Uploading Music: Which Streaming Service Is Best?

It’s not easy being an independent artist. There’s no question about that. Even our biggest artists of the generation had to start somewhere, and plenty of them started off struggling. In the past, being discovered as a musical talent took just about everything going right (or wrong in the exactly right way). Not only that, but even if you were given a chance at a spotlight, it still took a little bit of universal alignment to connect with fans, to get the support of the recording studio, and to even get marketing professionals on board. As it often does, though, technology broke onto the scene and has since made it, at least somewhat easier for artists to share their music with the world and to build a fanbase. 

This isn’t to say that it’s easy to make a career as a professional musician. Not by any means. Rather, only that technology has made it much easier for anyone who wants to be a musician to share their art with the world. To truly make it as a musician though, it still takes a somewhat special talent, an ability to connect with the audience, and a creative vision. 

If you’re just getting started on your artist’s journey, and you’re trying to decide which of the streaming services is best for you and your music, here’s a little bit of info on some of the most popular streaming services. 

Spotify

If you’re wondering how to upload music to Spotify, it’s a good question – especially for an aspiring artist. This is because Spotify has truly cemented themselves as one of the main and major players in the world of music-streaming. In fact, Spotify was the first true music-streaming service to ever hit the marketplace. Since then, they’ve continued to grow and dominate the music-streaming industry bringing countless tracks and albums directly to the ears of their listeners. 

Spotify sets themselves apart by going above and beyond traditional playlist-building and sharing. In fact, it’s the algorithmic discovery pages and albums, and the music-suggestions based on listening patterns that truly makes Spotify one of the top music streaming services there is. 

On Spotify, all of your music lives on your artist profile where listeners can find out more information about where you’ll be touring, get deeper insights into albums, and of course, stream your newest releases whether those be singles or albums.  

It is important to note, though, that independent artists looking to make their way onto Spotify can’t do so directly. Instead, they need to sign up with a music distribution company that is already partnered with Spotify. The music distribution service provider facilitates the uploading of music and other artist-based content to the Spotify platform, and also manages the collection and payout of royalties. For artists who are already signed, though, this is all typically handled through the label on which you’re signed. 

Apple Music

Apple Music came onto the scene in a big way in 2015. Apple Music is automatically linked to Apple’s massive Itunes library, which gives it a huge selection. This is only one of the reasons that Apple Music has been called one of the best music streaming platforms of the modern day. 

Apple Music also aims to bring listeners exclusive content that simply can’t be found anywhere else. One of the ways they do this is through their 24/7 radio-channel that features extensive interviews with artists and major players in the music industry. 

Taking the fan-experience to the next level, Apple Music also offers artists Apple Music Connect. This is a feature within the platform that allows artists to upload photos, vidoes, and other forms of exclusive content. This has really helped set them apart amongst music streaming platforms. 

Google Play

Google Play is, of course, one of the most important music streaming platforms for artists to utilize. There are a variety of ways to make use of Google Play, as some artists choose to sell their music here, and others simply release it into the world for free. 

One of the major considerations to make about Google Play is that they typically keep a 30% commission on music sales, although they are otherwise free to use and it helps that they serve a massive audience. 

Amazon Music 

The most important thing to note about Amazon Music is the audience-reach. With a regular listening base of 80 million users, artists have a chance at significant exposure through the Amazon Prime music streaming extension. 

TIDAL

The final member of this list is TIDAL. TIDAL is a music streaming service that is significantly smaller than the likes of Spotify and Amazon Music, but is equally as important. 

Some of the ways TIDAL sets itself apart in this industry is by focusing on curating a large library of music videos and creating a high-quality playback experience. Furthermore, TIDAL is good to know for independent artists, as they feature one emerging artist each week through their spotlight program, TIDAL Rising.