As the majority of the music industry and listeners move to a streaming-first world, some artists prefer to exclusively sell their music and some listeners prefer to own the music they listen to.

For artists, what are the advantages to selling your music over streaming?

As artists, each sale is worth significantly more revenue than a stream. Typically each track on iTunes in the US is $0.99, though this can be customized when you distribute with RouteNote. While it’s difficult to calculate how much each stream is worth, Hypebot estimated Spotify’s pay rate at around $0.003 – $0.005. Although purchases are much more valuable, remember that the majority of audiences have exclusively moved to streaming services, and the pay rate is per stream, not per listener. Also don’t forget streaming is a great way to introduce yourself to new listeners who may not have otherwise discovered you.

For listeners, what are the advantages to buying your music over streaming?

Some listeners prefer to own the music they listen to. When you stream music, whether you use ad-supported services or pay a monthly subscription, you are essentially renting the music you listen to. When you buy the music from stores such as iTunes, you are buying a DRM-free copy of the track. This means the music is yours to do with as you like. For those who don’t listen to much new music or want to further support the artists they love, purchasing songs may be a better option.

Where can I buy and sell music online?

With RouteNote, you can distribute your music for free to digital stores such as iTunes, Amazon Music, eMusic, Melon, 7digital, Bugs!, Tencent Music (QQ Music, Kugou, Kuwo) and Qobuz. We can also deliver your music to all the top streaming services too, such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, Deezer, TIDAL and many more.

While more and more audiences shift to streaming, there will likely still be an audience for buying digital music online in some form for the foreseeable. Whether you want to exclusively sell your music on stores, share your music to all major platforms or just want full control over where your music appears online, choose RouteNote for free music distribution, while keeping 100% of the rights to your music.