Which Music Distributor Uploads Music The Fastest?

Getting your music onto popular streaming services has become easier than ever. In the past, aspiring musicians had to sign with record labels and get record deals to get their music into stores and make any real money through music.

With the digital takeover of the music industry by music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, getting your music out there has become much easier. Still, building a fanbase and accumulating returning monthly listeners to make an income through your music requires the help of tools like music promotion services.

But that stuff comes later in the process. Today, you don't need to find a record label; instead, all you have to do to get your music on streaming and social media platforms is sign up with a distributor. Distributors are third-party services that specialize in uploading your music to digital platforms where music is consumed or sold.

One of the most essential factors in deciding which distributor to sign up with is how quickly they can get your music uploaded to Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, etc. That said, let’s get into the top music distributors who upload the fastest.

1. DistroKid 

With over a decade of experience in the music distribution business, DistroKid has become one of, if not the most popular distribution service out there. Known for their unrivaled upload speed and for being the first service to provide a flat annual rate for unlimited releases, DistroKid boasts an upload time of under 72 hours, with some users even reporting upload times of only a few hours.

Aside from being the quickest, DistroKid also features an extensive variety of platforms and services that they distribute to, from the main ones like Spotify, TikTok, Apple Music, and Youtube Music to even platforms like Amazon, Deezer, Tidal, Pandora, and many more. 

Lastly, DistroKid prides itself on its low up-front cost; however, it's important to note that its premium add-ons, such as Cover Song Licensing and YouTube Content ID, can quickly rack up a hefty fee. 

2. TuneCore

Another distribution service that’s been around for quite a while now, TuneCore, has been recognized by many as the best distribution service available. Since 2006, TuneCore has worked with many famous artists like Drake, Nine Inch Nails, Jay-Z, etc., delivering music uploads to over 150 digital stores.

TuneCore is also very cost-friendly as they even offer free plans that distribute your work to YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. These platforms are very effective for exposure, but they’re not exactly music streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, for which you must pay.

TuneCore paid plans start at $20 a year and go up to $50 a year, with more features as the plans rise in price.

As for upload speed, TuneCore promises an impressive upload time of 24-72 hours, with the only reason for TuneCore being second in this list being that DistroKid users have reported uploads of a few hours.

3. Landr

Starting their music distribution in 2017, Landr is the new kid on the block compared to the other services on this list. That shouldn't take away from the service's credibility, though, as it shows they have something unique to offer when they’ve been able to establish themselves as one of the top five distribution services on this list, with so many older services competing in the market.

Their plans start from $24/year and go over $200/year, with the highest tier offering two million royalty-free samples, premium courses for Logic and Ableton, as well as other DAWs and guides on promoting your music and increasing streams.

Landr recommends you schedule your releases around two weeks earlier, though, if you don't set a custom release date, your work will usually go live one to three days after your submission. This is not a given, as Landr says that some businesses may take slightly longer.

4. CD Baby

The oldest of the bunch, CD Baby, has been in the distribution business since the late 90s when music was distributed through CDs. CD Baby is also one of the pioneers of digital distribution and has worked with countless famous artists ranging from Bon Iver to Macklemore.

CD Baby's plans differ from the previously mentioned services in the way that, instead of annual fees, CD Baby's plans are one-time fees of $10 and $30 (keep royalties) per track and $30 and $70 (keep royalties) per album. 

You might wonder why someone should go for CD Baby when you have to pay a fee for each release.

The answer is that while DistroKid or TuneCore offers unlimited releases for nearly the same fee, your releases will be removed from streaming services if you stop paying the annual fees. However, since CD Baby's plans are one-time fees, your work will stay on the streaming services without the need to pay for them staying there.

This system suits artists who only release one or two albums a year. Plans aside, CD Baby takes the longest to upload as they require you to sign up for your release at least three weeks and, ideally, four to six weeks ahead of your release date. 

5. Ditto

Ditto has faced plenty of bad press in the past, and it wasn't exactly undeserved. However, they've improved their services and competed with other distribution services with many advantages working in their favor. 

Some of Ditto's main advantages are 0% commissions, great marketing tools and a clean and intuitive interface, a free 30-day trial, and decent pricing. Plans start from $19 a year and go up to $89 a year, with the “Label” plan allowing releases for five artists and the possibility of increasing that number to 40 artists for $319 a year.

Unfortunately, their upload time isn’t one of those advantages, as it takes around three to five business days, and that's if you pay $40 for their Express Release service. Even then, if, for reasons like incorrect information or even blurry artwork, your music goes to manual review, the release time could extend to two to three weeks.

Final Thoughts

With the plethora of distribution services available today, choosing which one to go for might be a difficult task. As I’ve mentioned before, the upload time of a distribution service is a very significant factor, and the reason for that is that in the music industry, even if you plan for everything, things can go wrong. 

Whether it's a delayed project or financial issues causing delays, you will need a distribution service that can distribute your music quickly so that your planned promotional content doesn’t become obsolete, wasting the money you paid for it.