What Is Music Distribution?
When you finish a song, it lives on your laptop. Music distribution is what carries it to the world — to Spotify, Apple Music, JioSaavn, Gaana, YouTube Music and 200+ other streaming platforms where listeners actually are. A distributor delivers your audio and metadata to every store, collects the royalties your streams generate, and pays them out to you.
Here's what many new artists don't realise: you cannot upload music directly to Spotify, JioSaavn or Apple Music as an artist. These platforms only accept music through approved distributors. Choosing the right distributor is therefore one of the most important decisions of your music career — it decides how fast your music goes live, how much of your earnings you keep, and how easily you get paid in India.
Why Indian Artists Need a Distributor Built for India
Most of the big-name distributors were built for American artists. They charge in dollars, pay out through systems that don't fit Indian banking, and their support teams are asleep when you're awake. Worse, some of them barely prioritise the platforms where Indian listeners actually stream — JioSaavn, Gaana, Wynk Music and Hungama.
India's streaming audience is enormous and growing, and a huge share of it listens in Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Bengali, Kashmiri and dozens of other languages. An Indian distributor understands this landscape: INR payouts straight to your bank account, support in your timezone, and delivery tuned for both global giants and the homegrown platforms your fans use every day.
How It Works with The Imaginary Records
We've kept the process simple — no industry connections needed, no gatekeeping:
- 1. Create your account. Sign up on the artist portal in minutes. There is no joining fee.
- 2. Upload your release. Add your WAV audio, cover artwork, title, artist credits, lyrics and release date through our step-by-step submission wizard. You can add collaborators and set royalty splits per track.
- 3. We quality-check everything. Our team reviews your audio, artwork and metadata against store requirements, so rejections are rare. If something needs fixing, we tell you exactly what — before it ever reaches a store.
- 4. Your music goes live in 24–48 hours. We deliver to 200+ platforms worldwide. Most stores publish within a few days of delivery.
- 5. You earn and get paid. Streams generate royalties, we collect them from every platform, and you keep up to 85%. Track everything in your portal and receive payouts directly to your Indian bank account.
Where Your Music Goes
One upload reaches everywhere your listeners are:
- Global: Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, Pandora, Napster, iHeartRadio
- India-first: JioSaavn, Gaana, Wynk Music, Hungama Music, Resso
- Social: Instagram and Facebook audio for reels and stories, plus YouTube Content ID so you earn when others use your music in their videos
We distribute through PDL India (Phonographic Digital Limited) and Conyfer — established distribution partners — so your releases are handled professionally at every step.
What It Costs
There is no joining fee. We don't believe artists should pay just for the chance to be heard. Instead of yearly fees or per-release charges, we work on a simple royalty split: you keep up to 85% of what your music earns, and we retain 15% as our service fee. If your music earns nothing, you pay nothing.
Every release includes ISRC and UPC codes, delivery to all 200+ platforms, royalty collection, and access to the artist portal — all included, no upsells for the basics.
Your Rights Stay Yours
Distribution with us is not a record deal. You keep 100% ownership of your masters and your publishing — you're simply letting us deliver your music and collect royalties for an agreed term. Our agreement runs 6 months per release, stated clearly upfront. No multi-year lock-ins, no hidden clauses, no surprises.
Common Questions
How fast will my song be live? Delivery takes 24–48 hours after approval; most stores publish within a few days. Submit 2–3 weeks before your release date to be safe.
Can I release in my language? Absolutely — Hindi, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Tamil, Bengali, English, any language. Some of our proudest releases are in Kashmiri.
What if I'm already with another distributor? You can move your catalogue to us. We'll guide you through takedown and re-delivery so you don't lose your music or end up with duplicates.
More answers on our FAQ page.
Ready to Release Your Music?
Join independent artists releasing through The Imaginary Records. Submit your demo today — we listen to everything, and we reply honestly.
Email: support@theimaginaryrecords.in
Phone: +91 9541543424