Music Distribution for Independent Artists: A Complete Guide
- 31 ott 2026
- 10 visualizzazioni
Getting a song onto Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok and hundreds of other platforms no longer needs a record label. Independent artists use a music distributor to deliver their releases, collect royalties and keep ownership of their work. This guide explains how that process works from the first upload to the first payout.
What a music distributor does
Streaming services do not accept uploads directly from most artists. A distributor sits between you and the stores. It checks your audio, artwork and metadata, packages the release in the format each platform expects, delivers it, and then collects the sales and streaming reports that come back. With SpaceMedia you manage all of that from one account and can deliver to 250+ platforms, including streaming stores, social platforms and regional services.
What independent distribution means for your rights
Independent distribution is not a record deal. You keep ownership of your recordings and compositions, and you decide when and where your music is released. The distributor works on your behalf to deliver the music and pass on the royalties the platforms report. Always read how a distributor handles royalties and fees before you sign up; SpaceMedia lists its plans and what each one includes on the pricing page.
What you need before you upload
- A finished master. A stereo WAV file is the safest choice. FLAC and other common formats are also accepted.
- Cover art. A square image without logos, URLs, social handles or store names. Read our cover art requirements guide before you design it.
- Accurate metadata. Artist name, track titles, featured artists, songwriter credits with first and last names, genre and language.
- Identifiers. Each track needs an ISRC and each release needs a UPC. If you do not have them, SpaceMedia can assign them for you. See ISRC and UPC codes explained.
- Rights to everything in the song. Licences for any beats, samples or cover songs you used.
How a release moves from upload to stores
- Create your account. Register for free and set up your artist profile.
- Build the release. Upload your audio and artwork, add credits and choose a release date.
- Quality review. SpaceMedia reviews every release for audio, artwork, metadata and rights issues. Review times depend on your plan.
- Delivery. Once approved, the release is sent to the platforms you selected. Each store then runs its own processing, so publication dates can vary by platform.
- Reporting and payouts. Platforms report streams and sales after the activity happens. Earnings appear in your account as reports arrive.
Choosing a release date
Give yourself time. Submitting several weeks ahead leaves room for review, store processing, playlist pitching and pre-save campaigns. If you submit very close to your preferred date, some platforms may publish later than planned. Our six-week release timeline shows how to use that time well.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Putting featured artists in the track title instead of the credits.
- Using a different spelling of your artist name from one release to the next, which can split your catalogue across several profiles.
- Uploading artwork with text like "Out now" or a streaming logo.
- Releasing songs that use samples or beats you have not licensed.
Start releasing
Distribution is the foundation of an independent career: once your releases are live and correctly credited, every stream, playlist add and fan follow builds on it. Create your free SpaceMedia account and get your next release ready for the platforms your listeners use.
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Come posso pubblicare la mia musica?
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Registrati su SpaceMedia
Inizia il tuo viaggio di pubblicazione musicale registrandoti e creando un account gratuito su SpaceMedia.
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Scegli il piano più adatto
Seleziona tra una varietà di opzioni di abbonamento quella che si allinea perfettamente con le tue esigenze di distribuzione musicale.
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Invia la tua musica per la distribuzione
Crea un nuovo rilascio e carica i tuoi brani per distribuirli su varie piattaforme.
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Revisione rapida
Il nostro team valuta prontamente i brani caricati, assicurandosi che rispettino i nostri standard di qualità prima della distribuzione.
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Ricevi il pagamento
Una volta distribuita la tua musica e acquisito trazione, garantiamo una compensazione tempestiva per il tuo lavoro creativo.
SpaceMedia distribuisce musica su una rete ampia e in continua evoluzione di piattaforme di streaming, download, social e identificazione musicale. Può includere servizi principali come Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, TikTok, Facebook e Instagram, SoundCloud, Tidal, Pandora, Boomplay, Anghami, iHeart, JioSaavn, KKBOX, NetEase Cloud Music, Tencent, Qobuz e altri partner supportati.
La rete esatta può cambiare man mano che le piattaforme aggiornano territori, regole e requisiti di consegna. SpaceMedia ti offre l'accesso ai canali di distribuzione supportati, ma nessun distributore può garantire che ogni piattaforma accetterà ogni rilascio in ogni paese.
Most major streaming services do not let every artist upload music directly. A distributor like SpaceMedia delivers your audio, artwork, metadata, and rights information to supported platforms so your release can appear on services such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, TikTok, and others.
Create an account, choose the plan that fits your needs, upload the final release files, review the details, and submit. SpaceMedia reviews Free submissions within 5 business days, Premium submissions within 2 business days, and Label submissions within 1 to 2 business days. Store publishing happens afterwards.
Puoi monetizzare musica idonea su piattaforme video supportate tramite Content ID quando il tuo piano lo include. Content ID è attualmente incluso con Premium e Unlimited, e non è incluso con il piano Free.
Invia solo musica che controlli completamente per Content ID. Tracce con campioni non autorizzati, beat non esclusivi, loop royalty-free usati da molti creatori, registrazioni di dominio pubblico o diritti controversi possono essere rifiutate o causare rivendicazioni che devono essere risolte.
Invia la tua release tramite SpaceMedia e scegli la distribuzione verso le piattaforme social musicali disponibili. Le release idonee possono essere consegnate a piattaforme come TikTok, Facebook, Instagram e altri servizi social o di musica in formato breve supportati.
Una volta consegnata, ogni piattaforma decide come appare la musica, quanto tempo richiede l'elaborazione e quali funzionalità sono disponibili in ogni territorio. Usa metadati accurati e audio pulito per ridurre problemi di consegna evitabili.
Independent music distribution lets artists release music to streaming, download, and social platforms without signing to a traditional record label. You stay in control of your music while using a distributor to deliver it to supported services.
With SpaceMedia, you can manage releases, artist details, earnings, and payout information from your account. All standard plans let users keep 100% of standard DSP royalties.
The Free plan lets artists release music without an upfront distribution fee and keep 100% of standard DSP royalties.
This gives new artists a way to start releasing music before paying for a yearly plan. Premium and Label add more primary-artist capacity and tools. All standard plans include 100% of standard DSP royalties.
Sì. In molti casi puoi trasferire uscite esistenti a SpaceMedia mantenendole live, a condizione che invii gli stessi metadati, audio, copertina, UPC e ISRC quando disponibili.
Tieni la vecchia release live finché la consegna SpaceMedia è live e abbinata correttamente. Rimuovere troppo presto la vecchia versione può interrompere la disponibilità o far considerare il trasferimento come una nuova release invece di abbinarlo a quella esistente.
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