[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":806},["ShallowReactive",2],{"articles-index":3,"article-what-is-a-music-distributor":503},[4,9,14,19,24,29,34,39,44,49,54,58,62,66,70,75,79,84,88,92,97,101,105,109,113,117,121,125,129,133,137,141,145,149,153,157,162,166,170,174,178,182,187,191,195,199,203,207,211,215,219,223,227,231,235,239,243,247,251,255,259,263,267,271,275,279,283,287,291,295,299,303,307,311,315,319,323,327,331,335,339,343,347,351,355,359,363,367,371,375,379,383,387,391,395,399,403,407,411,415,419,423,427,431,435,439,443,447,451,455,459,463,467,471,475,479,483,487,491,495,499],{"path":5,"title":6,"category":7,"description":8},"/articles/adding-collaborators","Adding Collaborators","Splits & Collaborations","How to invite collaborators to share in track revenue on MOOSYC.",{"path":10,"title":11,"category":12,"description":13},"/articles/appeals-and-reviews","Appeals and Second Reviews","Trust, Safety & Quality Control","How to ask us to look at a decision again, who looks, and how long it takes.",{"path":15,"title":16,"category":17,"description":18},"/articles/apple-music-analytics","Apple Music Analytics Explained","Analytics & Insights","What MOOSYC reports for Apple Music, and when that data arrives.",{"path":20,"title":21,"category":22,"description":23},"/articles/apple-music-distribution","How Distribution to Apple Music Works","Distribution & Stores","How delivery and validation work for Apple Music, and what affects timing.",{"path":25,"title":26,"category":27,"description":28},"/articles/artist-limits","How Many Artists Can I Have on One Account?","Pricing & Subscription","One artist comes with your plan, and each additional artist is $50 a year.",{"path":30,"title":31,"category":32,"description":33},"/articles/best-day-to-release-music","What's the Best Day to Release Music?","Guides & Playbooks","Friday. Why new music comes out on Fridays, how Spotify's Friday playlists work, and how far ahead to set your release date.",{"path":35,"title":36,"category":37,"description":38},"/articles/bringing-your-own-isrcs","Bringing Your Own ISRCs","Rights, Royalties & Ownership","How to use your existing ISRCs when moving music to MOOSYC.",{"path":40,"title":41,"category":42,"description":43},"/articles/bulk-transfers","Moving a Large Catalog","Switching to MOOSYC","Why a three hundred release catalog moves the same way a single one does.",{"path":45,"title":46,"category":47,"description":48},"/articles/centralized-payouts","Centralized Payouts","Labels & Multi-Artist Accounts","How labels can manage and coordinate royalty withdrawals centrally across their entire roster.",{"path":50,"title":51,"category":52,"description":53},"/articles/change-my-email-address","Change my email address","Account Management","Learn how to update your email address on MOOSYC",{"path":55,"title":56,"category":22,"description":57},"/articles/claim-apple-music-for-artists","How to Claim Your Apple Music for Artists Profile","Apple's own steps for claiming your artist page after release, what you need first, and what helps Apple approve you.",{"path":59,"title":60,"category":7,"description":61},"/articles/collaborator-non-acceptance","What Happens If a Collaborator Doesn’t Accept","How a pending collaborator's share is handled, and what happens when they accept later.",{"path":63,"title":64,"category":37,"description":65},"/articles/copyright-basics","Copyright Basics for Artists","Fundamental copyright information for artists distributing music.",{"path":67,"title":68,"category":17,"description":69},"/articles/country-audience-insights","Country Data in Your Analytics","Where country-level data is available in MOOSYC, and where it isn’t.",{"path":71,"title":72,"category":73,"description":74},"/articles/cover-art-requirements","Cover Art Requirements","Uploading & Releases","The exact artwork specs stores accept, including the RGB rule that catches people out.",{"path":76,"title":77,"category":37,"description":78},"/articles/cover-songs","Cover Songs on MOOSYC","What licence a cover actually needs, which is usually less than artists expect.",{"path":80,"title":81,"category":82,"description":83},"/articles/create-moosyc-account","Create a MOOSYC account","Getting Started","Learn how to create your MOOSYC account and get started",{"path":85,"title":86,"category":73,"description":87},"/articles/custom-release-dates","Custom Release Dates","How to pick a release date, and how far ahead to deliver if you're pitching to editorial.",{"path":89,"title":90,"category":17,"description":91},"/articles/daily-stream-analytics","Daily Stream Analytics Explained","How day-by-day stream data works, and why sources don’t all report at the same pace.",{"path":93,"title":94,"category":95,"description":96},"/articles/data-protection-gdpr","Data Protection and GDPR","Takedowns & Account Management","Information on how MOOSYC handles your data in compliance with GDPR.",{"path":98,"title":99,"category":95,"description":100},"/articles/delete-account","Deleting Your Account","How to close your MOOSYC account, what it does and doesn’t affect, and what’s worth doing first.",{"path":102,"title":103,"category":95,"description":104},"/articles/delete-my-account","Delete My Account","How to request deletion of your MOOSYC account and data, in the app or by email, what gets deleted, what we keep and why, and how long it takes.",{"path":106,"title":107,"category":32,"description":108},"/articles/distribution-mistakes-to-avoid","Distribution Mistakes to Avoid","A few avoidable operational habits that cost independent artists streams and time.",{"path":110,"title":111,"category":73,"description":112},"/articles/dolby-atmos-spatial-audio","Releasing in Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio","What Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio are, the file MOOSYC needs (ADM BWF, 24-bit, 48 kHz), and how to add an Atmos mix to your release. Included in the plan.",{"path":114,"title":115,"category":12,"description":116},"/articles/dsp-guidelines","How We Work With DSP Guidelines","Why keeping up with 43+ stores' rulebooks is our job and not yours.",{"path":118,"title":119,"category":22,"description":120},"/articles/dsp-timeline-variations","Why DSP Timelines Can Vary","Factors that influence how quickly music is published across different streaming services.",{"path":122,"title":123,"category":17,"description":124},"/articles/earnings-vs-royalties","Earnings Estimates vs Final Royalties","Why the number in your analytics doesn’t always match what you get paid.",{"path":126,"title":127,"category":73,"description":128},"/articles/editing-release-after-submission","Editing a Release After Submission","Exactly which fields you can change after submitting, and what to do about the ones you can't.",{"path":130,"title":131,"category":7,"description":132},"/articles/editing-splits-after-release","Editing Splits After Release","How to change a split once a track is live, and what happens to earnings already counted.",{"path":134,"title":135,"category":82,"description":136},"/articles/explicit-content-explained","Explicit Content Explained","What actually triggers the explicit flag, and how to tag it track by track.",{"path":138,"title":139,"category":17,"description":140},"/articles/exporting-analytics","Exporting Analytics (CSV & PDF)","Analytics export is coming. Here’s what it will cover.",{"path":142,"title":143,"category":7,"description":144},"/articles/free-collaborator-accounts","Free Collaborator Accounts","Learn about the free accounts available for collaborators to track and withdraw their shares.",{"path":146,"title":147,"category":32,"description":148},"/articles/grow-as-independent-artist","How to Grow as an Independent Artist","Sustainable growth strategies for independent artists, moving beyond hacks to data-driven decisions.",{"path":150,"title":151,"category":27,"description":152},"/articles/hidden-fees","Are There Any Hidden Fees?","What MOOSYC charges, what payment providers charge, and how you see it before you confirm.",{"path":154,"title":155,"category":82,"description":156},"/articles/how-long-to-get-music-live","How Long Does It Take to Get Music Live?","Understand the timeline for getting your music live on streaming platforms after approval.",{"path":158,"title":159,"category":160,"description":161},"/articles/how-much-does-spotify-pay-per-stream","How Much Does Spotify Pay per Stream?","Glossary & Music Industry Basics","Spotify has no per-stream rate. How it actually pays, the 1,000-stream minimum, what happens to artificial streams, and what your distributor keeps.",{"path":163,"title":164,"category":160,"description":165},"/articles/how-royalties-calculated","How Streaming Royalties Are Calculated","Why there’s no fixed per-stream rate, and what actually moves the number.",{"path":167,"title":168,"category":37,"description":169},"/articles/how-royalties-work","How Royalties Work on MOOSYC","How streaming money gets from a platform to your account.",{"path":171,"title":172,"category":73,"description":173},"/articles/how-to-get-approved-first-time","How to Get Approved First Time","The handful of technical things review actually checks, each with its one-line fix.",{"path":175,"title":176,"category":32,"description":177},"/articles/how-to-release-a-song","How to Release a Song, Step by Step","Every step from finished track to release day, in order. Master, metadata, cover art, release date, upload, pre-saves, pitching and promotion.",{"path":179,"title":180,"category":95,"description":181},"/articles/how-to-takedown","How to Take Down Music on MOOSYC","How to remove a release from stores on MOOSYC, no review step, no approval, no questions asked.",{"path":183,"title":184,"category":185,"description":186},"/articles/how-when-paid","How and When You Get Paid on MOOSYC","Payments & Payouts","When royalties arrive, how withdrawals work, and why MOOSYC takes no cut.",{"path":188,"title":189,"category":37,"description":190},"/articles/isrc-upc-ownership","ISRC and UPC Ownership","Your ISRCs stay yours for life. Here's how barcodes work, told straight.",{"path":192,"title":193,"category":47,"description":194},"/articles/label-analytics","Label Analytics Overview","The consolidated analytics view for labels managing multiple artists.",{"path":196,"title":197,"category":47,"description":198},"/articles/label-bulk-uploads","Bulk Uploads and Transfers","How labels bring a whole roster and back catalog across without manual data entry.",{"path":200,"title":201,"category":27,"description":202},"/articles/label-pricing","Label Pricing at MOOSYC","How pricing works for labels managing a roster.",{"path":204,"title":205,"category":37,"description":206},"/articles/legal-handling","What MOOSYC Does and Does Not Handle Legally","Clarity on MOOSYC's legal role and responsibilities for its users.",{"path":208,"title":209,"category":7,"description":210},"/articles/managing-multiple-artists","Managing Multiple Artists","How a single MOOSYC account can efficiently manage multiple artist profiles.",{"path":212,"title":213,"category":73,"description":214},"/articles/metadata-guidelines","Metadata Guidelines","How to format artist names, titles, features and version tags so your release passes first time.",{"path":216,"title":217,"category":82,"description":218},"/articles/minimum-requirements","Minimum Requirements to Release Music","The short list of what you actually need before your first MOOSYC release.",{"path":220,"title":221,"category":185,"description":222},"/articles/monthly-payouts","Monthly Payouts Explained","How platform reporting works and when your earnings reach your balance.",{"path":224,"title":225,"category":17,"description":226},"/articles/moosyc-recap","MOOSYC Recap Explained","What MOOSYC Recap will show when it launches.",{"path":228,"title":229,"category":42,"description":230},"/articles/move-music-without-losing-streams","How to Move Your Music to MOOSYC Without Losing Streams","Switching distributors without starting over, and the one bit of timing that matters.",{"path":232,"title":233,"category":17,"description":234},"/articles/music-distributor-claude","Can I Use Claude With My Music Distributor?","Yes, if your distributor has a connector for Claude. What it can answer, what it should never be able to do, and how MOOSYC's read-only connector works.",{"path":236,"title":237,"category":22,"description":238},"/articles/music-on-wrong-artist-profile","My Music Is on the Wrong Artist Profile. How Do I Fix It?","Why releases end up on another artist's Spotify or Apple Music page, how to report it to each store, how to reach MOOSYC, and how to stop it happening again.",{"path":240,"title":241,"category":37,"description":242},"/articles/music-ownership","Who Owns Your Music on MOOSYC?","MOOSYC's philosophy on music ownership and artist control.",{"path":244,"title":245,"category":47,"description":246},"/articles/onboarding-artists-label","Onboarding Artists as a Label","Simplified workflow for labels to add artists, set permissions, and manage their music distribution.",{"path":248,"title":249,"category":22,"description":250},"/articles/other-stores-distribution","Amazon Music, Deezer, Pandora and Shazam","How delivery to the other major stores works, and why Shazam is a different kind of thing.",{"path":252,"title":253,"category":37,"description":254},"/articles/ownership-explained","100% Ownership Explained","What 100% ownership means for artists using MOOSYC.",{"path":256,"title":257,"category":185,"description":258},"/articles/payout-failures","What Happens If a Payout Fails?","What to do if a withdrawal doesn’t go through, and why your money is safe.",{"path":260,"title":261,"category":185,"description":262},"/articles/payouts-for-labels","Managing Payouts for Labels","Tools and workflows for labels to manage centralized and artist-level payouts.",{"path":264,"title":265,"category":32,"description":266},"/articles/pre-saves-explained","What Is a Pre-Save?","How pre-saves work on Spotify and Apple Music, why they're worth chasing, and the pre-saves, smartlink and fan emails that come with every MOOSYC release.",{"path":268,"title":269,"category":32,"description":270},"/articles/preparing-music-for-dsps","Preparing Your Music for DSPs","A pre-upload checklist covering audio, artwork, metadata, timing and rights.",{"path":272,"title":273,"category":12,"description":274},"/articles/preventing-fraud-abuse","Preventing Fraud and Abuse","What MOOSYC watches for, why it protects your earnings, and what we will never do to your account.",{"path":276,"title":277,"category":95,"description":278},"/articles/protecting-artists-stores","How We Protect Your Catalog","How our relationship with the stores works in your favour when something needs sorting out.",{"path":280,"title":281,"category":12,"description":282},"/articles/quality-control-process","Our Review and Quality Control Process","What a human actually checks before your release goes out to stores.",{"path":284,"title":285,"category":27,"description":286},"/articles/refund-policy","Can I Get a Refund?","How MOOSYC handles refund requests.",{"path":288,"title":289,"category":32,"description":290},"/articles/release-professionally-2026","How to Release Music Professionally in 2026","A strategic approach to music releases in 2026, focusing on precision and platform trust.",{"path":292,"title":293,"category":73,"description":294},"/articles/release-review-process","Release Review Process Explained","What happens between hitting submit and your music going out to stores.",{"path":296,"title":297,"category":73,"description":298},"/articles/releasing-music-fast","Releasing Music Within Hours","How MOOSYC supports fast distribution for artists who need to go live quickly.",{"path":300,"title":301,"category":37,"description":302},"/articles/remix-releases","Remix Releases Explained","How to clear a remix, credit it correctly, and get it approved.",{"path":304,"title":305,"category":7,"description":306},"/articles/revenue-splits","How Revenue Splits Work on MOOSYC","How to share royalties with collaborators automatically, with MOOSYC taking 0%.",{"path":308,"title":309,"category":73,"description":310},"/articles/review-timeline","How Long Review Takes","How quickly MOOSYC reviews a release, and what happens once we approve it.",{"path":312,"title":313,"category":95,"description":314},"/articles/royalties-after-deletion","What Happens to Royalties After Account Deletion?","How store reporting lags work, and what’s worth doing before you close your MOOSYC account.",{"path":316,"title":317,"category":185,"description":318},"/articles/same-day-withdrawals","Same-Day Withdrawals","Request a withdrawal and we send it the same day.",{"path":320,"title":321,"category":17,"description":322},"/articles/shareable-analytics-cards","Shareable Analytics Cards","How shareable performance cards will work, including what they never show.",{"path":324,"title":325,"category":82,"description":326},"/articles/sign-in-with-apple-or-google","Sign in with Apple or Google","Learn how to sign in to MOOSYC using your Apple or Google account",{"path":328,"title":329,"category":42,"description":330},"/articles/smart-transfer-explained","Smart Transfer Explained","Type your artist name, upload your audio, and your whole catalog moves across.",{"path":332,"title":333,"category":22,"description":334},"/articles/social-platforms-distribution","TikTok, Instagram and Facebook Distribution","How MOOSYC delivers your music to TikTok and Meta for use in social video.",{"path":336,"title":337,"category":37,"description":338},"/articles/soundtracks-game-music","Soundtracks and Game Music","Naming and crediting conventions for scores, soundtracks and game music.",{"path":340,"title":341,"category":7,"description":342},"/articles/split-percentages-explained","Split Percentages Explained","Examples and guidance on how to divide royalties among project contributors.",{"path":344,"title":345,"category":7,"description":346},"/articles/splits-for-labels","Splits for Labels","How labels can manage complex revenue splits across multiple artists and releases.",{"path":348,"title":349,"category":17,"description":350},"/articles/spotify-analytics","Spotify Analytics Explained","What MOOSYC reports for Spotify, and how quickly that data arrives.",{"path":352,"title":353,"category":22,"description":354},"/articles/spotify-canvas","What Is Spotify Canvas, and How Do I Add One?","Canvas is the short looping visual that replaces your cover art while your song plays on Spotify. Spotify's specs and rules, and how to add one in Spotify for Artists.",{"path":356,"title":357,"category":22,"description":358},"/articles/spotify-distribution","How Distribution to Spotify Works","The process and timeline for getting your music live on Spotify.",{"path":360,"title":361,"category":22,"description":362},"/articles/spotify-registered-artist-verification","How to Get Verified on Spotify","The blue check is now \"Registered Artist\", and \"Verified by Spotify\" is a separate badge. What each means in 2026, and how to get them.",{"path":364,"title":365,"category":27,"description":366},"/articles/stop-paying-music-distributor","What Happens to Your Music If You Stop Paying Your Distributor?","Some distributors take your releases down, some keep them up for a cut, and some keep them up as they were. What six distributors' own help pages say, and what MOOSYC does.",{"path":368,"title":369,"category":22,"description":370},"/articles/store-live-timelines","How Long Stores Take to Go Live","Typical timelines for various platforms to process and publish your music.",{"path":372,"title":373,"category":12,"description":374},"/articles/stream-manipulation-policy","Stream Manipulation Policy Explained","How MOOSYC handles artificial streaming, and why your real streams and your earnings are safe.",{"path":376,"title":377,"category":27,"description":378},"/articles/subscription-expiry","What Happens If My Subscription Expires?","Your music stays live and your earnings keep arriving.",{"path":380,"title":381,"category":73,"description":382},"/articles/supported-audio-formats","Supported Audio Formats","Which audio files MOOSYC accepts, and how to export a master that clears review first time.",{"path":384,"title":385,"category":185,"description":386},"/articles/supported-currencies","Supported Currencies","Which currencies MOOSYC can pay you in, and how to ask about yours.",{"path":388,"title":389,"category":82,"description":390},"/articles/supported-genres","Supported Genres and Content Types","Every genre is welcome on MOOSYC. Here's what we distribute, and the few formats stores can't take.",{"path":392,"title":393,"category":185,"description":394},"/articles/supported-payment-methods","Supported Payment Methods","The ways MOOSYC can send your royalties to you.",{"path":396,"title":397,"category":22,"description":398},"/articles/supported-platforms","Supported Platforms","The 43+ platforms and services MOOSYC delivers your music to worldwide, Beatport included.",{"path":400,"title":401,"category":42,"description":402},"/articles/takedown-amuse","How to Take Down Your Music from Amuse","How to move releases off Amuse without leaving gaps in your catalog.",{"path":404,"title":405,"category":42,"description":406},"/articles/takedown-awal","How to Take Down Your Music from AWAL","What to check in your AWAL agreement before delivering the same recordings anywhere else.",{"path":408,"title":409,"category":42,"description":410},"/articles/takedown-cdbaby","How to Take Down Your Music from CD Baby","What to expect when moving a release off CD Baby, and why there’s no time pressure.",{"path":412,"title":413,"category":42,"description":414},"/articles/takedown-distrokid","How to Take Down Your Music from DistroKid","How to remove your releases from DistroKid safely once your MOOSYC version is live.",{"path":416,"title":417,"category":42,"description":418},"/articles/takedown-landr","How to Take Down Your Music from LANDR","How to move a release off LANDR, and why reusing your original ISRC is what protects your streams.",{"path":420,"title":421,"category":95,"description":422},"/articles/takedown-timeline","How Long DSP Takedowns Take","What happens after you request a takedown, and how quickly each kind of store removes a release.",{"path":424,"title":425,"category":42,"description":426},"/articles/takedown-tunecore","How to Take Down Your Music from TuneCore","How to remove releases from TuneCore once your MOOSYC versions are live.",{"path":428,"title":429,"category":42,"description":430},"/articles/takedown-unitedmasters","How to Take Down Your Music from UnitedMasters","The order to follow when moving your releases off UnitedMasters.",{"path":432,"title":433,"category":17,"description":434},"/articles/tiktok-performance","TikTok Performance Metrics","What MOOSYC shows for TikTok, video creations and views.",{"path":436,"title":437,"category":12,"description":438},"/articles/trust-safety-quality","Trust, Safety, and Quality at MOOSYC","How MOOSYC keeps your catalog safe and your earnings intact, and what we commit to never doing.",{"path":440,"title":441,"category":82,"description":442},"/articles/under-18-policy","Can I Use MOOSYC If I'm Under 18?","Yes. Here's how it works, what the young artist keeps, and what it means for a guardian.",{"path":444,"title":445,"category":17,"description":446},"/articles/understanding-analytics","Understanding Your MOOSYC Analytics","Which sources MOOSYC reports on, and how current that data is.",{"path":448,"title":449,"category":17,"description":450},"/articles/use-moosyc-in-claude","Use MOOSYC in Claude","Connect your MOOSYC account to Claude and ask about your streams, earnings, releases, payouts and splits in plain words. Read-only, and you can disconnect anytime.",{"path":452,"title":453,"category":47,"description":454},"/articles/using-moosyc-as-label","Using MOOSYC as a Label","Learn how labels can manage multiple artists, releases, and payouts efficiently using MOOSYC's specialized tools.",{"path":456,"title":457,"category":82,"description":458},"/articles/verify-my-account","Verify my account","Learn how to verify your MOOSYC account",{"path":460,"title":461,"category":82,"description":462},"/articles/what-happens-after-upload","What Happens After You Upload a Release?","Learn about the manual review process and delivery to stores after you submit your release.",{"path":464,"title":465,"category":160,"description":466},"/articles/what-is-a-music-distributor","What Is a Music Distributor?","What a distributor does for an independent artist, the three ways distributors charge, and what to compare before you choose one.",{"path":468,"title":469,"category":160,"description":470},"/articles/what-is-content-id","What Is Content ID?","How Content ID systems work to identify and monetize copyrighted audio on various platforms.",{"path":472,"title":473,"category":160,"description":474},"/articles/what-is-dsp","What Is a DSP?","What Digital Service Providers are and how they interact with your music distribution.",{"path":476,"title":477,"category":160,"description":478},"/articles/what-is-isrc","What Is an ISRC?","Definition and importance of the International Standard Recording Code for sound recordings.",{"path":480,"title":481,"category":82,"description":482},"/articles/what-is-moosyc","What Is MOOSYC?","MOOSYC is a modern music distribution platform built for artists who want clarity, speed, and control.",{"path":484,"title":485,"category":160,"description":486},"/articles/what-is-upc","What Is a UPC?","Understanding the Universal Product Code and its role in identifying music releases as a whole.",{"path":488,"title":489,"category":27,"description":490},"/articles/whats-included-in-the-plan","What’s Included in the Plan","Everything you get for $50 a year, unlimited releases, 43+ platforms, and 0% commission.",{"path":492,"title":493,"category":82,"description":494},"/articles/who-can-use-moosyc","Who Can Use MOOSYC?","MOOSYC is open to anyone with a finished song and the right to release it.",{"path":496,"title":497,"category":185,"description":498},"/articles/withdrawing-your-earnings","Withdrawing Your Earnings","How withdrawals work, including the $10 minimum and same-day sending.",{"path":500,"title":501,"category":37,"description":502},"/articles/zero-commission-explained","Why We Take 0% Commission","MOOSYC's business model and why we don't take a cut of artist royalties.",{"id":504,"title":465,"body":505,"category":160,"description":466,"extension":799,"meta":800,"modified":801,"navigation":802,"path":464,"published":801,"seo":803,"stem":804,"__hash__":805},"content/articles/what-is-a-music-distributor.md",{"type":506,"value":507,"toc":790},"minimark",[508,516,521,538,546,550,617,620,624,627,650,653,657,660,767,770,774],[509,510,511,515],"p",{},[512,513,514],"strong",{},"A music distributor gets your music onto streaming services and stores, and gets the money they pay back to you."," If you're not signed to a label, a distributor is how your music reaches Spotify, Apple Music and the rest.",[517,518,520],"h2",{"id":519},"why-you-need-one","Why you need one",[509,522,523,524,531,532,537],{},"You can't upload music to Spotify yourself. Spotify requires all music to come through labels and distributors, and it describes distributors as the ones who handle distribution and pay streaming royalties. Your Spotify artist profile is created automatically when your first release is delivered. (",[525,526,530],"a",{"href":527,"rel":528},"https://support.spotify.com/us/artists/article/getting-music-on-spotify/",[529],"nofollow","Spotify: Getting music on Spotify",", ",[525,533,536],{"href":534,"rel":535},"https://support.spotify.com/us/artists/article/creating-an-artist-profile-on-spotify/",[529],"Creating an artist profile",")",[509,539,540,541,537],{},"Apple Music works through distributors too. Apple says distributors manage the relationship between artists and streaming services: Apple talks to your distributor about any problems with your metadata or files, and your distributor handles your streaming, financial and royalty information. (",[525,542,545],{"href":543,"rel":544},"https://artists.apple.com/support/1108-get-your-next-release-on-apple-music",[529],"Apple: How to distribute your music with Apple Music",[517,547,549],{"id":548},"what-a-distributor-does","What a distributor does",[551,552,553,563,589,600,606],"ul",{},[554,555,556,559,560],"li",{},[512,557,558],{},"Delivers your release."," Your audio, cover art and metadata go to each streaming service and store, known as DSPs, in the format each one asks for. See ",[525,561,473],{"href":562},"/article/what-is-dsp",[554,564,565,568,569,572,573,577,578,581,582,585,586],{},[512,566,567],{},"Assigns the codes stores use."," Every recording needs an ",[512,570,571],{},"ISRC",", which identifies that recording permanently, on every service and in every country (",[525,574,571],{"href":575,"rel":576},"https://isrc.ifpi.org/en/",[529],"). Every release needs a ",[512,579,580],{},"UPC",", which identifies the single, EP or album as a whole. MOOSYC issues both for you, or uses your own. See ",[525,583,477],{"href":584},"/article/what-is-isrc"," and ",[525,587,485],{"href":588},"/article/what-is-upc",[554,590,591,594,595,537],{},[512,592,593],{},"Collects your royalties."," Spotify pays the rights holder each artist selected, typically a label or distributor, and they pay the artist under their agreement. (",[525,596,599],{"href":597,"rel":598},"https://artists.spotify.com/en/royalties-guide",[529],"Spotify: Royalties Guide",[554,601,602,605],{},[512,603,604],{},"Reports back."," You see what your music earned, and where.",[554,607,608,611,612,616],{},[512,609,610],{},"Speaks to the stores for you."," When a release lands on the wrong artist profile or has to come down, your distributor is the one the store deals with. See ",[525,613,615],{"href":614},"/article/music-on-wrong-artist-profile","My Music Is on the Wrong Artist Profile",".",[509,618,619],{},"Many distributors also offer extras like YouTube Content ID, royalty splits with collaborators, pre-saves, smartlinks and Dolby Atmos delivery. Some include them in the price, others charge for each one.",[517,621,623],{"id":622},"how-distributors-charge","How distributors charge",[509,625,626],{},"Spotify points out that most distributors charge a fee or a commission, and suggests doing some research before you pick one. The models you'll come across, often mixed together:",[551,628,629,635,644],{},[554,630,631,634],{},[512,632,633],{},"Per release."," You pay once for each single, EP or album. Some per-release distributors also keep a share of your royalties.",[554,636,637,640,641],{},[512,638,639],{},"Yearly subscription."," One price a year for unlimited releases. The question to ask is what happens to your releases if you stop paying. See ",[525,642,365],{"href":643},"/article/stop-paying-music-distributor",[554,645,646,649],{},[512,647,648],{},"Commission."," Little or nothing up front, and the distributor keeps a percentage of what your music earns for as long as it's out.",[509,651,652],{},"The lowest sticker price isn't always the lowest cost over a few years. Add up the fee, the commission on what you expect to earn, and every extra you'd actually use.",[517,654,656],{"id":655},"what-to-compare","What to compare",[509,658,659],{},"Here are the questions worth asking any distributor, with MOOSYC's answers.",[661,662,663,676],"table",{},[664,665,666],"thead",{},[667,668,669,673],"tr",{},[670,671,672],"th",{},"Question",[670,674,675],{},"MOOSYC",[677,678,679,688,699,710,722,730,738,746,759],"tbody",{},[667,680,681,685],{},[682,683,684],"td",{},"What does it cost?",[682,686,687],{},"$50 a year on the web ($49.99 in the iPhone and Android apps) for unlimited releases. No fee per release.",[667,689,690,693],{},[682,691,692],{},"What share of my royalties does it keep?",[682,694,695,696,616],{},"None. MOOSYC takes 0% commission. See ",[525,697,501],{"href":698},"/article/zero-commission-explained",[667,700,701,704],{},[682,702,703],{},"Where does my music go?",[682,705,706,707,616],{},"43+ platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, TIDAL and SoundCloud. See ",[525,708,397],{"href":709},"/article/supported-platforms",[667,711,712,715],{},[682,713,714],{},"What's included?",[682,716,717,718,616],{},"Unlimited releases, Dolby Atmos, YouTube Content ID, pre-saves, smartlinks, artist pages, royalty splits with collaborators, custom label name, custom release dates and playlist pitching. See ",[525,719,721],{"href":720},"/article/whats-included-in-the-plan","What's Included in the Plan",[667,723,724,727],{},[682,725,726],{},"What if I stop paying?",[682,728,729],{},"Your releases stay live and keep earning, and you can still withdraw. New releases wait until you renew.",[667,731,732,735],{},[682,733,734],{},"How do I get paid?",[682,736,737],{},"Withdraw on request from $10, by PayPal or bank transfer.",[667,739,740,743],{},[682,741,742],{},"Who owns my music?",[682,744,745],{},"You do. You keep 100% of your rights.",[667,747,748,751],{},[682,749,750],{},"Can I bring music I've already released?",[682,752,753,754,758],{},"Yes. ",[525,755,757],{"href":756},"/article/smart-transfer-explained","Smart Transfer"," moves your catalog and keeps its UPCs and ISRCs.",[667,760,761,764],{},[682,762,763],{},"Who helps when something goes wrong?",[682,765,766],{},"Real people, no bots.",[509,768,769],{},"Whatever you choose, read the distributor's own help pages on pricing, commission and cancelling. That's where the answers to these questions are written down.",[517,771,773],{"id":772},"related","Related",[551,775,776,780,785],{},[554,777,778],{},[525,779,721],{"href":720},[554,781,782],{},[525,783,168],{"href":784},"/article/how-royalties-work",[554,786,787],{},[525,788,176],{"href":789},"/article/how-to-release-a-song",{"title":791,"searchDepth":792,"depth":792,"links":793},"",2,[794,795,796,797,798],{"id":519,"depth":792,"text":520},{"id":548,"depth":792,"text":549},{"id":622,"depth":792,"text":623},{"id":655,"depth":792,"text":656},{"id":772,"depth":792,"text":773},"md",{},"2026-10-01T21:46:45-04:00",true,{"title":465,"description":466},"articles/what-is-a-music-distributor","ilgvsXw3u1w_M3GYm28kAWwH7BujhlcogkMKHuTFumU",1790906419407]