TuneCore Turns 15 with $1.2M Daily Payments To Artists, Venue Donations

D.I.Y. digital music distributor and publishing administrator TuneCore is celebrating its 15th anniversary today.

As part of the clebration TuneCore will be making donations to global organizations formed to save live music venues.

In October of 2020, TuneCore artists hit the record-breaking milestone of $2 Billion earned by artists. The company currently pays an average of $1.2 million to artists each day.

TuneCore became a subsidiary of Paris-based Believe, itself a leading distributor of digital music, in April of 2015.

The week-long celebration includes daily unplugged performances from longtime TuneCore artists, Instagram Live interviews and more.

TuneCore’s Roots

In 2006, co-founder Jeff Price and TuneCore disrupted the industry by introducing a flat fee digital distribution service, allowing independent artists to send music to digital stores like iTunes for a low annual flat fee and keep 100% of the revenue earned.

“What TuneCore did 15 years ago was groundbreaking. By removing the traditional barriers, pushing aside the major label gatekeepers and putting artists in the driver’s seat of their own careers without taking a percentage of their music sales, it democratized the music industry,” said Andreea Gleeson, Tunecore Co-Head and Chief Revenue Officer. “Today, TuneCore continues to empower artists to sell their music online, market themselves, and build a career, all while keeping 100% of 100% of their revenue.”

“Over the years we’ve prioritized TuneCore’s initiatives by always putting artists first.” Gleeson continued, “Today, independent artists make up the fastest growing sector of global music sales, and TuneCore is the worldwide leader in indie music distribution, so we know we’re doing it right.”

Many of TuneCore’s artists have been with the company for years. Pop/Rock singer-songwriter Ron Pope stated, “Fifteen years of TuneCore! I uploaded my first song almost FOURTEEN years ago now, so I’ve been along for a lot of this ride. Careers like mine didn’t exist before TuneCore. By giving artists real access to the support of fans from all over the world, TuneCore allowed people like me to turn an idea into the actual dollars and cents needed to power a career. I’m forever grateful!”

Venue Donations

TuneCore is marking 15 years with donations to key organizations aiding the live music industry. The company will make a “meaningful donation” to NIVA (the National Independent Venue Association), whose legislative efforts led to the passing of the SaveOurStages Bill in early 2021.

The company will also be donating to UK Venue Trust (UK), SAFE (South Africa), UNISON (Canada), Initiative Musik (Germany), and SGMUSO (Singapore).