Amuse vs. Distrokid, this is a comparative breakdown between these two distributors. We have links to products and services we recommend, as well as discounts below.
Discounts & Recommendations:
- Tunecore 20% Discount: https://bit.ly/42zzf8X
- Get Unlimited Music Video Distribution with Distrovid: https://bit.ly/3VmNCNR
- Venice Distribution 25% Discount: https://bit.ly/43a0EAc
- CD Baby 50% Discount: https://bit.ly/44IGCfZ (Promo code: PUNM23SINGLE or PUNM23ALBUM)
- Distrokid 7% Discount: https://bit.ly/3UCekz1
- Playlist Push: – 7.5% OFF use Promo code (LMAJ28A): https://bit.ly/3Gj6BRZ
- Songtrust $10 Off: https://bit.ly/3HTusra
- Mogul – Get All the Royalties you’re owed, not just the ones you know about: https://bit.ly/49gJmnp
- SymphonyOS Easy Music Promotion: https://bit.ly/49ujGD7
Amuse Vs Distrokid
Price
Amuse Boost charges $19.99 per year for Unlimited distribution vs. Distrokid’s Musician Plus which charges $39.99 annually for Unlimited distribution.
Percentage
Both Amuse & Distrokid allow you to keep 100% of your royalties.
Stores
You want your music everywhere it can create value which makes the number and quality of stores important.
Distrokid gets you into more high-quality stores than Amuse.
New stores
Distrokid will automatically add your new releases to stores as part of its Store Maximizer feature. Amuse doesn’t have a policy on distribution to new stores. Maybe they do, maybe they don’t.
Note – Store maximizer costs an additional $8 per release annually.
Specialty stores
Soundcloud
Both distribute to Soundcloud
Amuse sends your music to Soundcloud Go
Releases on Go are restricted for free users meaning no ad-supported revenue
Distrokid doesn’t provide any information on how it distributes to Soundcloud
AudioMack – Both
Beatport – Distrokid charges $9.99 per month
Amuse doesn’t distribute to Beatport
Content ID
Store Maximizer $5 per single annually or $15 per album annually + 20% of revenue vs. Amuse which allows you to keep 100%
But we now know that a channel that doesn’t qualify for the partner program won’t have videos monetized even if it has content id which makes the program worthless for most artists. Unless they have a major hit.
Audio capabilities
Apple Music now pays 10% more in royalties for songs mixed for Spatial Audio which means Dolby Atmos
Distrokid distributes songs mixed in Dolby Atmos.
Amuse does not.
Pre-orders
One thing about Pre-orders is that they can trigger priority placement in stores due to consolidating sales over a stretch of months into your first week. It’s a very effective tool and you can watch our video Pre-saves vs. Pre-orders to truly understand their value.
Distrokid gives you Pre-orders and with those Pre-orders you also get Instant Gratification Tracks which is a tool used to incentivize fans to buy by granting immediate access to an unreleased track off the project.
Amuse doesn’t offer Pre-orders
Digital booklets
Digital Booklets are like digital versions of CD foldout treys and can add extra value to music downloads in iTunes.
Not available with Amuse or Distrokid
Showcasing
This is having your distributor push through a pitch to stores and streaming platforms for priority placement.
Not available with Amuse or Distrokid.
Royalty reports
Distrokid- Good. Detailed reports showing sale date, quantity, store, and revenue with the ability to filter within the online dashboard.
Amuse – very poor. Basic reports showing total revenue and streaming activity with no ability to idea how much you’re making from where.
Transaction fees:
Distrokid caps transaction fees at $1
Amuse caps transaction fees at $1
Thresholds
Amuse – $3
Distrokid – $1
