DistroKid vs. Venice Music: Which Distributor is Better For Me?

Let’s face it - if you’re a serious musician in 2023, opting out of a music distributor is no longer an option. Streaming now dominates as the primary method of music consumption, and it’s essential for artists to have as many streams of income as possible by distributing to a variety of DSPs (digital streaming platforms).  

A lot of musicians immediately opt-in to “bigger” music distributors like DistroKid. We get it - it can be easier to follow the herd than to break away towards something better. 

Is that the best route to go, though? Especially long-term?

Your wallet, career potential, and growth as an independent musician say HELL NO!

You’ve gotta make sure you’re looking out for yourself and your music career by asking the big, glaring questions: Which music distributor offers the most free features within my membership? Which distributor offers the better deal? Who has the most opportunities for independent artists? Which music distributor pays the most?

Lucky for you, we’ve done the research so you don’t have to. Let’s get into it.

Venice Music vs. DistroKid: Which Music Distributor Has the Most Features? 

Venice Music, by a landslide. 

Other distributors like DistroKid are notorious for nickel and diming musicians - up-charging and tacking on fees for important features that distributors like Venice include free of charge.

Let’s take a look at the features that come with DistroKid’s ‘Musician’ plan - their most basic tier. DistroKid offers only four features to musicians - upload unlimited songs, unlimited lyrics, Spotify verified check mark, and collect earnings from royalty splits. 

If we’re talking numbers, Venice’s Essentials plan has 16 vital distribution features compared to Distrokid’s measly 4. Many of these features come free without upcharges or tacked-on fees; features other distributors like DistroKid charge for (usually per song!). 

Here’s a visual breakdown of the features Venice offers with our Essentials membership compared to DistroKid’s Musician plan:

As an independent musician, it’s important to take advantage of ALL the tools and resources available in order to grow your career and fanbase. Venice understands that. DistroKid doesn’t.

Venice Music vs. DistroKid: Which Music Distributor Offers The Best Deal?

Venice Music not only offers a lower annual subscription cost than DistroKid, but Venice also doesn’t tack on ANY up-charges or additional fees to their features. 

With DistroKid, you could be paying upwards of over $200 for their most basic Musician plan when you tack on those additional features that Venice includes for free. 

Let’s put that into perspective with a scenario:

Venice member and prolific American rapper Rich Homie Quan wants to distribute and schedule out four new singles in audio and video format. 

If he did that with DistroKid, considering their up-charges for video and scheduled releases, he’d be paying over $150 for year one. For four songs. That doesn’t even take into consideration the 20% fee DistroKid would take from his YouTube Revenue if he opted-in to their (costly) YouTube Content ID. A feature you'd get for free for unlimited songs with us. 

So much for $22.99/year, huh?

DistroKid vs. Venice Music: How Much Does YouTube Content ID Cost?

Taking advantage of ALL revenue streams is essential for independent artists looking to make a living off their music. One of those big revenue streams is YouTube Content ID.

YouTube Content ID is YouTube’s system of enabling musicians to identify videos that include music they own. YouTube’s automated system simply scans uploaded videos against a database of music that you've submitted. 

Submitting your tracks for content ID not only drives YouTube ad revenue to your wallet, but it also protects your music copyrights and ensures you’re getting paid for the use of your creative property.

Many distributors up-charge for the addition of Content ID on tracks. DistroKid charges $4.95/per release/year to opt-in to Youtube Content ID AND takes a 20% fee. Youtube Content ID is available to Venice’s Essentials tier at no additional cost or fee for an unlimited number of tracks.

DistroKid vs. Venice Music: How Much Does Video Distribution Cost? 

Video distribution is a crucial part of any independent artist's career, helping musicians connect to more fans, showcase their music's visual aesthetic, and bring in additional revenue streams. And let's be honest - video is dominating in today's digital landscape, especially within the music industry. 

With Venice, you can capitalize on video's importance through unlimited video distribution to platforms like Vevo, Apple Music, and Tidal - including getting an official Vevo Channel. No up-charge and no additional fee - 100% free with an Essentials membership.

DistroKid on the other hand charges $99/year for their video distribution service, DistroVid. To put that into perspective, that's $120/year for the absolute bare minimum distribution features and video distribution compared to Venice's $60/year membership that has it all. 

DistroKid vs. Venice Music: Which Music Distributor is Better?

When looking at overall cost for vital music growth features, Venice Music takes home the gold. Venice has no hidden costs or extra fees, and our Essentials membership includes access to every distribution feature available and has a world-class community and team to come with it. 

Hope this helps bring your search for the perfect music distributor to a close.

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