Introduction: How I Published My Original Music on Spotify for FREE
In order to accomplish this, for me it was a matter of thinking big, of having the courage and visionary mindset, in order to get there.
If you don't have the patience to read the whole story, just click here!
First, I had a recording of an original song that I was satisfied with. This is a fundamental step, because you can only publish original music that you wrote yourself on Spotify since you earn money from it.
The song I wrote is called "Praise the Good" and I recorded it with a friend using a Blue Yeti Microphone.
You can read the full story on Patrik Siljestam's website!
Step 1: Treasure Hunt on Spotify.com
I went to Spotify's website and looked up what it would take to get my music there. After looking around some, I found in small grey print at the bottom of the site a link named "Labels and Artists" where I continued to click on "Are you an unsigned artist that want your music on Spotify?", which lead me to the next link, "artist aggregators we work with".
Quite the treasure hunt so far, but not nearly over yet. Now I was faced with 13 different websites I could contact as an unsigned artist to get my music on Spotify.
Step 2: Finding a Distributor
I went through the whole list and did some research. Most of them charged around $10 per song you wanted to get up there, but the last one on the list, RouteNote could do everything for free, leaving you 85% of the profits (after Spotify takes a cut) and giving you the option to at any time upgrade a song to 100% profit for around $10. This definitely seemed like the best deal to me and I had nothing to lose.
The site, RouteNote.com, also has an online store and gets my music on iTunes, Amazon and a couple of other places in addition to Spotify.
Step 3: Correct Format for My Digital Music
Even though I had come this far, I wasn't preparing to celebrate just yet. It's easy to find opportunities that seem really good, but there is always the possibility of further complications on the way.
I started my account and started to upload a song, only to discover that it needed to be in a certain format (mp3, 44.1 kHz, minimum 192 kbps). My music wasn't in this exact format, and so I found a free software online that allowed me to convert my files into the required format, LameXP.
Step 4:
After uploading, it took some time until the music went live on Spotify, but after a few weeks it was there. The path wasn't exactly simple, but it wasn't hard either. Success depended on how great I was willing to think.
Just that innocent curiosity, asking "What if I could have my music on Spotify?" and not having any expectations, was all it took. Sometimes when we grow up we learn about the restrictions of the world and we lose that inherent innocent knowing that anything we desire is possible to achieve.
I continue to blog about songwriting, music theory and the publishing process on www.soundfromtheheart.com!
47 Comments
Question 5 years ago on Step 1
Should i need to get any sort of copyright registered to release
Answer 2 years ago
Generally, no. In the US, where most of the big music companies and streaming platforms are located. Any published work already has basic copyright.
2 years ago
Routenote appears to be down (i get a 403 error) 😢
3 years ago
Hi Patrik,
Thank you so much for all the effort you put in your instruction. It's been a while so maybe you are no longer active and the information could be outdated. I can not find the small grey 'labels and artists' at the bottom of Spotify's website. Did they change things?
Charlie
6 years ago
What did you do with the Songwriter Copyright and the Publisher Copyright Boxes?
Reply 6 years ago
In what area did you encounter these boxes? When creating your account or publishing a song?
Reply 6 years ago
I'm having the same issue. This is when you are uploading your actual track. it asks for Composition Copyright and SOund Recording Copyright
Reply 4 years ago
If you don't have a record label and your wrote these songs yourself, the rights belong to you. This means that you would put your own name in these boxes.
4 years ago
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not only helps in download music from over 10,000+ websites, but also helps in
recording them, transferring them and doing lot more. Lot of people are asking
about continuous failing downloads. Firstly, this can happen due to corrupt
file. Download the right file from here and install with admin access https://goo.gl/YPsMKe
5 years ago
Finally!! They Have Approved My First Release!! Second Release is Still in Pending Moderation!! But I am Happy for First One!! Now it will Take 2-4 weeks to Release on Spotify, Itunes Etc..
Reply 5 years ago
Now I Realize Routenote Actually Works!!
5 years ago
curious to know what you think about distro kid, they're allowing unlimited uploads on all platforms for $20 for a year. I guess a good option if you plan to upload a lot over an extended period of time, I have a lot of material built up, so for me this seems like a good option since they also promise 100% royalty returns
5 years ago
lol thnx
5 years ago
wow ur music is actually on spotify
Reply 5 years ago
i thought it was just a scam
6 years ago
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, it’s helpful to me. Actually, I am looking for company who sell your music on Spotify. Can you please tell which is best music Distribution Company promote online music?
Reply 6 years ago
I would use RouteNote to promote your online music! Go to http://routenote.com/referral/726fa1c3 and get started!
6 years ago
Very helpful, thank you ✌
6 years ago
im gonna try it do you need a record companys label name?
Reply 6 years ago
You don't need a record company, you can create your own name!
Good luck :)