DistroKid has acquired Bandzoogle

D.I.Y. digital music distributor DistroKid has acquired the leading music website and commerce platform, Bandzoogle.

Founded in 2003, Bandzoogle powers over 60,000 musician websites and commission-free online stores. Founded in 2013, DistroKid distributes 45 million tracks for 2 million artists, which by some estimates is 30-40% of all new music releases globally.

While non-DistroKid artists can still use Bandzoogle, with the acquisition, distributed artists can now power digital, physical, and on-demand merch and music sales from within the DistroKid ecosystem.

No financial details of the deal between the two privately held companies were shared, but Hypebot has confirmed that, for now at least, Bandzoogle will continue to operate as a standalone company.

Bandzoogle’s status is important because while both companies are known for empowering artists in ways that are accessible and affordable, their approaches differ.

Though still a self-service platform, Bandzoogle is renowned for its live 7-day-a-week customer service and ongoing efforts to educate artists led by Chief Relationship Officer Dave Cool. DistroKid has customer service, but given its massive scale, it touts a “largely automated backend.”

“After 20 years of helping artists build effective websites and sell over $100M in commission-free music, merch, and tickets, this is an exciting new chapter for Bandzoogle,” said Bandzoogle CEO Stacey Bedford. “DistroKid has always put artists first, just like we have, so we’re thrilled to join forces to continue to empower artists.”

“At DistroKid, we’re always working on innovative ways to help artists,” said Philip Kaplan, Founder and CEO of DistroKid. “Bandzoogle has built incredible tools that make it super easy for every artist to set up an impactful public website & e-commerce store.”

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.