Amuse vs Routenote - What is better?

Routenote’s free tier will only let you keep 85% of your royalties. You get more marketing support from this service, primarily through the digital marketing platform PUSH.fm. On the PUSH.fm platform, you can create pre-save campaigns, create smart links, view analytics, and more, so it is a great bonus for small artists without their dedicated marketing teams.

You also get sync services and, interestingly, a resource for using royalty-free samples. There is no difference in the platforms available between tiers, and they distribute to 25 different streaming platforms along with TikTok and Instagram music libraries. You can upgrade to the paid tier and collect 100% of your royalties, but note that there is a $50 royalty threshold in all tiers.

Another good point in Routenote’s favor is their turnaround time, which is just 3 days. 

• Price tiers: Free (RouteNote Free), $10 (RouteNote Premium), Custom (All Access) 
• Number of platforms: 25 
• Royalties charge: 15% 
• Additional charges: None 
• Release limit: Unlimited 
• Payment threshold: $50 
• Additional free services: PUSH.fm (marketing), Synchdin (Synch licensing service), RouteNote Create (sample library)  
• Upgrade and get: 100% of your royalties, better support, and tailored service for “Custom” levels 
• Turnaround time: 3 Days 

Is free worth it? 

Routenote’s free tier is a bit more attractive for smaller artists, given the only meaningful difference is the amount of money you will make from royalties. If you are not planning to make lots of money from royalties, the free tier will give you the same benefits as the $10/yr. tier.  

Should I pay? 

You can pay $10 and keep all your royalties, which is the baseline difference between the free and paid tiers. Higher tiers exist at the “custom” pricing level and include additional pitching services for playlists, etc. It is hard to recommend this tier without knowing the price, so please use discretion. 

Amuse delivers to 13 major streaming platforms at the basic free price tier, including Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, and other heavyweights. You will also get to keep 100% of your royalties, potentially making it a terrific value. There is a 15% fee for royalty splits, which is essential if you work with a collaborator (watch out, rock bands and gospel choirs!). You only have 12 releases per year, with a four-week release time at the free level.

Upgraded tiers will also distribute your music to platforms like TikTok and Instagram Music Library, which may have bigger audiences depending on your genre.There are additional goodies on offer such as Spotify pre-save links and free analytics. 

• Price tiers: Free (Start), 24.99/yr. (Boost), 49.99/yr. (Pro) 
• Number of platforms: 13 (Start),  21 (Boost), 
• Royalties charge: 0% 
• Additional charges: 15% fee for royalty splits (Start tier only) 
• Release limit: 12 (unlimited with paid) 
• Payment threshold: None 
• Additional free services: None   
• Upgrade and get: YouTube content ID, distribution to more platforms, faster turnaround, Pre-saves, 
• Turnaround time: 28 days (Start) , 14 Days (Boost), 10 Days (Pro) 

Is free worth it? 

You should go for the free tier if you are a solo artist not planning on many releases this year, are only looking to release on mainstream platforms like Spotify and Apple, and are OK with waiting longer for your music to hit these platforms. Four weeks may be too long for your release schedule, but on the other hand, it gives you time for promotion. 

Should I pay? 

Higher tiers of Amuse include free royalty splits, distribution to a wider variety of platforms, and faster release windows. The paid tier of Amuse is most suitable for the pro or semi-pro artists who want to maximize their royalties and do not need additional marketing support from the distributor. Note that other platforms on this list offer a similar number of platforms at no extra cost. 

Our verdict: 

100% royalties for free sounds like a good deal, but Amuse places more limitations on their free tiers than other distributors on this list. We recommend choosing this distributor only if royalties are your primary source of revenue.  

RouteNote

Pros: 

+ Appear at a large number of streaming platforms 
+ Fast turnaround time and unlimited releases 
+ Additional free services 

Cons: 

- 15% royalties charge with a $50 threshold 

Amuse

Pros: 

+ You can keep 100% of your royalties for free 

Cons: 

- Limited number of releases 
- Longer turnaround time for releases 
- You must pay to get on Instagram, Tiktok, and others 

Our verdict

With the vast number of platforms, quick release time, and additional free goodies, we find RouteNote the best overall value if you are in the market for free distribution to streaming platforms. 

100% royalties for free sounds like a good deal, but Amuse places more limitations on their free tiers than other distributors on this list. We recommend choosing Amuse if royalties are your primary source of revenue.