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DistroKid, formerly Fandalism, is an American independent digital music distribution service based in New York, United States. It enables musicians and rights holders to distribute and monetize music through online platforms such as Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube Music while retaining full rights and royalties.

History

DistroKid was founded in 2012 by Philip Kaplan as a feature within his music social platform, Fandalism.[3] It was launched as DistroKid in 2013 at the SF MusicTech Summit as a platform to distribute music without any commission or royalty.[4][5] It became popular among independent musicians and YouTubers artists, and by 2015, 25,000 artists were using the platform.[6]

In 2015, Jack & Jack distributed their debut EP through DistroKid, which reached number one on iTunes and debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200.[6][7]

In 2016, DistroKid introduced Teams, a feature that enables automatic royalty splits among collaborators.[8][9]

In 2018, DistroKid reached an agreement with Spotify to support cross-platform uploads for artists using direct distribution or licensing arrangements.[1][10][11] In the same year, Silversmith Capital Partners and Spotify acquired a stake in the company.[12] By 2020, it was distributing at least 30 percent of new songs and had over 2 million artists.[13]

In January 2021, DistroKid launched Upstream, a feature that allowed record labels to identify emerging artists using its data, earning a finder’s fee when artists are signed. Republic Records was the first participant.[14] In September 2021, DistroKid raised funds in a funding round that valued it at $1.3 billion.[12] In November 2021, it introduced Sellouts, an NFT initiative involving digital collectibles linked to participating artists.[15]

In 2022, DistroKid launched DistroVid, a subscription service for uploading music videos available to both members and non-members.[16]

In February 2023, DistroKid launched Mixea, an AI-powered mastering service to automatically optimize tracks.[17] In the same year, DistroKid acquired Bandzoogle, a platform for music distribution and website hosting.[18]

By 2024, DistroKid began outsourcing some of its operations to the Philippines and laid off some of its U.S-based workers.[19][20]

In 2025, DistroKid launched DistroKid Direct, a platform that allows artists to sell merchandise directly to their fans.[21]

Operations

DistroKid distributes music from independent artists and labels to digital platforms including Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and Tidal.[22] Users pay an annual subscription fee for unlimited uploads and retain full royalties’ rights.[23]

DistroKid provides tools such as automatic royalty splitting, licensing for cover songs, metadata management, YouTube Content ID monetization, and HyperFollow pages. The Teams feature enables automated revenue distribution among collaborators. DistroKid also operates Upstream that connects artists with record labels, and DistroVid that supports music video distribution.[22][24]

Artists

Several artists have achieved commercial success through the platform. Jack & Jack reached major chart positions with a DistroKid release, and iHeartMemphis‘s “Hit the Quan” gained national recognition. Established artists such as 21 Savage, Ludacris, Tom Waits, and Will Smith have also used the service for independent releases.[25]

References

  1. ^ a b Perez, Sarah (October 17, 2018). “Spotify takes a stake in DistroKid, will support cross-platform music uploads in Spotify for Artists”. TechCrunch. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  2. ^ “DistroKid Receives Investment from Leading Software Investor Insight Partners Valuing the Company at $1.3 Billion”. Insight Partners. August 16, 2021.
  3. ^ Robehmed, Natalie (July 24, 2015). “How These Independent Artists Reached No. 1 On The iTunes Chart”. Forbes.
  4. ^ Ha, Anthony (May 28, 2013). “Fandalism’s Philip Kaplan Launches DistroKid, An Affordable Way To Upload Music To Stores Like iTunes”.
  5. ^ Biggs, John (October 10, 2013). “Philip Kaplan Officially Launches DistroKid, A Cheap, Efficient Way To Distribute Lots Of Music”. TechCrunch.
  6. ^ a b Biggs, John (August 6, 2015). “The DistroKid Music Distribution Service Has Launched An Indie Artist To The Top Of The Charts”.
  7. ^ Herstand, Ari (July 24, 2015). “The Artist Who Has The #1 Album On iTunes Is Getting 100% Of The Royalties”. Digital Music News.
  8. ^ Biggs, John (May 19, 2016). “DistroKid’s music payment system now lets you send cash to everyone on a track”. TechCrunch.
  9. ^ Herstand, Ari (May 19, 2016). “DistroKid Will Now Pay Everyone Who Worked On Your Song”. Digital Music News.
  10. ^ Sisario, Ben (September 6, 2018). “A New Spotify Initiative Makes the Big Record Labels Nervous”. New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  11. ^ Deahl, Dani (September 20, 2018). “Spotify will now let artists directly upload their music to the platform”. The Verge. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  12. ^ a b Shaw, Lucas (August 16, 2021). “Music Distributor DistroKid Raises Money at $1.3 Billion Valuation”. Bloomberg.
  13. ^ “Revealed: Billboard’s 2021 Indie Power Players”. Billboard. June 7, 2021.
  14. ^ Stassen, Murray (January 28, 2021). “DistroKid launches ‘matchmaking service’ to help labels find unsigned artists; Republic Records named first partner”. Music Business Worldwide. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  15. ^ Needham, Jack (November 17, 2021). “DistroKid enters NFT market with ‘Sellouts’, mints 10,000 collectible NFTs”. Music Business Worldwide.
  16. ^ Stassen, Murray (June 28, 2022). “DistroKid Officially Rolls Out DistroVid Music Video Distribution Service”. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  17. ^ “DistroKid Launches ‘Mixea’ AI-Powered Instant Mastering Service”. Music Connection. February 24, 2023.
  18. ^ Stassen, Murray (September 13, 2023). “DistroKid acquires website hosting and e-commerce company Bandzoogle”. Music Business Worldwide.
  19. ^ Stassen, Murray (October 29, 2024). “DistroKid to lay off 37 union workers”. Music Business Worldwide. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  20. ^ Robinson, Kristin (October 28, 2024). “Distrokid Places 37 Union Employees on ‘Administrative Leave’“. Billboard. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  21. ^ Dalugdug, Mandy (October 29, 2025). “DistroKid launches new platform for artists to sell merch directly to fans”. Music Business Worldwide.
  22. ^ a b Stassen, Murray (January 11, 2024). “Phil Bauer named President of DistroKid – company founder Philip Kaplan transitions from CEO to Chairman”. Music Business Worldwide.
  23. ^ Biggs, John (August 6, 2015). “The DistroKid Music Distribution Service Has Launched An Indie Artist To The Top Of The Charts”. TechCrunch.
  24. ^ Tencer, Daniel (June 25, 2025). “Indie artists can now upload videos to Spotify through DistroKid’s video service”. Music Business Worldwide.
  25. ^ “Get the most out of Spotify with DistroKid”. Guitar World. November 1, 2024.