Tunecore vs iMusician: Comparison of the Two Digital Distributors

Should you distribute your music online via Tunecore or iMusician Digital?

The American giant or the Swiss start-up?

In this article, we review the offers of these two digital distributors and I give you my detailed opinion on this subject.

Why choose one of these two Digital Music Distributors?

1. Because these are the current references in the world for digital music distribution
   
2. Because their “0% commission” package goes in the direction of greater independence for musicians-entrepreneurs

However, if you are not bothered by commissions or the language barrier is not a problem for you, you can discover and compare many other alternatives such as CD Baby, Distrokid or Wiseband.

Presentation of Tunecore

Tunecore is one of the largest digital music distributors in the world and its age and reputation are a guarantee of trust for musicians.

Does the offer follow? That’s what we’re going to see…

Tunecore offer :

• Number of platforms: 150+ (no Beatport)
• Commission: 0%
• Price: €9.99/year for a single, €29.99 for an album (2 or more tracks) then €49.99/year
• Mobile ringtones: €19.99/year
• Copyright administration: €69.99 for your entire catalogue and 10% commission (20% on synchronizations)
• Youtube Content ID: 9€ for your entire catalogue and 20% commission
• TuneCore Fan Reviews (feedback on your music): from 15€ per track for 40 reviews
• Adding your music to new platforms: automatically everywhere for $10 per output or $1.98/platform/output
• ISRCs: free of charge
• EAN: free of charge
• Label creation: free of charge
• Free cancellation at any time and payment without minimum amount

The advantages of Tunecore:

• You get 100% of your sales revenue back
• Very complete Publishing Administration Service (royalties, synchronization licenses Cinema/TV, etc.)
• Various partnerships to help you on a daily basis in your musical career
• Customer service response within 48 hours
• Extremely detailed statistical reports (sales, streams, demographic data)

Presentation of iMusician Digital

iMusician does not have the prestige or aura of Tunecore, but the Swiss start-up created in 2007 in Zurich is one of the leaders in the European digital music distribution market.

Is that enough to compete with Tunecore?

In response to Believe Digital/Zimbalam’s acquisition of the American service Tunecore, Shigs Amemiya, CEO of iMusician, said:

“When putting his music online, it is important to ask yourself the question of the costs related to distribution, commission but also investment and income over the long term. At iMusician, we remain convinced that an artist should not have to pay every year to keep his music online.

And for good reason, this is one of the major differences between iMusician and Tunecore’s offers.

IMusician Digital offer (Rockstar package) :

• Number of platforms: 250+ (including Beatport)
• Commission: 0% (for Rockstar offer)
• Price: single payment of 39€ for a single, 79€ for an EP or 99€ for an album
• Copyright administration: 2€ per song and 1% commission
• ISRCs: free of charge
• EAN: free of charge
• Label creation: free of charge
• iTunes Pro (pre-order, booklet, links, etc.): 39€ per outing
• Express Delivery (1 week): free of charge
• Delivery 48 hours: 10€
• Youtube Content ID: free for all your tracks and 0% commission
• Free cancellation at any time and payment without minimum amount

The advantages of iMusician Digital:

• No annual fees and no commission
• Your outing stays online as long as you want, without having to pay more
• Pricing flexibility (other offers available if you prefer other models)
• Complete, easy to learn and efficient dashboard
• Simple one-page contract and customer service response within 24 hours

Tunecore VS iMusician : Comparison and Opinions

Fees paid with Tunecore for an album:

• After 5 years (total since the beginning): 29,99 + 4 x 49,99 = 229,95€
• After 10 years (total since the beginning): 29,99 + 9 x 49,99 = 479,90€
• After XX years (total since the beginning): 29.99 + (XX-1) x 49.99 = Damn.

Fees paid with iMusician (Rockstar offer) for an album:

• After 5 years (total since the beginning): 99€
• After 10 years (total since the beginning): 99€
• After XX years (total since the beginning): 99€

Whether it’s price, features or ease of use, I recommend iMusician’s Rockstar 300% offer for artists who want to distribute their music online.

And for good reason, you only pay once and then you enjoy your entire turnover!

Indeed, by choosing a commission-free offer, you earn all the income you generate.

But in addition, if you don’t have to pay monthly or annual fees, then you never have to worry about your investment again, once you reach the break-even point!

You save 130€ after 5 years and 381€ after 10 years by taking iMusician’s Rockstar offer instead of Tunecore, which is far from negligible, especially if you plan to distribute more than one album online in the coming years.

However, if you still doubt your ability to make this 99€ offer profitable, you can choose from iMusician’s other two packages: Starter (30% commission and 29€ for an album) or Regular (15% commission and 39€ for an album).

If you are interested in Tunecore, keep in mind that you will need to make several thousand sales and streams to make your investment profitable over the long term.

However, as several studies have shown, since the vast majority of titles distributed online receive very little attention, your online distribution could ultimately be at a loss with such a cost to bear.

Be careful, I am not saying that the service offered by Tunecore is not of high quality. Far from it. I just want you to be aware of the real cost of this service when choosing your digital distributor. If you really prefer Tunecore and its cost is not an obstacle for you, then go for it.