Apple Music
The premium-only DSP: higher per-stream payouts, spatial audio, and editorial weight — no free tier, so every stream is a paying subscriber.
- Best for
- Higher per-stream payouts from an all-paying audience. Artists seeking placement on a major global DSP, strong Apple-device visibility, Shazam insights, editorial opportunities, and detailed geographic data for marketing or touring.
- Skip if
- Never; distribution covers it automatically. Your growth depends heavily on free-tier reach, viral social features, or direct artist-to-fan interaction rather than converting existing interest into premium streams. However, most artists should still distribute here.
- First move
- Check your spatial audio options with your mastering engineer. Deliver your first release through a distributor, then claim your artist page once it has been live for five business days. Add your image, profile details, and lyrics, then monitor Shazam and location data to guide promotion.
- Watch out
- Apple Music Pitch is primarily available to labels and distributors with Apple Music Connect access, not directly to most independent artists.
- Reach
- Mainstream scale
- When
- Useful from day one.
- Based in
- United States