DistroKid

DistroKid, formerly titled Fandalism,^[3] is an American independent digital music distribution service, founded in 2012 by entrepreneur Philip Kaplan. DistroKid principally offers musicians and other rights-holders the opportunity to distribute and sell or stream their music through online retailers such as Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube Music, among others. Originally known as Fandalism, it was originally a social media website for musicians before going into its current name while also becoming a music distributor over a year later in mid-2013.

DistroKid

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Formerly	Fandalism
Type of site	Music publishing digital distribution
Owner	Spotify[1] Insight Partners[2] Silversmith Capital Partners
Founder(s)	Philip J. Kaplan
Industry	Music
URL	distrokid.com
Launched	January 2012; 13 years ago (2012-01)
Current status	Active

History

Originally a side-feature of Kaplan's social media music platform, Fandalism was first developed and launched in early 2012 and was later renamed to DistroKid a year later in mid-2013, while the original Fandalism service was split out into its own company in 2015.^[3][4][5]

In July 2015, a DistroKid release by musical act Jack & Jack went to number one worldwide on the iTunes charts.^[6][7] This was particularly notable because DistroKid does not take a commission or royalties, making this the first time a number-one charting artist was able to keep 100% of their earnings.^[3]

In May 2016, DistroKid launched a feature called "Teams" that makes it possible for royalties to be automatically sent to collaborators and shareholders.^[8][9] In 2018, DistroKid reached an agreement with Spotify to support cross-platform uploads for Spotify artists who upload directly or have direct licensing deals with the company.^[10][11][12] In 2021, the company launched an initiative allowing record labels to mine its data in search of new artists. It receives a finder's fee from record labels each time a label signs a new artist by way of the platform. The first label to take part in the initiative was Republic Records.^[13]

On July 1, 2020, Brazilian YouTuber and musician Dan Vasc called out DistroKid for allegedly stealing the 100% royalty he was promised by DistroKid, as he had only received a reduced percent of the royalty based on the US tax withholding (where DistroKid is based). Vasc uploaded two videos on YouTube highlighting the situation, along with an update.^[14]

In the summer of 2022, DistroKid launched DistroVid to let both members and non-members upload music videos with a subscription.^[15]

On June 7, 2023, DistroKid was sued by the indie label Doeman Music Group Media for allegedly mishandling a copyright takedown. In January 2021, DistroKid notified Damien Wilson that his 2020 EP was removed from all streaming platforms because of a takedown notice from Raquella George, who contributed to the song "Scary Movie". The lawsuit alleges that DistroKid did not allow Wilson to dispute the takedown.^[16][17]

In September 2023, it was announced DistroKid has acquired the music distribution and website hosting platform, Bandzoogle.^[18]