When it comes to services advertised as free music distribution, the options are many, but the question remains: are they really? Spoiler alert: there is only one. Here’s the real scoop on the most popular services suggested by Google, Bing and ChatGPT, from worst to best. We’ve used Trustpilot for user ratings.
User Rating: 1.5
While somehow still suggested, the service is long defunct. Spinnup was backed by Universal Music Group but didn’t stand the test of time. Proclaimed a scam by the user base, the service closed, leaving artists in the lurch.
User Rating: 2.4
Do they provide free distribution? Fact check: false! While still suggested by search engines as free distribution, the service costs a minimum of $20 per month.
User Rating: 1.7
Do they provide free distribution? Fact check: partially. They take 15% of your royalties.
While on paper they are great for cover song distribution, their user ratings are deep in the red.
User Rating: 2.5
Do they provide free distribution? Fact check: utterly false! While BandLab in itself is a free platform, their distribution is charged at $14.95/month and they retain upwards of a 15% of your revenue, making them one of the more expensive distributors in the business.
5. FreshTunes
User Rating: 2.5
Now we’re getting somewhere! FreshTunes offers completely free distribution and 100% royalties.
Fact check: not so fast!
The small print says the “Free” plan includes 20% songwriter royalties, while the paid Pro plan says 10%, whatever that means. To make sense of this, we tried creating multiple accounts for the free plan, but they were all denied by the platform and we now have a suspicion that the free plan is only used as a lure.
User Rating: 3.7
Do they provide free distribution? Fact check: false! While suggested by search engines as free, Amuse is now a paid distribution.
3. Unchained
User Rating: 3.6
Do they provide free distribution? Fact check: partially. While they advertise “free distribution” and “keep 100% royalties” on the front page, the fine print reveals that they retain 15% commission on any splits, there is no high-quality format, that YouTube ID is not included, there’s no pre-save links, no lyrics provision, no catalogue import etc. For all this you will have to pay and subscribe, at which point the YouTube ID commission becomes 20%. Also, their free tier is application-based and not everyone can get in. While we see user reviews claiming to be on the free tier, just as with FreshTunes, all three of our own applications were denied — make of this what you will.
User Rating: 3.6
Do they provide free distribution? Fact check: partially. They take 15% of your royalties for the “free” plan. The pros include a well-thought-out user interface and a wide distribution network, the reviews indicate lackluster support for free users.
User Rating: 4.0
Finally, there’s Freecords — the new and incumbent leader in the segment and the real reason behind this whole article. This is us, and we are the only ones (yes, the only ones) offering 100% royalties along with free distribution, confirmed by the user ratings and reviews — no splits, commissions or anything in small print.
Well, what’s bad?
From what we gathered from our user reviews and commentary on DAW forums, artists have 3 main issues with us:
1. We don’t provide mechanical licenses, so artists can only distribute remixes and cover songs if they have already acquired them elsewhere, which is a bummer. Sorry! We’re working on this.
2. The $50 withdrawal threshold is a bit steep, but just as with the point above, we’re operating on low margins and our ability to process user requests is limited.
3. We no longer allow AI-generated songs due to an overwhelming amount of streaming fraud attempts via AI-generated uploads.
Conclusion: We’re not saying Freecords is perfect or even good — that’s up to users to decide, but we are the only ones offering both free distribution and 100% royalties along with much more. It’s like we’re the only ice cream shop in a town full of kale smoothies.
Have a look for yourselves! www.freecords.com/the-club