RouteNote and UnitedMasters both distribute independent music to major streaming services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the business models are different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The right choice depends on whether you prefer free revenue-share distribution or a paid subscription model with access to additional UnitedMasters services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RouteNote gives artists two main distribution models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No upfront distribution charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Artists retain 85% of applicable distribution revenue while RouteNote retains 15%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is useful if you want to release music without paying before it earns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Artists can choose a paid Premium model for eligible releases and retain 100% of distribution revenue, subject to the relevant terms and fees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UnitedMasters currently promotes paid plans including DEBUT+ and SELECT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That depends on your earnings and catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RouteNote Free costs nothing upfront but takes 15%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A subscription distributor requires payment whether the music earns \u00a31 or \u00a3100,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That means the economics change as an artist grows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imagine your release earns \u00a3100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On RouteNote Free, your share would be \u00a385.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With a subscription distributor, you might retain the full \u00a3100 but have already paid the subscription.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now imagine the release earns \u00a3100,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The economics are obviously very different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At higher earnings, artists may prefer RouteNote Premium or another fee-based model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The point is to calculate based on your actual catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both services cover the major platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UnitedMasters currently says it delivers to more than 150 platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RouteNote delivers to a broad network of streaming, download, social and international services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For most artists, the major question isn’t whether Spotify is included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UnitedMasters places significant emphasis on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RouteNote’s wider ecosystem includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both platforms currently market artist ownership as a core principle. UnitedMasters states artists retain ownership of their masters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RouteNote distribution does not require artists to transfer ownership of their masters simply to distribute music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Choose the model that matches the stage you’re at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RouteNote Free can make sense when you want:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A subscription service can make sense if your royalties comfortably exceed the subscription and you particularly value the included tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don’t choose a distributor because somebody on TikTok said it was \u201cthe best\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Run the numbers for your own catalogue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3915,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1396,30,2348],"coauthors":[2],"class_list":["post-4059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-comparison","tag-routenote","tag-unitedmasters"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n