RouteNote and UnitedMasters both distribute independent music to major streaming services.

But the business models are different.

The right choice depends on whether you prefer free revenue-share distribution or a paid subscription model with access to additional UnitedMasters services.

RouteNote

RouteNote gives artists two main distribution models.

RouteNote Free

No upfront distribution charge.

Artists retain 85% of applicable distribution revenue while RouteNote retains 15%.

This is useful if you want to release music without paying before it earns.

RouteNote Premium

Artists can choose a paid Premium model for eligible releases and retain 100% of distribution revenue, subject to the relevant terms and fees.

UnitedMasters

UnitedMasters currently promotes paid plans including DEBUT+ and SELECT.

Its website says artists using those plans can distribute to 150+ services while retaining 100% ownership and royalties. SELECT includes additional features such as sync opportunities, advanced analytics and real-time royalty access.

Which is cheaper?

That depends on your earnings and catalogue.

RouteNote Free costs nothing upfront but takes 15%.

A subscription distributor requires payment whether the music earns £1 or £100,000.

That means the economics change as an artist grows.

Example

Imagine your release earns £100.

On RouteNote Free, your share would be £85.

With a subscription distributor, you might retain the full £100 but have already paid the subscription.

Now imagine the release earns £100,000.

The economics are obviously very different.

At higher earnings, artists may prefer RouteNote Premium or another fee-based model.

The point is to calculate based on your actual catalogue.

Distribution reach

Both services cover the major platforms.

UnitedMasters currently says it delivers to more than 150 platforms.

RouteNote delivers to a broad network of streaming, download, social and international services.

For most artists, the major question isn’t whether Spotify is included.

It is:

  • Pricing
  • Catalogue size
  • Rights services
  • Support
  • Monetisation
  • Publishing
  • Long-term cost

Extra services

UnitedMasters places significant emphasis on:

  • Sync
  • Brand partnerships
  • Audience analytics
  • Artist services

RouteNote’s wider ecosystem includes:

  • YouTube Content ID
  • Social monetisation
  • RouteNote Publishing
  • RouteNote Licensing
  • RouteNote Advance
  • RouteNote Select
  • PUSH.fm direct-to-fan tools

Do you keep your masters?

Both platforms currently market artist ownership as a core principle. UnitedMasters states artists retain ownership of their masters.

RouteNote distribution does not require artists to transfer ownership of their masters simply to distribute music.

Which should you choose?

Choose the model that matches the stage you’re at.

RouteNote Free can make sense when you want:

  • No upfront distribution cost
  • No annual subscription pressure
  • A simple way to test releases
  • Access to a broader RouteNote ecosystem

A subscription service can make sense if your royalties comfortably exceed the subscription and you particularly value the included tools.

Don’t choose a distributor because somebody on TikTok said it was “the best”.

Run the numbers for your own catalogue.