Spotify has ‘Preferred’ music distributors. Are you using one?

While it’s possible to use any one of dozens of companies to get your music on Spotify, the streamer names some distributors as “Preferred” and shares a list publically of those who are.

Hypebot has been tracking how Spotify ranks distributors since 2018 when the list of “Preferred” distributors was just five.

To be labeled “Preferred,” distributors must properly pre-vet music that’s uploaded to make sure it includes needed metadata and is free of copyright or ownership issues, “These distributors meet our highest standards for quality metadata and anti-infringement measures,” says Spotify.

Among the 2024 list of Spotify’s “Preferred” providers primarily serving D.Y.I. artists are DistroKid, CD Baby, ONErpm, Amuse, and RouteNote; while Tunecore is down on the “Recommended” list.

“Preferred” distributors primarily serving independent labels and more prominent independent artists include The Orchard, FUGA, Soundcloud, Secretly, Symphonic (which also serves many D.I.Y. artists), Redeye, and Downtown.

Believe is also a Spotify Preferred Label Distributor, even though its DYI arm Tunecore did not make the cut.

Ingrooves, Cargo, and Proton are among the labels distributors listed as “Recommended” rather than”Preferred.”

The full list of 2024 Spotify Preferred and Recommended providers is here.

Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a Berklee College Of Music professor.