DistroKid ‘Upstream’ Offers Unsigned Artist Data To Labels, Republic Signs On

DIY digital distributor DistroKid has added “Upstream” to match unsigned artists with labels, and hitmakers Republic Records has become its first official partner.

Serving “millions of artists,” DistroKid says that it is now the world’s biggest music distributor “by most metrics” delivering “one third of all new music” to Spotify, Apple, Amazon and dozens of other streamers.

With Distrokid Upstream artists can now easily share streaming data with Republic and soon, according to DistroKid, other labels interested in signing them.

It’s unclear exactly what level of streaming data DistroKid shares, but undoubtedly some of it is already available via Chartmetric and other data services that A&R execs regularly use to scout for talent.

DistroKid has brought in industry veteran Ché Pope, who will work with labels that join Upstream to advocate for artists who opt-in. Pop did A&R at Warner Music and was COO at Kanye West’s record label, G.O.O.D. Music. The Grammy Award-winning producer has worked with Lauryn Hill, Eminem, Teddy Riley, Dr. Dre, Hans Zimmer, ASAP Rocky and The Weeknd.

“For those artists who want to be noticed, Upstream provides a powerful way to connect with record labels,” said Ché Pope. “For labels, Upstream opens a window into a cache of data that can help identify promising artists early in their career. I believe this will be a game-changer for both artists and record labels.”  

“Millions of artists rely on DistroKid and often ask for help getting noticed by record labels,” said DistroKid Founder and CEO, Philip Kaplan. “And record labels have approached us about finding efficient ways to identify talent in the DistroKid community. With demand on both sides, it made sense to play matchmaker.”