There are so many artists, musicians, and bands recording and producing amazing singles and albums every day, but unfortunately, we never get to hear most of them.
Our goal in developing AvidPlay (DIY music distribution service) is to enable anyone to release their music on 150+ streaming services all over the world, while making it super easy and affordable to do so. We understand how hard it is to reach new audiences and grow a fanbase, so we have really focused on making this process very simple to use with some key capabilities to help you bring more ears to your music. And make it super easy to access on iOS and Android mobile devices.
Why Choose AvidPlay to Distribute Your Music?
- Artist/bands retain 100% earnings and music rights
- Supports stereo and Dolby Atmos® Music
- Delivers the highest quality music up to (96 kHz/24-bit)
- Add contributors, roles & payout % without extra costs
- Earnings automatically without extra costs
- Free smart links and QR codes to market your music
- Supports three primary artists per unlimited plan
- Supports albums, compilation albums, singles, and EPs
- Ability to add lyrics and set track preview section
- Start your own independent label with ease
- Generate streaming and earning reports
Pro Tools users can distribute their first AvidPlay single for 1-year FREE!
Whether you are a customer with an active Pro Tools perpetual license or subscription or a Pro Tools Intro user, you can distribute your first music single on us for free. Just log into your Avid Link application and go to the Products tab to find your free 1-year AvidPlay single plan. See “How to Distribute Music with AvidPlay” below for instructions on distributing your first single for free.
AvidPlay subscription purchase options
Option 1: Pro Tools customers with an annual subscription or Software Updates + Support Plan for perpetual licenses are entitled to the Pro Tools Inner Circle rewards. By being part of this program you can save 20% when purchasing AvidPlay annual unlimited plans. Claim this from within your Special Offers tab in your MyAvid account.
-$19.99 USD / year – AvidPlay Unlimited Stereo plan (save $5.00)
-$39.99 USD / year – AvidPlay Unlimited Dolby Atmos & Stereo plan (save $10.00)
Option 2: AvidPlay subscription plans are also available for sale on the Avid webstore and Avid Link Marketplace. Check out the plans and purchase the AvidPlay subscription option that works best for you (pricing starts at $4.99 USD a year). After purchasing, download and install Avid Link if you haven’t already.
How to Distribute Music with AvidPlay
Here’s a quick overview of how easy it is to release your music, whether you’re distributing your free single or entire albums and EPs via an AvidPlay subscription.
Accessing AvidPlay
Distributing your music starts with the AvidPlay dashboard in Avid Link. Sign into Avid Link and then select the Products or Profile tab. In the Products tab you’ll find the AvidPlay dashboard listed with all your other software. In the Profile > My Portfolio tab, find it at the top of the section. If you’re on a mobile device, you can access it either through your Portfolio as you would on your desktop computer, or you can get there from the top-right menu in the Home tab.
Create a New Release in 5 Steps
Click the New Release button at the top right corner of the AvidPlay dashboard.
1. Provide the release details—Within the “Release Details” tab, select the plan you wish to use for yourself or another artist (AvidPlay enables you to create your own independent label, and this is where you would choose the plan you assigned for an artist/band). Then choose the type of release this will be (Single, Album, or EP—free version will default to “single”) and fill out the required fields (the items in red text), such as your label name, and the name of your release.
2. Add eye-catching visuals—Click the “Artwork” tab and upload your artwork for the single or album. We recommend you submit a 4000 x 4000 JPEG or PNG between 1 and 10 MB.
3. Add and reorder your tracks—Click the “Stereo Track(s)” tab and add up to 30 tracks per album. If you selected “Single” on the Release Details tab, you will only be able to add one track. For albums with multiple tracks, you can click and drag any track in the list to designate how you would like the track order to appear.
4. Enter the track details—Click the “Track Details” tab and fill out the info for each track such as the Title, Genre(s), Featured Artist (if any), Language, Parental Advisory, and whether it’s for streaming, purchasing, or both. You can also add lyrics and set the preview section of each track. If you have collaborators that worked on any of your tracks, you can enter them and their role by clicking the Add Participant & Role(s) button. This section then lets you decide the earnings percentage each collaborator will receive. If you are the only artist on the track, enter yourself as a participant and enter 100% for the payout. If this is your first-time filling this out, click the small plus (+) icon in the participant field and enter your PayPal information to get paid.
Note: you can add as many participants you want without any extra cost.
5. Choose where you want your music to stream from—Click the “Outlet Details” tab and choose all the streaming services (Outlets) you want to send your release to. You also have the option to distribute your release to all future AvidPlay-supported streaming services at no additional cost. You can also specify a release date per outlet and view the status of your release. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, agree to the terms, and press “Review and Distribute.” Depending on the streaming service outlet, it could take up to 3–8 days before your release shows up on their platform.
Now sit back, enjoy, and have fun growing your fanbase by releasing your music around the world with AvidPlay!
For more details, visit our FAQs.
Here are some other resources to learn about distributing music via AvidPlay:
- How to Promote Your Music with Pre-Save Links
- How to Find Your Artist ID and Fix Artist Association Problems on Music Streaming Platforms
