The worlds 5 biggest music services – and how to get your music on them and get paid
We now live in an age where all of the music in the world is available anywhere from a small metal box in your pocket – it’s a new world for independent artists.
The music industry is a new beast having totally transformed in the past 20 years. Suddenly you can access any track or album within seconds, suddenly artists can put themselves in front of millions of people without dealing with any labels or businesses. We’re going to look at the most popular places on the web that music lovers go and how independent artists can get themselves there as well.
SoundCloud
SoundCloud has been giving small and amateur artists a platform for over 10 years. Unlike other streaming services SoundCloud is completely powered by it’s community. Anyone can upload their music to their own profile on SoundCloud and then any one of their 175+ million monthly listeners (as of 2014) can listen anywhere in the world.
Their love for independence has bred a massive community of loyal artists who use SoundCloud all the time. Many artists have found their success and built their careers from fans on SoundCloud and many major artists use the platform for offcuts, leaks and with their recently launched subscription service even full major studio albums.
As an artist on SoundCloud you can get paid for each listen on your music with our SoundCloud Network. It’s entirely free to sign up and you get access to more fun features like unlimited uploads and real-time stats. Find out how to sign up here: www.routenote.com/content/soundcloud-information
Spotify
Spotify are probably the biggest name in the music world now. They cornered on-demand music streaming and make it accessible for people around the globe. A simple layout and attractive features like personalised playlists and fun music-based activities have kept people coming to the world’s favourite source of online music.
Drawing people in with their free, ad-supported music streaming Spotify have managed to attract over 150 million users in the 10 years they’ve existed. Whilst competition in the music streaming market is certainly heating up Spotify look unlikely to lose their spot at the top any time soon, with almost half of their users paid subscribers.
We can send your music to Spotify and a whole load of other great music services, entirely for FREE. Get your music in front of the world on the top services by signing up with a free account at www.routenote.com and uploading unlimited music.
YouTube
YouTube has over 1/8 of the world’s population coming to watch videos on it every month. With a massive slew of music content including music videos, albums, tracks, interviews, live concerts, behind the scenes and way more YouTube is a favourite for music fans with content that no other services have.
Because they don’t quite work like other online music services YouTube got some flack for their payouts to artists and rights-holders. YouTube have been making moves to fix this in the past year and it recently culminated in their all new music service YouTube Music which gives the option to pay for ad-free listening.
We offer a YouTube Network which you can join to get paid more for your views. You also get awesome benefits like full access to our catalogue of music for use in your videos and you keep control over your channel at all times. Find out more or sign up free here: www.routenotestudios.com
iTunes
Before streaming services got picked up by almost everyone as the way to listen to music digital downloads were the format of the future for music. iTunes quickly took the crown and led online music stores through the new land of digitised music ownership. It made music instantly accessible and you could store your entire library just inside of your computer.
Streaming has taken over the popularity that downloads once had but they are still go-to for many music fans, especially those who value ownership of their music. Apple launched their own streaming service Apple Music a few years ago to offer audiophiles the best of both worlds. When it comes to buying music outright iTunes is a favourite as physical formats continue to decline.
Just like with Spotify we can send your music to iTunes and Apple Music for the world to see, buy and stream. Again it’s totally free and as simple as giving us your music and how you want it to look. Sign up free: www.routenote.com
Pandora
Pandora does music streaming in a unique way compared to on-demand services like Spotify. Pandora is like a hybrid of radio and on-demand streaming, offering up curated mixes of artists and tracks based on your first selection. Pick an artist you like and listen to a radio stream made up of them and similar music.
Whilst Pandora have since branched out into paid, on-demand music streaming as well it’s the free radio mixes that made it so popular with over 75 million users. It’s a great place to discover music having been introducing listeners to new artists and tracks since 2000.
The same as with Spotify, iTunes, and Apple Music you can distribute your music to Pandora for free. Let listeners find your music on Pandora or get discovered in a mix of similar artists’ radio stations. Beyond the services mentioned above we also work with many of the other top music services in the world including Deezer, Amazon, TIDAL, Google Play, and many more. Sign up for free at www.routenote.com.