About Amuse Music Distribution Service
Visit Amuse: https://bit.ly/43XsSO4
What’s important to understand about Amuse is that it’s not a digital distributor where distribution is its core business. Amuse is a record label. That’s important to note because they use distribution as a means of identifying talent. Their service allows them to spot artists and songs while they’re on an upward trend but haven’t exploded. This allows them to avoid bidding wars with major record companies.
When it comes to Amuse, that’s great news, but for artists that’s not so great. You want a bidding war because a bidding war means leverage. Effectively, the goal of Amuse is to have you sell yourself short. Lil Nas X famously turned down a million dollar offer by Amuse to sign with Columbia Records for what was likely significantly more.
How does Amuse’s motive affect their service? Their aim isn’t to provide the best distribution service. They’re not looking to get you into the most stores, provide the best features, or create opportunities. It’s not a distributor for artists operating as a business. It’s a distributor for artists trying to figure things out and see what they have. Once upon a time, the service was completely free which made it worth a look, but now, it has pricing comparable to other distributors so you have to look at how it compares. Amuse simply doesn’t measure up to what’s out there.
Amuse Music Distribution Pricing
There have been constant changes to Amuse’s pricing and offer. In 2019 Amuse was completely free. By 2020 they introduced Amuse Pro which added monetization of TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube Content ID. In 2022, the offer changed again when they removed free and switched to a percentage-based system that capped the number of releases and added the Boost tier. Imagine you rent an apartment, sign a lease saying the rent is a certain amount, and then every year the landlord breaks the lease and jacks up the rent? If you can’t pay the new rent, you’re moved to a smaller apartment with fewer features like you no longer get a private bathroom and have to share one with your entire floor. It’s not a good look.
Amuse Music Distribution Service Details
| Start | Boost | Pro | |
| Price | No Fee | 24.99 / Annually | $59.99 / Annually |
| Percentage | Keep: 85% | Keep: 100% | Keep: 100% |
| Transaction Fees | $1-$8 (US) Up to $15 (Non-US) | $1-$8 (US) Up to $15 (Non-US) | $1-$8 (US) Up to $15 (Non-US) |
| Schedule a Release Date | No | Yes | Yes |
| Releases | 12/Year | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Artists | 1 | 1 | Up to 45 Artists |
| Stores | Very Limited | Limited | Limited |
| Payment Threshold | None | None | None |
| Content ID | Not provided | 15% Fee | Free |
| Whitelisting | Contact Amuse | Contact Amuse | Contact Amuse |
| Pre-Orders | No | No | No |
| Split Pay | 15% Fee | Free | Free |
| Partnerships | Amuse doesnât have the influence to garner preferential treatment from DSPs so thereâre no perks in that area. | Amuse doesnât have the influence to garner preferential treatment from DSPs so thereâre no perks in that area. | Amuse doesnât have the influence to garner preferential treatment from DSPs so thereâre no perks in that area. |
| UPC & ISRC Codes* | Free Cannot bring your own UPC codes | Free Cannot bring your own UPC codes | Free Cannot bring your own UPC codes |
| Advances | Yes No clear path to qualifying | Yes No clear path to qualifying | Yes No clear path to qualifying |
| Red Flags | None | None | None |
