Overview

RouteNote reviews uploaded music and sends approved releases to the stores selected by the artist or label. It says its network spans more than 50 platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Facebook, SoundCloud and Deezer. Users can also set pricing tiers and choose the countries where each release is available.

Approval is only the start of the wait: RouteNote says delivery to selected stores follows within 24 hours, excluding weekends, while most stores take up to 14 days to publish a release and some take up to 28. Existing releases can be sent to new partner stores at no added cost; users can opt out by contacting support.

Key features

Distribution and revenue

Store and territory controls are useful for artists with a specific release strategy, while the network of more than 50 platforms covers familiar major services. RouteNote reviews uploads before delivery, so a chosen release schedule still depends on moderation and each store’s publication time.

Artists and labels can split release revenue among RouteNote account holders. On Free, those splits are calculated after RouteNote’s 15% share, leaving the account holders to divide the remainder. Premium keeps 100% of streaming and download revenue, making it more attractive when a release’s earnings justify its upfront and recurring cost. RouteNote also lists publishing administration and monthly payouts.

YouTube and mobile

Releases can be uploaded to RouteNote’s YouTube Content ID system so their audio can be monetized when used in videos. The mobile app provides access to earnings, statistics, a discography and support; the iOS app also supports release uploads. That makes mobile useful for monitoring and, on iOS, uploading, rather than a substitute for the web service on every platform.

Support and account security

RouteNote says it offers 24/7 email and ticket support. Sensitive account changes are verified with one-time passcodes sent to the linked email address, adding a check on those changes without requiring a separate authenticator in the described process.

Pricing

The Free plan is free and charges no upfront distribution fee. Artists keep 85% of net revenue; the plan is described as free forever and includes unlimited artists, unlimited uploads and access to all services. It suits artists testing a release or distributing a catalogue without paying upfront, but RouteNote’s share reduces what remains for the account holders.

Premium charges once per release according to its size, then adds a renewal fee every year per release:

Premium Single: 10.00 USD per once for 1 track.
Premium EP: 20.00 USD per once for 2–6 tracks.
Premium Album: 30.00 USD per once for 7–18 tracks.
Premium Extended Album: 45.00 USD per once for 19+ tracks.

Each Premium release keeps 100% of streaming and download revenue, with a 9.99 USD per year renewal starting the following year. RouteNote describes that recurring fee as covering storage, administration and maintenance. Premium is the better fit when retaining all streaming and download revenue is worth the per-release cost; artists with many releases should account for renewals accumulating across the catalogue. Premium also includes fast-track moderation, no lock-in, 90 days of Trends data and fan-location insights.

All Access has custom pricing. The release-size pricing and annual renewal terms make RouteNote’s individual Premium releases easier to assess than a single catalogue-wide cost.

Platforms

RouteNote is available on Android, iOS and the web. The mobile app provides earnings and statistics, discography browsing and support; iOS additionally supports uploading releases. The web option is available alongside both major mobile platforms.

Who it's for

RouteNote suits artists and labels who want store and territory choice, a free route to distribution, or a per-release way to keep all streaming and download revenue. Free is the more cautious choice for artists who prefer no upfront distribution fee and accept a revenue share. Premium better serves releases with enough earning potential to offset the initial charge and yearly renewal. It is less compelling for a large catalogue if recurring fees on each release outweigh the value of keeping the full share.

Pros and cons

Pros: Free distribution has no upfront fee, unlimited artists and uploads, and keeps 85% of net revenue.
Pros: Premium offers 100% of streaming and download revenue, with prices scaled to release size.
Pros: Store, pricing-tier and territory choices give artists control over release availability.
Pros: RouteNote can add existing releases to new partner stores without an added charge.
Cons: Premium’s 9.99 USD per year renewal applies to each release, so ongoing costs rise with a growing catalogue.
Cons: Free’s 15% share comes out before account holders split release revenue.
Cons: Approval and store publication can delay availability; some stores may take up to 28 days after delivery.

Alternatives

UnitedMasters is another freemium option with Android, iOS and web apps. Its DEBUT plan is free and supports royalty splits, while DEBUT+ costs 19.99 USD per year and offers unlimited releases; choose it if that annual plan better suits your release needs.

FreshTunes offers a free web plan for one artist, with standard review time, support that can take up to 10 days and payouts up to 30 days. Its free plan also takes a 20% commission on YouTube Content ID, songwriter royalties and UGC platforms; RouteNote’s Free plan instead retains 15% of net revenue before splits.

ONErpm is a free web-based alternative with no registration, annual or upload fees; it earns a percentage of revenue generated by plays, views and downloads. Consider it if you prefer that no-fee model to RouteNote’s free-plan split.

Ditto Music is a paid alternative with a Starter plan at 19.00 USD per year for unlimited releases by one artist, or Pro at 59.00 USD per year for two artists. Its annual plans may suit artists who want those stated artist allowances instead of RouteNote’s per-release Premium charges and renewals.

Symphonic Distribution is paid and offers video distribution to Spotify or Vevo for 25.00 USD per video, or a larger network for 95.00 USD per video. Choose it when video distribution to those destinations is the specific requirement.

TuneCore is a paid web option whose Rising Artist plan costs 24.99 USD per year and includes unlimited distribution to 150+ digital stores, advanced trends and analytics, release scheduling, revenue splits and YouTube Content ID. Its stated store reach and annual plan may suit artists seeking those features in one subscription.

Amuse is paid and supports Android, iOS and web. Its Artist plan costs 23.99 USD per year for one artist, unlimited releases, ASAP release in 24 hours and daily streaming insights; consider it if those annual-plan terms and release timing fit better.

DistroKid is a paid alternative with Android, iOS and web apps; choose it if you want to compare another paid distributor.

For more options, browse Music Distribution Platforms or explore Stock Music Libraries.

Verdict

RouteNote is a strong fit for artists and labels who want flexible store and territory controls and a choice between no upfront cost and full streaming and download revenue. Free is the sensible starting point for cost-conscious releases; Premium makes sense when its share advantage outweighs both the release fee and continuing annual renewals. Look elsewhere if recurring per-release charges or potentially lengthy store publication are a poor fit.

	RouteNote	The Orchard
Free plan	Yes
Paid from	$0.83/mo
Platforms	Android, iOS, Web	Web
Free plan	Yes
Release limit	per_release
Royalty model	mixed
Publishing administration	Yes	Yes
YouTube Content ID	Yes
Payout schedule	monthly

RouteNote vs The Orchard

RouteNote

The Orchard