When we first wrote this 7 years ago, streaming was nowhere near where it is now. We have some work on our hands!
As an artist, you should be reaping the rewards for your hard work, and regardless of what genre of music you make, you should not be giving your music away for FREE. That doesn’t mean you have to necessarily sell it, but exchanging a download for an email can be just as valuable in the long run. So we’ve compiled a list of the best websites to host your music on – which allow you to do just that. Excluded from this list would be sites such as Itunes, Google play store, Tune Core, CD Baby, Soundcloud, HNHH, Datpiff and PureVolume. The reason being is that you either get NO fan contact information or you get one hell of a commission taken out of your sales. So unless you’re up there in popularity with the likes of Adele, or Rihanna, and know your music will go viral on its own, you should undoubtedly be using one of these sites to distribute your music and strategically grow your fan-base.
Updated: July 24, 2017 – Bonus platform added for profitable musicians
1. TuneCore
“Before TuneCore, artists needed a label to get their music sold online. In 2006, we changed the game by partnering with digital stores to allow any musician to sell their songs worldwide while keeping 100% of their sales revenue. Today, TuneCore is the world’s leading digital music aggregator. Upload your music, complete the checkout, and we’ll do the rest. Your music will hit digital stores like Spotify and Apple Music in no time.”
Website: www.tunecore.com
Features:
- Advertising on website
- Widgets
- Social & Email Sharing
- Upload up to 20 songs
- Name your price tips
- Gather fan information
Pros:
Cons:
See It In Action:
Our Thoughts –
2. United Masters
“UnitedMasters comes with a premium suite of products designed to help you distribute music, get more streams, and everything in between. Take your career to the next level now.”
In the News:
Website: unitedmasters.com
Features:
- M
Pros:
Cons:
Our Thoughts:
3. BandCamp
“We’re a publishing platform for bands, or, anthropomorphically/arthropodically-speaking, your fifth, fully geeked-out Beatle — the one who keeps your very own website humming and lets you get back to making great music and building your fan base.”
Website: www.bandcamp.com
Features:
- Multiple file formats
- Name-your-price downloads
- Real-time Statistics
- Search Engine Optimization
- Viral distribution
- Mobile friendly
- Physical + Digital sales
- Sell within Facebook
- Fulfillment Partner integration
- Discount codes
- Bonus downloads
- Design customization
- Multiple currencies
- Soundscan reporting
- Pre-orders
- Metadata
- Build your mailing list
- Support
Pros: 200 download credits. Free basic account.
Cons: 15% Revenue sharing. Tacky design.
Our Thoughts: Well if you’re reading this you probably know that everyone and their Momma’ uses Bandcamp. It definitely serves it’s purpose very well, but the interface isn’t as snazzy as others on this list. It also doesn’t offer as many of the features as others do. I think bands just use it because, like we said, everyone and their momma’ uses it. Chances are it was probably the first of it’s kind which gives it so much popularity.
4. StereoLoad
“Stereoload helps you increase your Twitter and Soundcloud followers by requiring your fans to follow you before they can download your music.”
Website: www.stereoload.com
Features:
- SoundCloud Integration
- Unlimited Campaign Creation
Pros: Clean design. Social sharing. It’s FREE. No download limit.
Cons: Only utilizes Twitter and Soundcloud.
See It In Action: Click Here
Our Thoughts: StereoLoad is a pretty new platform as far as we know. While it doesn’t allow you to grow an email list, it does offer the ability to grow your social media followers which at the end of the day, is still better than giving your music away completely free. With it being a free service, there’s really no downside to using it. The cool thing about it is that if you make really good music and know how to market it correctly, SteroLoad can help you gain a significant amount of new followers on Twitter and SoundCloud.
5. ToneDen
“Create awesome marketing campaigns that help you get more followers, shares, and likes while building a rich database of your audience at the same time.”
2020 Update:
Website: www.TenDen.io
Features:
- Facebook Advertising
- Contests
- Email & Messenger marketing
- Social Unlocks
- Landing page creator
Pros: Intuitive design, convenient customer support,
Cons: limited social & streaming platforms, marginally high monthly cost if you’re not making an ROI.
See It In Action: Click Here
Our Thoughts: ToneDen is a true gem for artists who have the means to invest in their careers. It provides a simple to use platform for acquiring, engaging and activating new fans. The fact that it acts as not only an advertising platform but a “lead capture” platform as well is why we decided to include it in the article.
In conclusion, if you’re serious about making a living doing what you love, you need to focus on growing your fan base, because in the future those numbers will need to convert to dollars. Anyone of these sites can definitely help you do that by capturing a simple email. I don’t know about you but most people check their email very often and are much more likely to hit play on a track that is sent directly to them via email compared to hitting play on the social media posts. you tag them in.
If there’s any other notable music hosting sites you think we missed and should add, please feel free to comment below. Make sure you like our Facebook page for valuable updates!