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Songtradr Review: A Comprehensive Look at Music Licensing

It can take months to compose and release a song or an album. If you don’t have a strong team that helps you promote your music and make a good revenue, all your hard work could go down the drain. The story is even worse for upcoming artists who don’t have the resources to promote their work.

But, is there any solution to this problem? Thankfully, there is. Meet Songtradr, one of the fastest-growing music licensing platforms. In this article, we’ll take you through a detailed review of the features, pros, and cons of the platform to help you decide if it’s good for you. 

But first, let’s take a deep dive into Songtradr and how it works.

Songtradr Review

Songtradr is a music licensing platform that allows musicians to license, distribute, and monetize their music across various streaming services. As one of the best music distribution platforms, Artists may reach a worldwide audience of industry stakeholders, including advertisers, filmmakers, and brands, through one of the greatest music distribution platforms. Songtradr also makes it simple to earn royalties and other revenue streams, whether you’re a new or veteran artist.

But it’s not only artists who benefit from Songtradr. Advertising agencies and filmmakers, for example, can use the platform to find the right songs for their productions. They get to choose from over 500,000 artists and hundreds of curated playlists. 

How Does Songtradr Work?

Songtradr is straightforward to use. First, sign up on the platform by creating an account. Once you fill in all your personal information, you can upload a track. Make sure your track is mastered and contains all the required information, such as your song’s metadata.

Afterwards, Songtradr adds an ISRC Code to your song. This code tracks your song globally to ensure you get paid every time your music is played. 

Key features Explained in Details

Songtradr is one of the most popular licensing and music distribution services, and it’s easy to see why. The platform has excellent features to help any musician get started. Below are a few. 

1. Unlimited Music Upload

Whether you’re a starter or a professional, Songtradr allows you to upload gazillion music files to your page for free. There’s no threshold for the number of songs you can upload. Plus, you can do it from anywhere. But, there are a few guidelines.

We recommend you avoid uploading low-quality music files, especially MP3, WMA, and AAC file formats. Instead, use preferred formats like the MP4, TTA, and APE. This is important because Songtradr checks for your song format when you turn it in for licensing. 

Also, to avoid copyright infringement, seek the consent of the co-owners of the song before uploading them. Follow these rules to enjoy a better uploading experience. 

Songtradr also makes the process of uploading songs to your page relatively easier.

First, login and click on the Upload Music tab from the dashboard. Check the box to accept all terms and conditions. Then, upload your music and select your type of music version from the Version dropdown menu.

Click on Submit and Continue, then go ahead to add the music to your catalog. View all uploaded music from My Songs on the dashboard. From here, you can either choose to edit or delete your songs. Go ahead and flood your page with music from several genres and categories, but be sure to always upload quality music.

2. Sync Licensing 

Your music gets sync licensed when a person or an organization pays royalties to you for using your music in their video. 

If you have your music uploaded to Songtradr, you can sync it to enjoy royalties. You don’t only get your songs to sync license for filmmakers. You can also license your music for commercials, inspirational videos, video games, and much more. You get paid anytime these channels use your song. 

For instance, Ramin Djawadi music got sync licensed as a soundtrack for the ever-intriguing HBO series, Game of Thrones. This deal made him a millionaire. You can also follow suit and submit your song to be sync licensed.

First, create an account and upload countless songs of yours to the platform. Next, fill out the form on the next page with your song’s metadata stating clearly the song’s title, track length, artist name, and collaborators. Lastly, submit it to be licensed for any of their media platforms.

These are some of the ways of increasing your chances of getting noticed and selected by music supervisors. For instance, upload more music to your page. The more music you upload, the higher your chances of getting picked.

However, ensure that your music catalog has good music that resonates better with your audience. Also, verify that your music submission is to a related category. For example, submitting a low-tempo song for an inspirational commercial may give you an upper hand over a high-tempo song. Waste no time; sign up and license your music to earn royalties. 

3. Digital Distribution Across Several Streaming Sites 

If you’ve been in the music business for a long time, we’re sure that one of the many challenges that get on top of your priority list is how to reach your audience digitally through popular streaming sites. Your worrying days are over. Let Songtradr take care of this challenge.

The platform allows you to get your music streamed, downloaded, and purchased by fans across major distributing platforms globally. Examples of these sites include Spotify, Apple Music, Boomplay, YouTube Music, and Amazon Tidal. Your music gets distributed within 14 days after submission. 

But if you wish for it to be released earlier, you can use the site’s priority release feature to get it out in just three days. You only pay a few dollars to enjoy this feature. Your distribution royalties are split up between you and the company based on your subscription. 

For example, If you’re running a free account, the company keeps 10% of your royalties, but you get all your money if you have a pro or lite account.

The good thing is, you get to keep the lion’s share of your revenue regardless of the type of account subscription. 

In addition, you can also promote and sell your music with Songtradr’s presale to help you get your fans talking about your song before the original release date. Scheduling your music for distribution on Songtradr is easy. Follow these steps to help you create a distribution schedule.

Login to your account, and from your dashboard, choose the Distribution tab. Then, on the next page, decide whether you want to promote an album or a single song. Provide all the details of your music’s metadata in the form on your next page. Click on the Create Distribution button when you’re done. Voila, you’re set. 

Moreover, you can check out the distribution dashboard to get a real-time analytical view of your songs on these digital stores.

You can assess several KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), including who’s listening to your music, based on age demographics, on which distribution platform are your songs performing better? This gives you a better insight into your performance so far and how you can improve upon it.

4. Monetization Portal 

If you want to make money from your music online, you’d have to monetize it. In simple words, monetization means making money from your licensed music through downloads, corporate use, and streams. You don’t want to undersell your songs or lose passive revenue you could have easily made.

Monetizing your music doesn’t only bring in the cash. It also allows you to grow your fan base, as well as your brand. This process may sound like rocket science, but on Songtradr, just anyone can do it.

First, log in to your account, and from your dashboard, click on Monetization. On the next page, you can click on any of the digital stores and accept to have your music monetized on the platforms.

But, before you agree to have your music monetized, make sure you double click on the streaming platform to review their terms and conditions. Seek clarity from the support team if necessary.

Finally, select the number of songs you’d want to turn in for monetization. Easy-peasy, now all your selected music is monetized by Songtradr. So, you’re notified anytime you receive royalties or revenue from these sites. You can also track the progress of any of these songs by clicking on them from the monetization tab.

With every revenue you receive, the income split on Songtradr is as follows: for a starter account, you get 90% of royalties and 60% of your licensing income. Get 100% of your distribution royalties for a lite and pro account. But 60% licensing revenue for the former and 80% for the latter.

Many people complain about not receiving royalties even though they turn in their songs for monetization. In truth, it’s not that automatic. The platform only pays you when these streaming sites pay them for using your music. For instance, you only get paid when an advertising company uses your song for a commercial.

Also, you’re not paid instantly. Payments are made to clients’ Paypal accounts on a monthly or quarterly basis. Finally, ensure that you’ve stated all co-owners of your work on the ownership page. You can only get your music licensed and monetized if you have other co-owners consent. 

Another great monetization feature is the tipping option. This new and innovative feature enables fans to tip their favorite artist. Thankfully, there’s no limit to the amount fans can give their favorite artists as long as it’s over $1.

This is an excellent way for artists to raise funds to support further projects. For fans, the tipping feature helps them show love and support for their favorite artists.

5. Notifications

Get instant notifications anytime there’s an update on any significant activity. On Songtradr, receiving notifications as a signed member can be very flexible. You can either receive email notifications, text notifications, or get notified on your Songtradr page.

You can access all notifications from the page by clicking on the bell icon located on the right-hand side of the navigation bar. Notifications are grouped into several categories. Some of these categories include sales, deals board, music wanted, favorite, and song notifications. 

Notifications such as the favorite and song notification are only available for pro users. You receive these two notifications when someone listens to your music or adds it to their favorite list. 

Songtradr Pricing

Songtradr offers three pricing tiers: Starter, Lite, and Pro. Let’s examine each in a bit more detail.

The starter plan is free to use, but you only receive 120 credits for licensing and none for distribution. Plus, Songtradr takes a 40% cut of all royalties from licenses. 

With $19 yearly, you can upgrade to the Lite plan, which increases your licensing credit to 240 and comes with no limits on distribution. However, Songtradr still takes 40% of your licensing royalties.

To reduce Songtradr’s royalty cut, sign up for the Pro plan, priced at $5 per month. However, if you pay upfront, it will only cost you $49 instead of $60. 

The Pro plan bumps up your licensing credit to an enticing 3,000 credits. Also, your songs will be distributed across several platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.

Songtradr Pros

  • Cheap music licensing and distribution
  • Attractive and efficient user interface and dashboard
  • Intuitive search functionality
  • Music streaming across several channels

Songtradr Cons

  • No access to a Vevo account
  • Limited opportunities to submit licenses
  • Payments may delay
  • Feature for tipping artists

Songtradr Review Bottom Line: Is Songtradr worth it?

Although Songtradr is relatively new in the music licensing and distribution business, it’s certainly worth a try. 

True, you don’t get as many licensing opportunities on Songtradr compared to its competitors, but the platform is one of the most affordable. Besides, Songtradr makes your music available to a wide range of industry players across several streaming sites such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Boomplay. 

Overall, Songtradr seems to be an excellent choice, especially for new artists and new buyers who are now just dipping their toes into the world of music licensing and purchasing. However, for specific types of music, you can consider other platforms. For instance, if you’re looking at selling beats, you should read our post on  AirBit or BeatStars or landr distribution services review.