Music Distribution Help Needed – Independent Artist Issue

A musician earning $65,000 monthly from streaming revenue is considering leaving DistroKid, citing concerns about the distributor’s reliability and customer support, according to a recent post on the Reddit forum r/musicindustry.

The artist, known as EdinKaso, detailed a growing unease with DistroKid after two years of using the service. While acknowledging DistroKid’s affordability and ease of apply for artists starting out, EdinKaso expressed increasing worry over reports of musicians losing access to their music overnight. “To reckon all your hard work could be lost overnight… scares me to be honest,” the Reddit post stated. EdinKaso currently receives approximately 300,000 streams monthly.

The musician’s concerns center on what they describe as a lack of responsiveness from DistroKid’s customer support. EdinKaso reported discrepancies in royalty payments and claimed that attempts to resolve the issue were met with “generic responses.” This experience has led them to seek a distributor that “actually values their customers and has great customer service.”

DistroKid’s business model, focused on a high volume of users paying a low fee, was also criticized in the post. EdinKaso suggested this approach leads to a lack of individualized support for artists as they grow and turn into more reliant on streaming income.

Several alternative music distributors are available, according to a recent comparison by Ari’s Take. These include TuneCore, CD Baby, Too Lost, LANDR, and UnitedMasters. Ari’s Take’s comparison, updated on March 13, 2026, notes that SoundCloud has historically been a platform for artists to upload works-in-progress.

Spotify’s provider directory lists DistroKid, CD Baby, EmuBands, Record Union, and Amuse as preferred distributors, guaranteeing instant access to Spotify For Artists for their users. Horus Music is also listed as a provider that facilitates music distribution without requiring artists to relinquish control or pay excessive fees.

TuneCore positions itself as a pioneer in independent music distribution, emphasizing artist control and accessibility.