So, you’ve written, recorded, mixed, and mastered your music. Signing up with a music distributor is the next step toward an official debut on streaming platforms. In the past, artists had to sign contracts with record labels to get their music out there. Nowadays, however, independent artists can distribute their music much easier, in the comfort of their homes.

Although easier than it used to be, publishing your music directly to Spotify and Apple Music is still not possible, and that is what music distribution services ought to do for you. In recent years, several new companies have entered the competition with promising services and promotional plans for musicians.

As one of the pioneers in this market, TuneCore is one of the go-to options for many artists when it comes to music distribution on both social media and streaming platforms. On the other hand, the UK-based company Horus Music is another reputable company with almost two decades of experience in managing artists, publishing songs, and promotional campaigns.

Although both companies are legit, they offer different sets of services for different price tags. Because of this, it is important to choose one based on what you believe suits your budget and artistic goals the best. In this post, I will review both music distributors and tell you how they stack up against one another.

If you decide to go for TuneCore, you can use my referral link to get a 20% discount on your checkout.

Horus Music: Is It Worth It?

Founded in 2006, Horus Music initially offered artist management services. But later on, the company added music distribution and promotion to its list of services. Similar to TuneCore, Horus Music offers its distribution services as yearly subscriptions.

The company offers two plans for music distribution: the “Artist” and the “Label.” The former is for individual musicians or bands who wish to upload music without a label, and the latter is for record labels managing releases for two or more artists. Both plans allow you to publish unlimited tracks to over 200 major streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. Moreover, Horus Music allows you to enable pre-orders and pre-saves for your releases.

The “Artist” distribution plan comes at £20 per year. The “Label” tier costs £30 for two artist profiles and can go all the way up to £450 per year for 60 artist names under one label. Regardless of which plan you go for, Horus Music allows you to keep 100% of the revenue your music generates on social media and streaming platforms.

One of the advantages of Horus Music is its exceptional customer service support. Reading reviews online, you’ll see that many have praised the music distributor company for answering calls and emails promptly. This can be vital if you’re new to this business and need help from your music distributor.

On the downside, although Horus Music offers a wide range of services besides distribution, almost everything else comes with additional price tags. They offer playlist pitching, UK radio plugging, digital PR, and some exclusive services for artists based in India and Africa. Also, you can take advantage of music video distribution services, music mastering, and urgent delivery. Needless to say these, too, will cost you extra.

TuneCore: How Does It Compare?

With TuneCore’s updated pricing plans, the company has a similar approach to offering services, meaning that most of the tiers come as yearly subscriptions, with the “New Artist” tier being the only exception that comes for free.

TuneCore’s free plan allows you to upload unlimited tracks on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. The company will also provide official sales reports with this plan, allowing you to track how each song is doing on these platforms. In return, TuneCore takes a 20% cut from all the royalties you make on these platforms. Bear in mind that this tier does not cover streaming platforms and digital music stores.

TuneCore’s most affordable paid plan, the “Rising Artist,” is also the option with the best value. For $199.99/year, you can distribute unlimited music on all social media and streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and many more. Moreover, TuneCore offers a built-in royalty-splitting system that lets you fully customize the percentage paid to each collaborator. With this plan, you get verified artist profiles both on Apple Music and Spotify.

For $34.99 a year, you can take advantage of TuneCore’s “Breakout Artist” plan. It comes with everything previously mentioned, plus a few more tools. TuneCore gives you access to a daily trends report, a cover art creator panel, and a store automator. The customer service response time cuts down from three business days to two.

Lastly, the “Professional” tier is targeted at labels and industry pros. Besides everything else mentioned, this plan comes with additional promotional opportunities and access to exclusive partnerships with companies like Twitch and Tidal. The Professional tier starts at $49.99, but TuneCore allows you to add additional artist profiles for $14.99 each. TuneCore says that the customer service response time for this tier is one business day.

Final Verdict: Which Distributor Should You Go For?

With all that said, I believe what TuneCore offers appeals to a broader range of artists and musicians out there. Not only can you publish your music on major streaming platforms for a more affordable annual subscription fee, but you can also take advantage of some additional services as well. If you think TuneCore suits your goals better, you can click here to use my referral link for a 20% discount.

On the other hand, Horus Music can be an excellent option for bands and musicians based in the UK, India, or Africa. Moreover, although the services cost extra, Horus Music offers a wider range of services, including music mastering, playlist pitching, and music video promotion.