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Facebook Launches Indie Music Program for Artists to Distribute Songs Across Social Giant’s Apps

Todd Spangler
·2-min read

Facebook is making it easier for independent artists and creators to share their music across the company’s different products — and get paid.

For the Facebook Independent Artist Program, the company teamed with third-party music distribution companies DistroKid and TuneCore to help artists get their music on Facebook and Instagram quickly and at no cost to the artists. The program covers Facebook and Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels and everywhere else Facebook uses music. More info is at this link.

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While Facebook has inked licensing deals with the three major music companies — Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group — along with Merlin, BMG, Kobalt and independent music labels, until now it hasn’t provided an easy way for unaffiliated artists to get their music on Facebook.

Under the program, which officially launched June 16, artists who upload their music to DistroKid and TuneCore will get paid royalties when their music is used in content across Facebook and Instagram products.

“Facebook is proud to make it easier for independent artists and creators to reach new audiences on our platform and build community through music,” Chris Papaleo, music business development manager at Facebook, said in a statement.

The Facebook Independent Artist Program is essential for music discovery, which is happening via social media and is “no longer solely dependent on industry executives and DJs handpicking hits,” said Andreea Gleeson, TuneCore co-head and chief revenue officer. “With the popularity of short-form videos, Facebook Stories and Instagram Reels are two important platforms on which fans are finding songs and artists, with careers being made when songs go viral.”

TuneCore, owned by global digital music distributor Believe, helps artists, labels and managers sell music through more than 150 download and streaming services worldwide — including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and TikTok — for an annual flat fee (which starts at $10 for a single).

DistroKid regularly charges $19.99 per year to upload unlimited albums and songs. The company claims more than 2 million artists use DistroKid and that it has processed nearly 20 million songs to date.

The Facebook initiative “is a huge benefit to indie artists everywhere and we’re excited to be partnering with Facebook on this program,” commented DistroKid founder and CEO Philip Kaplan.

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