Where is the best place to sign up for music publishing? Music has been said to be a form of communication that works when words fail, and making music is just part of what it means to be alive. Whether you play in a symphony or you just like humming along to your favorite Taylor Swift song in the car, music is something that impacts everyone. Considered divine in some cultures and just a way to connect emotions and ideas in other cultures, music - especially creating and publishing your own music - can be the ultimate expression of your personal style, emotions, and the story you want to tell.
Best Option
Ditto is a subscription-based music publishing site that promises impressive distribution for not just your music but official music videos too. Ditto has been around for over 20 years and offers unlimited publishing, sync pitching, playlisting, and distribution. With built-in tools, Ditto guides you through the creation process a bit more than some DIY sites, and with its subscription model, you get to keep all of your royalties. Ditto is based in Liverpool, England (the birthplace of the Beatles, of course), so you're in good hands with folks who know music.
Create an account and pick your subscription
To get started on Ditto, you'll need to create an account and choose one of the subscription plans. Some options will increase in cost if you have one vs. multiple artists to manage. When you're all signed up, you can upload your music with the Release Builder that helps you make singles, EPs, or albums. You'll need to provide the files and album artwork as well as fill in the metadata. Once Ditto has reviewed your work to ensure it abides by platform requirements (for individual distribution platforms), the music publisher will automatically release your music to all of its partnerships. Finally, you'll get money every time your work is streamed or downloaded.
150+ streaming services in network
Ditto has a distribution network of over 150+ streaming platforms, including (but not limited to) Spotify, TikTok, Amazon Music, Instagram, Apple Music, Pandora, Shazam, and Vevo. You can also find your music on SoundCloud, WhatsApp, and streaming services like Twitch. Access to all of these streaming services is automatic with your music publishing; you don't have to lift a finger.
Yearly subscription from $19.99 to $319
Ditto is a subscription service, so you'll subscribe for a year, and the service will auto-renew. There are three plan options. The baseline plan for music publishing is the Starter, which costs $19 per year. You'll get unlimited music releases for 1 artist, 100% of all your royalties, access to 150+ platforms, access to industry tools, automatic splits for royalties if you have multiple band members, and access to digital analytics. The mid-tier is the Pro plan, which includes all of the features of Starter plus, unlimited releases for 2 artists, pitches for TV and movie sync opportunities, YouTube content ID and verification, and priority support. This option costs $59 per year. Finally, the top-tier option for Ditto is the Labels plan, which allows you to manage anywhere from 5 to 40 artists under one label, and you get all of the features of Pro. The price will change depending on how many artists you have under your label, but the price will range from $89 to $319 per year. Payment is made to PayPal, but you will only receive your money if the total payout is equal to or greater than 25 GBP (which was around $34 USD per the exchange rate at the time of our review).
Competitive non-exclusive agreement
Ditto's artist agreement states that you grant the music publisher a non-exclusive worldwide license to "use, reproduce, display, publicly perform, exhibit, broadcast and transmit and make available by all means" the work that you submit for publication. You also give them sync rights to allow the publisher to sync your music for a video game, advertisement, or film. You can terminate your contract with Ditto with 2 hours' notice. You do retain your rights to your work, as this service is non-exclusive.
Well-rated for the zero-effort approach
Like a few other music publishers in our review, Ditto holds an "F" rating from the Better Business Bureau. This is due to the company's failure to respond to 21 complaints filed against it. However, on other third-party review sites, the ratings are more competitive. Currently, Ditto holds a 4.2-star rating on Trustpilot, where almost all recent reviews are a full 5 stars. Clients specifically praised the music sharing through this platform: musicians are seeing a significant increase in revenue on their singles and albums after releasing through Ditto. Overall, most artists loved Ditto due to the zero-effort approach to launching and making money on their music.
Top pick: hands-off approach with best monetization
While committing to a yearly subscription may not be ideal for everyone, Ditto's pricing starts fairly low and doesn't ask for too much of a commitment in return for basically handling everything related to music publishing for you. You don't need to worry about marketing or advertising, and you can even get your music put in video games or TV shows through this platform. With all the benefits and the hands-off approach, Ditto earns our highest recommendation for music publishing.
Great
TuneCore is a digital music distribution service that also offers music publishing where you retain 100% ownership of your work. On this platform, you can expect releases and publishing at competitive costs with a wide distribution network. TuneCore bills itself as your "independent" music distribution company that promises administration, publishing, and promotional tools that help you grow your audience and your income from your music. If you're an indie artist looking for a leg up, this is a great place to begin.
Quick start with paid and free options
To get started with music publishing at TuneCore, you need to make an account. After signing up and a quick verification email, you'll be shown the prices. You can pick one of TuneCore's three plans with a variety of features, or choose to "continue without a plan". Once you join up, you can see a clean dashboard with easy access to your revenue, numbers, and uploads for singles or albums. If you don't have a membership, you will be on a "pay per release" plan. Uploading your music is simple: you fill out the details of your music, choose your preferred stores and social platforms, upload the tracks, and finish out the artwork.
Beginner-friendly tools
TuneCore has a solid digital network for music publishing that includes 150+ digital stores and streaming options. You also get access to an "audience development program" that helps you accelerate your revenue. All of the distribution for subscriptions is unlimited at TuneCore, and your work will be distributed worldwide. On top of that, TuneCore offers an in-house graphic design program that helps you create cover art, so if you're not sure how to begin or you don't have cover art yet, this is a particularly beginner-friendly service.
Subscription from $22.99 to $49.99 and just publishing for $75
TuneCore has three different subscription plans and a pay-per-release option if you don't want to subscribe. The lowest subscription tier is the Rising Artist option, which costs $22.99 per year. This includes unlimited release to 150+ digital stores, automatic Spotify Verified, and standard-level artist support. The next tier up is the Breakout Artist, which includes the features of Rising Artist plus advanced features like the cover art generator and daily trend reports from Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music, and faster customer service. This tier costs $39.99 per year. Finally, the top-tier subscription is the Professional plan, which includes custom label names, unlimited releases, and exclusive services like pro panels and advice, promo opportunities, or brand partnerships. This costs $49.99 per year. If you pay per release, you can choose to just purchase TuneCore's music publishing, which costs $75, and TuneCore will collect your royalties for you. Otherwise, if you want to pay per release, your singles will cost $22.99, and your albums are $39.99 (though you will need to renew your albums at $49. 99 per year).
Competitive non-exclusive agreement
TuneCore's artist agreement for music publishing states that you will allow TuneCore to distribute your music for you to other parties and collect your royalties. Your royalties are 100% yours and will be paid out by TuneCore, which makes its money off your publishing fees or subscription plan. The agreement with TuneCore is non-exclusive, meaning you retain your rights to your work while being represented by TuneCore, and you will get the benefits of TuneCore's copyright infringement services to help keep your work safe. You can cancel your membership with TuneCore at any time.
High praise for customer service
Like many of the music publishing sites in our review, TuneCore holds an "F" rating from the Better Business Bureau for failing to respond to complaints on the BBB platform. However, its feedback on third-party review sites is more balanced. It currently holds a 4.1-star average out of 5 on Trustpilot with over 11,000 verified reviews. Recent reviews were posted within 8 hours of the time of our review, highly praising the customer service at TuneCore. Some musicians felt the entire process was helpful and easy to use, though there are a few complaints that the AI features need to be fine-tuned to be truly useful. On the other hand, most clients agree that when there are issues with your distribution or publication on TuneCore, you can easily get them resolved with their top-notch customer service.
Flexible and reliable service
If you're looking for a music publishing site that offers the flexibility of pay-as-you-go or signing up for an annual, inclusive membership, TuneCore is definitely worth a look. You've got a competitive distribution network and, at the higher tiers, features that help you market your work and design album covers from scratch. This program allows you to grow, too. So if you're just starting out, you might like the base tier, and you can upgrade as your music needs increase over time. For these reasons, and the impressive reviews for customer service, TuneCore earns a very high score in our review.
Very Good
Music Gateway stands out by promising to "champion" artists and offer a full range of music industry services to launch your music career. As an added benefit, Music Gateway lets you keep 100% of your royalties (with some circumstances where they'll take some, which we'll get into in a moment). Music Gateway offers "tailor-made" campaigns for promotion, including digital ads and TikTok marketing. You can also expect to see a helpful toolkit for refining your music with online mastering.
Simple sign up
Using Music Gateway's music publishing service is a breeze. Promising "no stress, just success," you can sign up in minutes. You'll be asked for your full name, email, country, phone number, and to create a password for your account. When you upload your music, you can master it directly on the website. On top of that, Music Gateway will automatically shop your work out to its network, and it puts 100% of your royalties in your pocket. The entire process is hands-off once you get your music submitted.
150+ network members include TV studios
Music Gateway's distribution network includes 150+ different brands and locations to get your music out there. Music publishing through this platform includes representation on major platforms like Spotify, TikTok, Deezer, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and more. You'll also be shopped to a network of movie and TV studios like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, and HBO. So, if you're hoping to get your music out there for film, this is a great music publisher to get started with.
$89 to $199 per year and 5%-20% royalty fees
Music Gateway's music publishing is offered through a subscription. The basic plan, which is Pro, includes distribution, 150 monthly coins (which you use as digital currency to upload your music), AI mastering, publishing admin, playlist submissions, catalog management, and artist insights for $89 per year. If you want a little boost, you can join Unlimited, which includes everything from Pro, along with unlimited coins (unlimited publishing), and you can pay for this membership yearly or monthly. The yearly cost is $199, and the monthly cost is $20 per month. You get 100% of your royalties for distribution and downloads, but for publishing royalties and sync placement royalties, Music Gateway will take a cut. The publishing cut is 10% for Pro and 5% for Unlimited, and the sync fees are 25% for Pro and 20% for Unlimited.
Helpful with copyright, and you retain your rights
Music Gateway's terms and conditions state that the music publisher is granted rights to sell your songs without limitation, including permanent and temporary digital downloads and streaming. While Music Gateway is in charge of collecting your money and distributing royalties to you (minus its related fees), you can get out of the contract by cancelling your membership, though this may result in your music being taken down from any or all of the platforms included in the Music Gateway network. Music Gateway will enforce your copyright and handle copyright infringement for you, and you retain the complete ownership of your music during your contract.
Impressive revenue boosts on TikTok
Music Gateway currently holds an "F" rating on the Better Business Bureau (which is similar to several other music publishing sites in our review). However, it has a more balanced reputation on third-party review sites like Trustpilot. There, Music Gateway holds a 4.1-star average rating out of 5. Recent reviews praised the clear feedback from Music Gateway that helped musicians fine-tune their work. Music Gateway is noted for feeling like a "team" rather than just leaving artists to fend for themselves. Several reviewers said their music "blew up" on TikTok, earning far more revenue than expected after being shopped around by Music Gateway.
Great choice if you want your music to be TikTok famous
Music Gateway is a great site for those who don't want to do a lot of work. You get to keep all of your royalties if you just want to distribute through Music Gateway's basic network. If you publish through Music Gateway, the royalties are extremely competitive, with just 5%-10% taken by the music publisher. With competitive assistance listed in the terms and conditions, Music Gateway stands out as a reasonable and hands-off way to get your music out there (especially if you're hoping for revenue from platforms like TikTok). However, there are less costly services out there that are similar.
Good
CD Baby is a music publishing service that's been around since 1998. It offers an "in-between" model that isn't quite a traditional music publisher but doesn't leave you totally on your own either. It has paid out over $1 billion in royalties to independent artists, and promises that you'll keep over 90% of your total earnings, but they'll still give you some assistance tracking your income and helping you deliver your music to streaming services.
Start publishing in minutes
CD Baby is easy to join and doesn't require a lot of fuss. You just need to make an account, upload your tracks (including cover art and the metadata), and choose a release date. When you submit your music, CD Baby's team will review your songs and albums and then help you distribute your work to the company's streaming partners. You can use your account to track your audience and your earnings on every stream and download after publishing music here.
150+ networks, including Spotify and YouTube
CD Baby has an impressive streaming network, which includes major platforms like Spotify, TikTok, and Apple Music. You'll get access to 150+ total streaming services when you complete your music publishing at CD Baby. You'll also get access to disc manufacturing and free guides to help you better promote your music. One of the features included in your publication is a YouTube monetization ID, which can take a long time to get if you're putting your music on YouTube by yourself.
$9.99 to $14.99 for each publication and 9% revenue fees
CD Baby offers a single-fee structure for music publishing payments. If you want to release a single, it costs $9.99. An album is $14.99. There are no ongoing fees or subscription costs. For this price, you get access to the distribution network, YouTube monetization, your music on discovery tools like Shazam, promotion services and playlist pitching, fast-pass verification on streaming services, free UPC barcodes, access to the CD Baby support team, and music marketing tools you can use to grow your fanbase. CD Baby keeps 9% of your distribution revenue for helping you out. You're promised to get the rest with no additional costs.
You keep your rights to your music
In terms of what you're signing over when you choose CD Baby for music publishing, the company's artist agreement states that CD Baby is appointed as your authorized representative for selling and distributing your work, and they retain a non-exclusive right to reproduce and create derived works of your content by specifically "making video files that embody your music and elements thereof" or covering your content into digital masters for promotional purposes. You also give them the right to publicly claim to be representing you. They will be allowed to place or embed your work in websites and/or CD Baby advertisements. The term for this agreement is ongoing unless you or CD Baby terminates the contract (with 24 hours written notice). According to the ownership section of the contract, you retain all rights to your music, masters, clips, physical products, and copyrights from materials created by you.
Mixed reviews, but easy to use
CD Baby currently holds an "F" rating on the Better Business Bureau due to 91 complaints filed against this business over the last three years. However, on third-party review sites, CD Baby's reputation is more balanced. The music publishing firm holds a 3.8-star average on Trustpilot with over 6,500 total reviews to back up the rating. In general, musicians consider CD Baby to be a reliable service, and they love the one-time fixed cost approach to publishing. There are a few concerns about albums being removed from streaming platforms, but this seems to be only a few individuals, and not a regular problem at CD Baby. While some customers claim that the submission process takes longer than it used to, this is still considered to be an easy resource for music publishing overall.
A competitive option for music beginners
If you're looking for a low-cost way to both get your music out to a ton of major platforms without ongoing subscription costs and get YouTube-verified right away, CD Baby is going to be a worthwhile option. Despite some mixed reviews, the company offers a musician-friendly agreement that leaves the rights to your music in your hands. Plus, with one-time fees, you won't have to worry about increasing costs or regular subscription payments. CD Baby's take-home is also quite low, at just 9% of your distribution revenue for helping set you up with platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. For these reasons, CD Baby earns a competitive rating and a highlight as a simple place for those just starting with their music publishing journey.
Average
Songtrust is a site that bills itself as an ideal choice for music publishing beginners, though you may need to have some previous music publications out there to use Songtrust's full potential. Offering song monitoring, global registration, and royalty collection, Songtrust is a global option for those looking to get their music out beyond just their home countries. The goal of Songtrust is to provide you with a "centralized" publishing platform with helpful tracking features and daily dashboard reports on your monetization. All you need to worry about is uploading your music, and let Songtrust handle the rest.
Impressive analytics when you sign up
To get your music published at Songtrust is one of the simplest processes out there. Once you've made an account, you just upload your music, album art, and metadata, and let Songtrust get you registered on its networks worldwide. Songtrust will also help you out with YouTube royalties, so you can monetize your YouTube videos and see everything in one place. Plus, with the helpful breakdowns that display your complete royalties, royalties by period, and royalties by location, you can see how your work is doing across different metrics, even if you've used multiple publishers. One of the main benefits is that Songtrust will help your music find opportunities for syncing for TV, film, and games.
Missing transparency on distribution
Songtrust has a music publishing distribution network in over 215 countries and territories. However, it does seem to assume you've already gotten your music distributed to places like Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Pandora, Amazon Music, and more, which doesn't seem as beginner-friendly as it could. Songtrust says that it collects royalties that normal sites don't, and that it has 65 direct relationships with pay sources, but those aren't disclosed on the website. At the end of the day, this seems more like a management service rather than a site that sets you up with music distribution.
Sign-up fee of $100
Songtrust is a little different from other music publishing sites in our review. It charges a one-time sign-up fee of $100 for every songwriter who joins the platform. On top of that, there is a 15% administration fee for performance royalties and a 20% fee for non-performance mechanical royalties. The rest of the royalties are yours. Songtrust collects royalties on any music uploaded to the platform within your first year as a member.
Artist agreement
According to Songtrust's terms, you will retain all copyright ownership and creative control of your music. However, when you sign up, you will be locked in for at least a year. If you cancel your account, you'll have a one-year period after the end of your contract during which royalties will be collected on your work. After that, your work will revert to your sole ownership. This was a slightly different clause than we've seen at other music publishing sites, but there weren't any removal fees, which was a benefit.
Top pick on Trustpilot
According to our research, Songtrust has an "F" rating from the BBB (like the majority of the music publishing platforms we evaluated). However, it does much better on third-party review sites like Trustpilot. Songtrust holds a 4.4-star average out of 5 stars with high praise for its ease of use, and for having fantastic staff who helped artists get their music out there. Several artists called it a "game changer" for their music careers. Customers note that this is more of a management company, but they got paid royalties that they didn't even know existed once they got their music uploaded to Songtrust.
Best as a supplement alongside other publishers
Songtrust is a great site if you're looking for a way to manage all of your music library and the related royalties. This service consolidates everything in one place so you don't miss out on royalties that you should be getting paid. For these reasons, Songtrust earns a balanced score in our review. It's definitely worth it as an added benefit if you're looking to publish music. But as a standalone service, it doesn't shop your music out to sites like Spotify, so Songtrust falls behind some of the major music publishing sites for now.
Fair
TAXI is a music publishing helper that has a bit of a "homegrown" feel. While the website may not be particularly flashy or modern, it has some promising commitments. TAXI notes that artists and musicians who are members generally sign indie record deals, publishing deals, and license music for film and TV. Notably, though, TAXI doesn't actually publish your music itself. Instead, you'll get shopped around to major publishers and music libraries by being a member of TAXI.
Make a paid account to begin
To start submitting your music to TAXI's listings (which is its online music library that it uses to shop your work around), you'll need to make an account. You'll be required to pay for your membership before you'll be allowed to post your music, but once you get started, uploading your music is simple. Plus, to jumpstart your career, you'll get access to a free convention where you can network with music professionals and those looking to license music.
Movie and TV-focused distribution network
TAXI's distribution network is more like a general platform on which companies are looking for new music. This doesn't mean your work will automatically get seen by these companies, but TAXI has some sort of relationship with them. You'll see options like CNN, FX, ABC, Warner Brothers, TLC, Universal Studios, SPIKE, EMI Music Publishing, the Travel Channel, and more. However, there isn't a list that includes popular streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music, so you may need to work out getting your music uploaded there yourself. While this seems a decent place for record deals, it has a more old-fashioned approach than some of the other top music publishers in our review.
$299.95 per year
TAXI, regrettably, is more costly than many of the music publishing sites in our review. A full year membership for this platform is $299.95. This is marketed as being more affordable than an average music lawyer, but when there are multiple sites that include TV and movie options for your music at a fraction of the cost, TAXI comes in as much more pricey than its competitors. While you do get free access to a music convention that generally costs $600 per ticket, there is still legwork you have to do for things like Spotify and YouTube that aren't included in this service. Notably, we struggled to find information on royalties on TAXI, and only found an article talking about general royalties ranging from 9%-20% in the industry, but not the particulars through TAXI.
Refund guarantee within 1 year
TAXI offers a guarantee that promises that if you don't think the listings are the best you've seen, you can get a refund for your annual fee. This guarantee lasts for 365 days from when you purchase your membership. However, the guarantee does not promise you'll get a deal, but is entirely based on the "quality" of your listings, which could be subjective. In the artist agreement, it states that it will provide listings for music licensing opportunities where TAXI's screeners will listen to your music and give feedback on the work. On the other hand, it does not promise to help secure engagement or auditions for you, and it will not be managing your work directly. However, you can cancel your contract with TAXI at any time.
Mixed reviews and no concrete results
TAXI has an impressive "A+" rating and accreditation with the Better Business Bureau. But, finding third-party reviews for this site is a bit of a problem. On verified review sites like Trustpilot, TAXI has just 39 total reviews, with a mid-tier 3.4-star rating out of 5. Recent feedback notes that TAXI is not a site for those who are just starting out on their journey as a published musician. If you haven't done any music publishing before, this isn't the way to start: one musician noted that "you need to be almost industry-level already" to see real results or avoid getting rejected. Further, there were reviews that said that TAXI is liable to reject your work over small things like an accent in your voice, producing music in any language other than English, or small flaws with the flow or mixing. Other artists said that there was poor customer support, and that most customers didn't get deals or licensing agreements out of signing up.
Only useful for those who are nearly pros
The bottom line is that TAXI isn't for beginner artists. If you're already doing well in the industry and have a Spotify following or music that's ready for a record label, you might be able to get some deals, but most reviewers complained about their music being rejected over small issues and felt that TAXI was too strict, offering little assistance to those whose work isn't already near perfect. It's definitely a legit site, but TAXI is really only useful if you've been part of the music publishing and songwriting industry for a while.
Subpar
Easy Song is a music publishing firm that has recently partnered with Monetunes to allow you to access global royalties rather than just local options. Promising to charge no upfront fees for your music publication, this platform offers one-time fees and licensing for different types of songs and pieces. Easy Song's pricing structure is one of the more complex in our review, but the bottom line is: the music publishing part of its service is not free.
Go to Easy Song's partner to get started
To get started with your music publishing on Easy Song, you'll actually be guided to navigate to Easy Song's partner, Monetunes. From there, you'll make an account on Monetunes and select whether you're a solo artist, band, group, or record label. Then, you'll be asked to verify your identity. Monetunes states that you register your work by importing your songs directly from Spotify (which seems counterintuitive if you haven't gotten your music loaded into Spotify yet). But the site also states that you should be able to upload music, whether or not you've worked with a DIY publisher before. Overall, the level of detail and transparency (or lack thereof) for Easy Song/Monetunes is somewhat frustrating.
200+ entities in the network
Easy Song/Monetunes promises a distribution network over over 200 collection societies (which is a different term than we've seen from other music publishing sites for the partnered networks). Easy Song also promises to feature your music in TV series, movies, and ads. Some of the network options listed with Easy Song and Monetunes include Sony Music, Dharma, Soave, Universal Studios, and more. However, if you're looking for help getting your materials on Spotify or YouTube, Easy Song seems to assume you've already handled that.
15%-25% commission out of your royalties
Easy Song's fee schedule is all over the place, but the numbers you actually need to pay attention to are on Monetunes. You won't pay to publish or submit your work, but you will pay out in royalties. Easy Song/Monetunes takes a 15% commission on publishing royalties, which include global catalog registration and quarterly statements so you can see what's going on. There is also a 25% commission for your music being used in movies, TV shows, and ads. So, while it seems free to use, you'll get less money in your pocket than with some other music publishing sites.
Retain your rights
Another issue with the transparency on Easy Song and Monetunes is that there isn't an artist agreement available before you're verified and signed up. This means that you'll be left to read the complete terms and agreements once you've gotten into the weeds of music publishing. However, Monetunes' site does promise that you retain 100% ownership of your music and material when you sign with them.
Missing info for the actual publisher
Despite our concerns about Easy Song's transparency, this music publishing site currently holds an "A+" rating and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau. On top of that, Easy Song has a 4.6-star average rating on Trustpilot. However, we couldn't find specific reviews on the BBB or other third-party review sites for Easy Song's partner site Monetunes. Given that you actually sign up on Monetunes, we were a little concerned about the lack of feedback for that branch of the business. As for Easy Song itself, recent reviews show high praise for the assistance with its paid features like custom licensing, copyright research, and customer service. But, again, your actual publishing will be completed with Easy Song's partner Monetunes, so the reviews don't cover this specifically.
Good for complex copyright issues only
Easy Song is a decent choice if you want help with more advanced copyright concerns regarding your music. However, for traditional music publication, you're redirected to Monetunes, which doesn't offer as much transparency as we'd like. Nor does it help you get your music going on Spotify. For these reasons, this music publishing service falls behind the pack. It's generally difficult to navigate and just doesn't offer enough details (or an artist agreement) before signing up.
Weak
Sentric Music is a music publishing platform that is designed for "self-made" music artists. This is another publisher based in the UK, specifically with locations in Liverpool and London. The main difference between Sentric Music and other music publishers is that you'll be offered a 28-day rolling contract rather than an ongoing agreement, but you can get longer contracts if that's something you're looking for.
Security checks before you upload music
To sign up with Sentric Music, you'll need to verify your email and then select what kind of account you want from a list that includes artist, band, songwriter, manager, label, DJ, and producer. Once you answer all the questions about your performer name and what kind of music releases you've done before, you'll be sent to your dashboard. Sentric Music will ask you to complete a security check before you're allowed to upload music to its music publishing platform. Once you get to uploading, you can pull your music directly from Spotify (if your work is already there) or upload it manually.
Get your music seen by film and TV pros
It's harder to find Sentric Music's distribution network than we've seen with other music publishers in our review. However, their previous partnerships are available in the case studies section. Artists signed with Sentric Music have been featured in John Wick, Barbie, EA Sports trailers, McDonald's ads, McAfee ads, Anthropologie Spring advertisements, and more. Plus, you can see other artists who are represented by Sentric Music, including Bleed From Within, Essosa, Abra Cadabra, Nxdia, The Mowgli's, Max Pope, Don Broco, The Midnight, Spill Tab, and more.
Standard 80/20 split
Sentric Music doesn't charge anything to get started; the entire process is covered under a simple royalty split. The 28-day rolling contract is offered at an 80/20 split, so you take home 80% of your royalties on every stream, broadcast, or online use of your music. If you want a longer term, you can get in touch with the pros at Sentric Music, and they'll work out a deal that fits your music and distribution needs.
Keep your rights to all music
Sentric Music's artist agreement for music publishing doesn't claim ownership of your materials, so you retain 100% copyright of your music. You are just giving Sentric Music permission to use your work without limitation, including copying, distributing, transmitting, displaying, or publishing your name in connection with your work. You will get paid only when your work is downloaded or streamed, and you will not be paid (or need to pay Sentric Music) just for uploading the music to this platform.
Issues with payments, verifications, and customer service
Sentric Music doesn't currently have a page with the Better Business Bureau. Instead, we had to rely on feedback from third-party review sites to get a picture of this music publisher's business model. However, the news isn't great for Sentric Music. The service holds a 2.8-star average out of 5, with a heavy mix of 1- and 5-star reviews. Recent complaints include an update that Sentric Music added, where the identification and verification system fails most of the time and keeps artists from being able to complete verification. Other complaints include a hyper focus on Spotify and leaving out other platforms for distribution. There are also complaints about payment issues, and most customers who have problems are unable to get in touch with customer service. Yikes.
Free, but may not get you top results
Sentric Music seems like a solid option for music publishing overall, but with a multitude of issues with payments and even just getting verified on the site, it may not be worth the trouble. The service is free to join, so you might still want to check it out, but it may not turn out to be the result you're looking for, especially if you want to see distribution beyond Spotify. While the promises of TV and movie sync are exciting, customers say this may not translate into real opportunities, and there are more reliable services that offer the same or better features.
Weak
SongCast is an older site for music publishing on the market, but it often has deals and low-cost options depending on seasonal promotions, which can help keep costs down as you get your music out there. SongCast offers "A-Z" coverage with zero hidden fees and no long-term contracts. This service has a heavy focus on distribution through platforms like iTunes and promises that it will help you with a step-by-step process that's suitable for musicians at any step of their publication journey.
Quick sign-up, but pay before you join
To join SongCast, you just need to fill out a short form with your name, artist/label name, email, and create an account for your country. Once you create your account, you'll be able to upload your music to SongCast's servers. However, when you click "go to my account," you'll be sent to a paywall. There, you can choose from three different subscription plans to help with your music publishing. While there are no additional fees, and you keep your royalties, you will need to pay to continue.
On 13 options in the distribution network
There are 13 sites and locations that SongCast will distribute to, making it more limited than many of the other music publishing sites in our review. You can expect to have your music sent out to iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Pandora, Soundcloud, Spotify, Facebook/Instagram, Tidal, TikTok, YouTube Music, Napster, iTunes Radio, TuneIn Radio, and ShoutCast Radio. Beyond this, you may be a little out of luck if you're looking for additional networks.
Subscription from $5 to $17.98 per month
SongCast's fee schedule offers three different monthly payment options. Starting with Standard, you'll be charged $5 per month. This will allow you to keep your own royalties, see monthly reports on your earnings, and get distribution to 10 locations. Next up is Premium, which costs $9.99 and includes all the features of Standard, with daily iTunes trend reports included and 11 distribution networks. Finally, there's the Ultimate plan, which costs $17.98 per month and includes all the features of Premium plus daily Spotify and Apple Music stats, and all 13 distribution options with this music publishing plan.
Slightly different royalty numbers for some distributors
SongCast's artist agreement states that you will be joining with a non-exclusive agreement for SongCast to represent you for distribution, licensing, and the sale of your music. SongCast will also be authorized to promote your music through "reasonable" means. You will be paid after you request your royalties. 100% of the royalties will go to you when your music is purchased from retailers. The only exceptions are YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook, which will give you 70% of the royalties. You can withdraw your money when the total balance is $25 or more. You retain the rights to your work while represented by SongCast's music publishing.
Concerns about frozen accounts
SongCast holds a just-okay "B" rating from the Better Business Bureau. Its ratings on other third-party review sites are also mid-tier, such as a 3.6-star average out of 5 on Trustpilot. However, even some of the positive reviews appear to be scores that might have been misrepresented. For example, a 4-star rating was actually a customer asking for help from SongCast in the wrong area. There are reports from musicians that they have problems with accounts being locked. While some artists have distributed their work through SongCast for over 10 years, there are an increasing number of complaints about SongCast not speaking to customers who need help from representatives. For example, many of the recent reviews talk about locked accounts where SongCast appears to be "reviewing the account for unusual sales activity" and freezing the money owed to the artists. There are also reports of takedown charges for songs to be removed from SongCast's platform that aren't listed on the website.
May not be worth the low costs
At the end of the day, SongCast doesn't have a lot to offer when compared to other sites. It has a much smaller distribution network than other music publishers, and issues with payouts have increased in frequency, according to customer reviews. While the low monthly costs are fairly budget-friendly, you're not getting much for your money in terms of distribution opportunities.
Poor
Music Diffusion is a music publishing site that offers worldwide distribution. Promising to be the first "low-cost" and "360 degree" music distributor, Music Diffusion claims to have fast sales and easy sharing. Now, like a few other global music publishers, Music Diffusion is based in Europe, so its pricing is listed in euros, but it is available for US musicians. However, there are a range of concerns about scams and difficulties with getting your music up on Spotify, which keeps Music Diffusion from being particularly competitive. Read on to see why.
Quick sign-up, but wait for approval
Music Diffusion's sign-up process for music publishing is simple and just asks for your name, email, what kind of artist or band you are, and where your work is already uploaded (suggestions include Facebook, a personal website, or YouTube). Once Music Diffusion has decided to take you on, it will distribute your music through its network, help you monetize on YouTube, and allow you to keep all your rights.
200+ digital stores in network
Music Diffusion has a network of 200+ distributors, including iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Apple Music, YouTube, Vevo, Beatport, Shazam, Soundcloud, Instagram, TikTok, Amazon Music, and more. All of these are included in your music publishing membership at Music Diffusion, and your work will be sent to them automatically without you needing to do any work.
Free trial and per song at $3
Music Diffusion has three music publishing plans to choose from. The first is a free trial, where you can upload one single or an album at no cost with distribution to social platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, SnapChat, and YouTube. You'll earn 80% of the royalties (meaning Music Diffusion will take 20%). After that, you pay by track with a cost of $3 per track you publish. This includes the full distribution network, free codes for YouTube Monetization, and quick responses from support. If you prefer, there is a yearly subscription for $11 per year, which includes unlimited albums for an entire year and priority support with replies in under 6 hours.
Harder to get out of a contract than with other platforms
Music Diffusion's artist agreement is under the contract tab when you sign up for the distribution services, and the agreement needs to be reviewed and approved before you're fully covered by Music Diffusion's services. From the terms and agreements page, our research showed that the agreement with Music Diffusion's music publishing includes granting the platform the rights to administer the content you upload. However, you retain and control all rights of the content and music, and you are able to use the content any way you wish. On the other hand, there is one note that was a little odd: the terms state that "you expressly and irrevocably authorize" Music Diffusion to collect income from your content, and if you want to remove an album (de-authorize it), you'll have to pay a fee of around $17.41 per album.
Concerns about zero payouts
At the time of our review, Music Diffusion did not have a page on the Better Business Bureau, and its rating on third-party review sites like Trustpilot was a mid-tier 3 stars. Further, there are multiple blogs and news sites asking if Music Diffusion is a "legit" music publisher or a scam. Customers are highly concerned about not being paid their royalties, and are frustrated that Music Diffusion does not show all possible income streams. One musician has had payout requests pending for over a year, and couldn't get responses from customer service. With multiple recent reviews using the word "scam" and reporting no payouts are coming, you may want to keep away from Music Diffusion.
Keep away from potential scams
At the end of the day, you don't want to put your money into music publishing if you're not going to see your royalties. Since Music Diffusion already has higher-than-average fees for royalties, and concerning fees for pulling your music off the platform, it doesn't come across as a trustworthy site. Considering the negative reviews, Music Diffusion earns a cautionary note: this site may be a scam, and we don't want you or your music to suffer.
Continued from above...
Music has been said to be a form of communication that works when words fail, and making music is just part of what it means to be alive. Whether you play in a symphony or you just like humming along to your favorite Taylor Swift song in the car, music is something that impacts everyone. Considered divine in some cultures and just a way to connect emotions and ideas in other cultures, music - especially creating and publishing your own music - can be the ultimate expression of your personal style, emotions, and the story you want to tell.
If you're creating music, publishing your pieces is the next natural step. In basic terms, music publishing is the business side of managing music compositions (including the song rights, lyrics, and melody/notes). Publishing your music allows you to earn money on your hard work through film, TV, radio, and streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music.
You can choose to self-publish music or work with a music publisher. If you work with someone, you'll get benefits like copyright management, promotion of your music, and assistance with royalties through the publishing networks. If you prefer to keep your music 100% in your own hands, you can register your work yourself and collect all of your money without giving a percentage to a publisher.
When deciding to start music publishing, you'll need to decide what kind of earnings you're hoping for and how much help you want. Keep an eye out for green flags like royalty reporting, so you get real-time updates on your current music earnings. You also want to find a publisher that will allow you to retain ownership of your work. Finally, check on the distribution network offered by a particular music publishing firm. Make sure that your work will be shopped out to the major streaming services and storefronts.
If you decide to go through a more self-publishing-style service, you're going to be responsible for a lot more of the heavy lifting. You'll need to be prepared to do the business management for the distribution of your music, marketing and promotions, and tracking your royalties yourself. Some industry experts explain that it isn't necessarily harder to get your music on major streaming services when you do your music publishing yourself, but there are extra steps you need to take since you can't directly upload music to Spotify. So, depending on how tech-savvy you are, a service that does the work for you may be more up your alley.
Regardless of how you want to do your music publishing, you're ready to start putting your music out there. Congrats. Whether you're new to the industry or just want a change, it can be hard to know which music publishing services to trust. Here are some factors to help you out:
Whether this is your first single release or you're an old hat with albums to your name already, finding the best place to finish your music publishing is the first step to getting to the top of the charts. To help you get your indie, pop, rock, metal, or film score out there for people to enjoy, Top Consumer Reviews has researched and ranked the top music publishing services out there today. This way, you can relax and feel confident that your music publisher will have your back, and you can enjoy earning money doing what you love!
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