RouteNote

RouteNote is a music distribution service for artists and labels who want to choose stores and territories for each release. Its free option avoids an upfront distribution fee; Premium trades that fee for a larger share of streaming and download revenue, with annual renewals to factor in.

Overview

RouteNote reviews uploaded music and sends approved releases to stores chosen by the artist or label. Its network spans more than 50 digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Facebook, SoundCloud and Deezer. Store selection, pricing tiers and country availability give creators useful control over release strategy, while the approval step means a submission is not an automatic route to publication.

After approval, delivery to selected stores takes place within 24 hours, excluding weekends. Most stores make releases live within 14 days, though some take up to 28 days. RouteNote can also send existing releases to new partner stores at no additional cost; users can opt out by contacting support.

Key features

Revenue and collaboration

Account holders can split release revenue, which is useful when collaborators need to share earnings. On Free, splits are calculated after RouteNote's 15% share. Premium users keep 100% of streaming and download revenue, but pay the release fee and annual renewal. RouteNote also offers publishing administration and monthly payouts.

YouTube and mobile access

RouteNote's YouTube Content ID system can monetize audio when it is used in videos. The mobile app lets users check earnings and statistics, browse their discography and contact support; the iOS app also supports release uploads. That upload option is specific to iOS, while Android users can still use the app for account oversight.

Premium tools and account security

Premium includes fast-track moderation, no lock-in, 90 days of Trends data and fan location insights. These extras can help artists who value quicker review and audience signals, though the data window is limited to 90 days. Sensitive account changes are verified with one-time passcodes sent to the linked email address. RouteNote says it provides 24/7 email and ticket support.

Pricing

RouteNote is freemium. Free costs nothing, has no upfront distribution fee and lets the user keep 85% of net revenue. The Free plan is the sensible starting point for artists testing a release or prioritizing no upfront cost; the trade-off is RouteNote's 15% share.

Premium is charged once per release, with a $9.99 a year renewal fee per release starting the following year for storage, administration and maintenance. Single costs $10, paid once for 1 track; EP costs $20, paid once for 2–6 tracks; Album costs $30, paid once for 7–18 tracks; Extended Album costs $45, paid once for 19+ tracks. Premium suits releases expected to earn enough that keeping all streaming and download revenue outweighs the initial charge and recurring renewal. The renewal applies per release, so a growing catalogue can accumulate yearly costs.

All Access has custom pricing. No seat or upload quota is stated for these release plans, so the practical plan distinction is revenue share versus per-release charges and track-count bands.

Platforms

RouteNote is available on Android, iOS and the web. The iOS app supports uploads as well as earnings and statistics, discography browsing and support contact; the listed Android app functions cover account monitoring and support.

Who it's for

RouteNote is a strong fit for independent artists and labels who want control over store and territory choices, access to a broad partner network, and a choice between keeping more revenue upfront or paying to retain all streaming and download revenue. Free is better for minimizing initial risk; Premium makes more sense for releases with earning potential that justifies both the fee and renewal. It is less compelling for creators who want to avoid ongoing per-release costs while keeping all revenue.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Store, pricing-tier and country controls support targeted distribution; the 50-plus-platform network includes major streaming and social services.
• Pros: Free avoids an upfront fee, while Premium offers 100% of streaming and download revenue and adds moderation and audience-insight tools.
• Pros: Revenue splits, monthly payouts, YouTube Content ID and new-store delivery without an added charge cover several parts of release management.
• Cons: Free deducts RouteNote's 15% share before calculating splits, reducing the pool collaborators divide.
• Cons: Premium's annual renewal is charged per release, making a larger catalogue more expensive to maintain.
• Cons: Approval and store publication take time: delivery follows approval, and some stores can take up to 28 days to publish.

Alternatives

UnitedMasters is worth considering for artists who want a free tier with royalty splits and a stated $20 minimum to cash out, or a $19.99/year DEBUT+ plan with unlimited releases.

FreshTunes may suit a new artist who values a free plan and can accept its stated one-artist limit, standard review time and commissions on YouTube Content ID, songwriter royalties and UGC platforms.

ONErpm is another free option for users who prefer no registration, annual or upload fees and are comfortable with the service earning a percentage of generated revenue.

7Days Digital is a web-based freemium alternative.

EmuBands is a web-based freemium alternative.

Indiefy is a web-based freemium alternative.

NotaDist is a web-based freemium alternative.

ReverbNation is a web-based freemium alternative.

Browse more options in Music Distribution Platforms or, for a different licensing-oriented category, Stock Music Libraries.

Verdict

RouteNote is a practical choice for artists and labels who need store and territory control and want to choose between a no-upfront-cost plan and per-release Premium. Its strongest reason to choose is that flexibility, backed by broad distribution and release-level revenue sharing. Look elsewhere if Premium's recurring fee per release undermines the value of retaining all streaming and download revenue.