trying to attract new artists.
Check Out Reverbnation Here
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Kevin is the founder of Music With Flavor, which joined Whipped Cream Sounds in 2023. He is a seasoned musician turned industry expert. His passion for music goes beyond melodies; he delves deep into the intricate world of music marketing, striving to unearth the most effective strategies for indie musicians. However, Music With Flavor isn’t just about Kevin’s knowledge; it’s a network of industry experts handpicked to provide the most trusted advice. Kevin’s role is to pose the right questions, not just answer them, as he and his team tirelessly research trends, connect with artists, and gather valuable insights.
