Choosing the right music distributor can shape how you release music and grow your career. This guide helps you identify the key features of 2 leading digital music distributors.
LANDR and Ditto are two major names for digital distribution, but their approaches are very different. One leans into creative tools and production perks, while the other keeps things clean and business-focused. If you’re deciding where to drop your next release, this guide breaks down what each platform offers so you can decide what fits your needs best.
Comparing Annual Plans and Release Strategies
Who Gets Your Music Further?
Packed with Extras: Tools Beyond Distribution
Royalties and Artist Payments
Which Extras Go Further?
Customer Support and User Feedback
Cancelling and Retaining Your Work
Suitability for Cover Songs and Video
Day-to-Day Workflow and Learning Curve
Key Differences at a Glance
Which Is Better for You?
Comparing Annual Plans and Release Strategies
LANDR and Ditto Music serve many independent musicians but take different directions when it comes to pricing and plan structure.
LANDR offers an unlimited distribution plan starting at $23.99 per year, which is less expensive than Ditto’s basic plan at $29 per year. Both provide unlimited releases, basic analytics, pre-save links, and royalty splits. Ditto’s higher Labels plan, starting at $149 per year, covers up to five artists and comes with all business tools bundled in. LANDR also allows users to pay per release, which means $9 for a single or $19 for an album or EP. In those cases, LANDR takes a 15% commission, so artists get 85% of their sales. If users subscribe to an annual plan with LANDR, they keep 100% of their income from stores.
LANDR offers a wide variety of plans with flexible options and pricing that adjust based on the tools you’re getting, ideal for artists who want more than just distribution. Ditto’s structure is more straightforward, which can be a good fit for users focused solely on getting their music out.
Who Gets Your Music Further?
LANDR states it reaches over 150+ stores. Ditto delivers to over 150 streaming and music platforms, covering Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, Amazon, and Instagram. Both services handle store additions and takedowns efficiently, letting musicians launch or pull projects as needed.
Unlimited uploads are standard on core plans for both LANDR and Ditto, which helps users release frequently without getting weighed down with extra fees. Both platforms allow distribution of standard audio tracks, including covers and remixes. Users must secure proper mechanical licenses in both cases, although LANDR offers integrated cover licensing for an extra fee.
Packed with Extras: Tools Beyond Distribution
Ditto and LANDR set themselves apart with features outside of basic song delivery. Ditto’s helps users with not only distribution, but also with setting up a label and handling business requirements.
Pro and Label plans from Ditto include extras like advanced analytics and pre-save tools alongside options to pitch songs for sync licensing and access to publishing administration.LANDR puts a stronger emphasis on creative tools. Their plans include an AI-based mastering service, a plugin bundle with over forty instruments and effects, a samples marketplace and educational content. Their Studio Pro plan brings unlimited high-definition mastering, complete plugin access, samples credits, and even a version of Ableton Live Lite.
LANDR also provides collaboration tools and an industry professionals marketplace, making it appealing for users who want a production and distribution solution in the same place.
Royalties and Artist Payments
Both LANDR and Ditto have adapted royalty models that are artist-focused. LANDR annual subscribers keep all digital store revenue, but those paying per release give up 15%. Ditto always pays artists all the money from streaming and downloads, without taking a cut. Both platforms promote user-friendly royalty management and offer royalty splits in all plans, allowing easy revenue-sharing among collaborators. LANDR provides a sophisticated dashboard for detailed reporting, while Ditto offers similar analytics and instant royalty breakdowns.
Payout speeds of both LANDR and Ditto average thirty to sixty days from when income is received. In user feedback, Ditto reportedly improved reliability this past year, though issues remain around certain international transfers and peak times. LANDR appears consistent in both speed and transparency for payouts, with few reported issues over the past years.
Which Extras Go Further?
LANDR appeals to users who want professional creative tools in the same place as their distribution. Musicians who record, mix, and master at home have praised LANDR’s mastering engine for its efficiency and reliable results. With studio plans, plugins and sample packs are included, eliminating the need to source these tools and materials from elsewhere.
Ditto focuses on business-side tools. In addition to distribution widgets, Ditto brings contract templates and guidance on company formation, which suits musician-entrepreneurs planning to launch their own label or collective. Ditto’s sync and publishing tools help users collect non-streaming income, covering radio, television, and online placements, as well as songwriter royalties. Both platforms offer basic analytics, with Ditto emphasizing real-time royalty data and LANDR supporting more granular control through its dashboard.
Customer Support and User Feedback
Reliable support can make a difference when things go wrong. Recent reviews find LANDR’s support team typically quick and consistent, with special praise for its technical department and the quality of user guides. The structure of LANDR’s plans and bundled features could be more clear, but those who engage with the system report positive results.
Ditto’s recent upgrades in support are visible, based on feedback from music production forums and review sites. The support team answers basic distribution questions rapidly but may lag for complex situations or large projects. International payouts continue to spur occasional complaints of delay.
Cancelling and Retaining Your Work
Both LANDR and Ditto offer flexible cancellation, so anyone can walk away at the end of a term if their needs change. Ditto keeps tracks live until the paid year ends, taking them down if the account is not renewed. LANDR users can keep their songs up indefinitely, even aftercanceling a plan. Tracks will remain in stores, and royalties will continue to be earned.
If a plan is no longer active, LANDR retains 15% of royalties, and the artist keeps 85%.
Suitability for Cover Songs and Video
Users can release standard covers and remixes on either platform, as long as they secure the correct licenses. LANDR offers cover licensing for a one-time fee of $15. Both LANDR and Ditto offer YouTube Content ID, which tracks and lets users monetize YouTube use of their tracks. Neither platform directly distributes music videos, focusing instead on pushing audio to video and social platforms through built-in channel tools.
Day-to-Day Workflow and Learning Curve
LANDR’s interface attracts users who benefit from production and distribution together, and the workflow is efficient for those using the whole ecosystem. Ditto is also direct and simple. Its workflow serves artists who want quick releases, minimal fuss, and easy access to business and royalty tools. Small labels say Ditto makes releasing music less of a project and more of a routine admin task.
Key Differences at a Glance
LANDR’s annual unlimited distribution plan is about five dollars less than Ditto’s Starter plan. LANDR per-release pricing works best for those with fewer releases, especially since it lets tracks stay live forever for a one-off fee. Ditto’s yearly fees always include unlimited uploads, which is attractive for those releasing frequently. Royalty payments are simple at Ditto, with no cuts taken. LANDR matches this for subscriptions, but not for one-off pay-per-release agreements.
LANDR is the smart choice for self-producing musicians, as it includes mastering, samples, plugins, and a collaboration network. Ditto’s strength comes from its label creation tools and publishing support, which are valued by musicians running their own business.
Support is a particularly strong point for LANDR. Ditto performs well for most standard queries but still receives some mixed feedback for more unique cases. Both platforms require mechanical licenses for cover distribution and have similar YouTube monetization features.
Which Is Better for You?
Both LANDR and Ditto Music meet the needs of independent musicians, but which platform fits best depends on the user’s main goals. LANDR attracts those who want production tools and seamless delivery in one hub. Ditto favors artists and managers who need a business platform with rapid distribution and extras built around label work. In both cases, new users should review current plan details and customer reviews before making a commitment to ensure each offering suits their creative methods and plans for growth.
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