In the event you’re an impartial artist, you understand how arduous it’s to search out reliable details about the music trade.
Whether or not you’re determining the way to get on Spotify playlists or how to decide on the best distributor, you might run into conflicting recommendation.
One weblog says one factor. A YouTuber says one other. Reddit threads supply dozens of nameless opinions. And now AI instruments try to summarize all of it — correct or not.
In the meantime, the music trade retains evolving. Platforms roll out new options, algorithms shift, royalty methods change. What labored a yr in the past may not work in the present day.
And you may face actual penalties for appearing on unhealthy data — from misplaced income to delayed releases. So the place do you go to search out data you’ll be able to really belief?


CD Child gives reliable, actionable data for impartial artists
At CD Child, our mission is to give you the data, data, and methods it’s essential to succeed. Right here’s how we do it.
Constructed on over 25 years of music distribution expertise
A pioneer of digital music distribution, we’ve seen the trade evolve since our begin in 1998. We remodeled by way of the shift from bodily to digital, labored alongside the most important streaming platforms as they grew, and helped form in the present day’s distribution requirements. You profit from that have instantly, as we channel that data into supporting artists by way of the longer term.
Direct entry to streaming platforms and DSPs
We don’t depend on secondhand data. A most popular distributor for streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, we work intently with our companions to find out about platform adjustments forward of time, perceive how options work, and share finest practices and updates instantly with you.
Information-driven insights from hundreds of thousands of releases
Alongside accomplice knowledge, we draw insights from the hundreds of thousands of releases we distribute and verified trade sources (Luminate, IFPI, MBW, MiDIA). That enables us to advocate methods primarily based on what really drives streams, the place artists generally run into points, and the way tendencies evolve over time — not hypothesis or generic finest practices.
A rigorous editorial course of you’ll be able to belief
We curate our content material to coach, encourage, and empower impartial artists. We select matters primarily based on the most typical questions, pitfalls, and methods we’ve seen all through many years of expertise in music distribution. Earlier than publishing, we fact-check each article with respected sources and in-house specialists, and concentrate on preserving our content material clear, sensible, and straightforward to use — not overly technical or crammed with jargon.
Sensible, reasonable recommendation
We set reasonable expectations for our artists. We perceive progress stems from constant effort over a protracted time period. As such, our content material gives sustainable, organic-first, and strategic recommendation with reasonable outcomes. You received’t discover false guarantees or trade hacks.
Well timed music trade insights and updates
From main report summaries to platform updates, our goal is to get you actionable data as quick as attainable. We keep our foundational guides to important matters, persistently monitor trade information, and communicate with companions to get you the most recent updates.
How you can keep knowledgeable as an impartial artist
CD Child gives a variety of sources that will help you develop — from full downloadable guides to advertising methods and insights from fellow impartial artists.
Need to keep within the know? Take these subsequent steps:
