Learning the art of distributing your music efficiently can make a whole difference for established musicians, upcoming singers and more so, for an independent artist. It draws the line between a successful artist, and, one who might take forever to get to the top.
Since forever is not a time we have, a music distributor plays a crucial role in your career’s success.
Distribution in music is the process of getting your recordings and songs on all the popular platforms where consumers can purchase, download or listen to them. The internet has made it easier than before to get people to listen to your music by making the world a global village.
RouteNote is one such music distributor which has itself apart over the years. RouteNote has ensured that all the budding musicians and even the established ones have a chance at more success than they have ever imagined.
We have done a comprehensive RouteNote review to ensure that we provide all aspiring and budding musicians in-depth understanding of the popular platform. Do you have burning questions about RouteNote?
You are at the right place for some of the most resourceful features of RouteNote music distributor. Let’s get started.
What is RouteNote?
RouteNote is a digital music distributor which was founded in 2007 to address the problems many upcoming artists were facing with labels. RouteNote operates from Great Britain in its job of helping their artists to release music.
RouteNote has been dubbed the largest online music distributor since it allows you access to over 200 platforms to sell your music. The online distributor takes pride in partnering with the biggest fish in the online world of music such as Spotify, amazon music, Xbox Music, Rdio, iTunes, eMusic and many more.
RouteNote offers a simple, totally free and yet very professional way of getting your music to the world. With over 90% distribution network, there is no way your track is not making it to the top of world music charts.
You can achieve the impossible by enrolling on RouteNote music aggregator today!
Key features
i. Wide exposure
The best news you can hear as a start-up musician is wide exposure of your content. RouteNote caters to your needs you be heard through a partnership with over 90% of popular online music platforms.
Your music will be listed on platforms such as iTunes, google music play, Amazon music, Xbox and up to 200 similar platforms.
Another thing we love is that this has access to Asia, which has proven to be a new potential market for good music. Even with the access the platform has, the ultimate choice is yours.
If you are not interested in distributing your music to a certain channel, your decision will be respected.
ii. Different accounts
RouteNote has two account options for its users. You can choose the premium account or a free account. A free account does not require any upfront payments or subscription fees. RouteNote retains 15% of all royalties.
Premium accounts give you 100% access to your earnings. However, you will need to meet some upfront costs and subscription fees every year. Whichever account you subscribe to, RouteNote does not make any commission.
Premium subscription comes with more benefits than the free account, but with both, you are assured exceptional service.
iii. Different pricing plan and release dates
RouteNote also allows you to plan the release dates of your songs or art. You can set a release date for your music, and in 3-4 weeks, your content will be circulating in all the top online music platforms. You can also leave the date blank, and in less than 48 hours, your music will be out there.
If you have an established fanbase, you can set a specific date for release. It gives you the chance to inform your fans prior and create an official promotion.
RouteNote does not put a limit to the price you put on your release. Your music, your choice, your price.
iv. Security for your work
What is the ISRC code? You must be trying to wrap your head around the term for a while now. An International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) is a code which protects your content. It’s a code that gets embedded as data into your song, poem, art, name it.
Its virtual identification for your content. Think of it as a barcode. You cannot leave a supermarket if the barcode has not been passed through a barcode reader.
An ISRC protects your music from being played for free, which would deny you royalties.
A UPC is very similar to an ISRC, but unlike the ISRC which is a virtual code, the UPC is an actual barcode. A UPC allows you to share your content on your website or to your fans.
Once they click on the music, they get redirected to the platforms it has been uploaded to so they can purchase from there. You can then earn your royalties instead of sharing it for free.
v. More chances of earning with RouteNote
RouteNote believes that the artist only needs to do their thing creating content, and RouteNote gets the hard work done. The first step to ensure you earn from your work is by ensuring top security. Also, RouteNote is in partnership with Soundcloud, which is a popular platform for making money from music.
Soundcloud pays users from the advertisements that are attached to their music. There are hundreds of ways to earn through RouteNote.
vi. Very easy to use
RouteNote is the first online distribution platform which has an online forum where all the users can ask questions. It’s more of a community where all users can help each other and provide answers according to their experience.
The FAQ section also provides answers about the distributor and the service as well as the features.
The customer care is also quick to respond to its users and provide useful information. They are also available 24/7 to help out their users. No concern or question cannot be attended to!
What to expect from RouteNote?
Once you have joined RouteNote what next? RouteNote is a very fast service that has your music on the platform in no time. According to the website, it takes one to two days to conduct a moderation process once you have submitted your sing or art on the platform.
The moderation process is conducted to ensure the quality of your work is acceptable, among other things. If everything is per the platform’s requirements, you will receive an email informing you that your song has been approved. You can track the progress once it’s on the platform.
Nothing is written on stone, right? RouteNote has been reviewed to take a longer time with the moderation process. Some reviews have reported the process taking even two weeks.
The speed of the moderation process varies depending on the releases sent to the platform in a certain week. Also, the fewer the problems, the shorter the process. If your release has changes that must be made before it uploads successfully to stores, then it will be sent back, and the process will take longer.
If you are patient enough, you will have your music on one of the most popular distributing platforms in the world.
How to upload your music using RouteNote
Once you have signed up to RouteNote, here is a step by step guide on how to upload your music.
- Log into your RouteNote account
- Navigate to the RouteNote release creation tool
- To get to the creation tool, click on the Distribution tab on the navigation bar
- Select create a new release. This option allows you to upload your music for distribution
- From here you are redirected to the release data page
- Enter a specific UPC if any or leave it blank.
- Enter your release title which will appear as your album name.
- Click on create release when ready.
Price and plans
What we love about this music distributor is its flexibility with pricing plans. RouteNote has two pricing plans for its users. What are the options?
RouteNote free
Just like the name suggests, everything on RouteNote free is free! There are no hidden or upfront costs. Don’t you like the sound of that?
RouteNote free is also very simple to use. You only upload your music, and once the technical stuff are done working on it, it gets uploaded in a few days.
RouteNote free is especially suitable for venturing musicians, singers or anyone looking to try out the platform. You never test the water with both feet, and RouteNote free is safe for everybody.
There are no renewal fees to keep your release on the platform under this pricing plan. There are no UPC prices or cost for an album. Does the deal sound too good?
The only payment you make is allowing RouteNote to keep 15% of all your royalties. You can pocket 85% when anyone clicks on your track or art while the distributor keeps the loose change of 15%. There are no hidden agendas or costs!
Can you keep 100% of your royalties? Yes! It is possible, but the RouteNote music distributor will charge you upfront costs. You will be required to pay $30 as first-year payment.
You will also need to renew your subscription every year for $9.99. With Premium pricing plan, the costs of an album for three years is $49.98. The good news is you keep 100% of all your royalties.
The RouteNote premium is ideal for artists or musicians with an established fanbase. The pricing plan offers you an opportunity to upload all your files in an effortless format suitable for streaming platforms which demand high quality.
You also get everything that makes the free service excellent a lot more!
Do you get stuck in one pricing plan? No! RouteNote is a flexible platform which allows its users to switch between pricing plans until they find one that fits them. RouteNote’s goal is to support all artists and nothing less.
RouteNote features other plans such as the RouteNote directs and the RouteNote referral. What does each entail?
RouteNote Direct
RouteNote direct plan allows a musician, artist or singer to sell their music directly to their fans. If you have a wide fanbase, this would be an ideal plan. RouteNote also allows you to customize your store to how you want it to look and feel.
Do you know what else you control? The pricing of your releases. You can release your music at the time you deem fit. You are given a special URL which you can use to get your fans to promote you.
With this plan, you keep 85% of all royalties.
RouteNote referral
Referral systems are not a new thing for most of us. The RouteNote referral system allows you to refer others to the platform and get paid for it! If anyone signs up to RouteNote using your referral system, you will get 2% of all their earnings.
The same happens when you sign up using someone’s referral system. Don’t panic! The 2% comes from the platforms, earnings and not yours!
Pros
- You can sign up for free and still make the most out of your music.
- There are many opportunities to monetize your music
- The different pricing plans let you make the most out of your music
- You can keep tabs of your sales through the statistics on the platform
- Even with the free account, you still retain the copyrights of your content
Cons
- The support team has been reviewed as slow to respond to issues. The reviews have it that they are unproductive.
- The time taken to upload the music on the free account is longer
- You cannot withdraw until you pass the threshold of $50.
Verdict
Are you a budding content creator looking for an inexpensive way to release your content to some of the best online platforms? RouteNote is perfect for you! The music distribution platforms are great for anyone on a budget.
Even with a free account, you can still make a decent living. Even if you don’t like it after signing up, you have lost nothing since there are no upfront or subscription costs. Is it worth it? You know the answer is yes!
