How to Distribute Your Music for Free
You can get your music onto Spotify, Apple Music, Boomplay and more without paying upfront. ORB's Free plan includes one release to 150+ stores worldwide, so you can launch your first song at no cost and upgrade later to release more and keep 100% of your royalties.
Steps to distribute your music for free
Release your first song free with ORB in a few steps:
1. Sign up for the Free plan
Create your ORB account at no cost. The Free plan includes one release delivered to 150+ stores.
2. Prepare your release
Get your mastered audio (WAV preferred) and square 3000×3000 cover art ready, with clean titles and songwriter credits.
3. Upload and select stores
Choose Spotify, Apple Music, Boomplay, TikTok and the rest. One submission covers every platform you pick.
4. Submit for approval and store delivery
ORB validates your metadata and approves your release within 24 hours; each store then controls processing and final availability.
5. Upgrade when you're ready
Move to Artist Basic or Artist for 5 track credits per billing cycle and 100% royalties, or Label & Team for 15 credits, splits and roster tools. You can buy extra credits from your wallet.
What free distribution includes — and when to upgrade
The Free plan is built so new artists can test the waters: one release, delivered to the same 150+ stores paying artists reach, with no upfront fee. It's the easiest way to get your debut single onto Spotify and Boomplay and start building an audience.
When you're ready to release more music, Artist Basic and Artist include 5 track credits per billing cycle and let you keep 100% of your royalties. Label & Team includes 15 credits plus royalty splits, a multi-artist roster and team tools — useful once you're collaborating or managing other acts. Each approved track uses one credit, and paid users can buy extra credits from their wallet. If a paid plan expires, access to stream counts, analytics, new releases and other ORB services is restricted; existing releases may be taken down over time.
Free vs paid plans at a glance
How ORB's plans compare for distribution:
| Feature | Free | Artist (₦3,200/mo) | Label & Team (₦8,000/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Track credits included | 1 one-time | 5 per billing cycle | 15 per billing cycle |
| Stores reached | 150+ | 150+ | 150+ |
| Keep 100% of royalties | — | Yes | Yes |
| Pre-save / smart links | — | Yes | Yes |
| Royalty splits & roster | — | — | Yes |
| Extra credits from wallet | — | Yes | Yes |
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is ORB really free to start?
- Yes. The Free plan includes one release delivered to 150+ stores at no upfront cost, so you can get your first song on Spotify, Apple Music and Boomplay without paying.
- What's the catch with free distribution?
- The Free plan covers one release. To put out more music and keep 100% of your royalties, you upgrade to the Artist plan from ₦9,600 every 3 months — there are no hidden delivery fees.
- Will my free release reach the same stores as paid?
- Yes. Your free release goes to the same 150+ platforms paid artists reach, including Spotify, Apple Music, Boomplay and TikTok.
- Can I get paid from a free release?
- Your music earns royalties on every plan. Upgrading to a paid plan lets you keep 100% of those royalties, which you withdraw to your local bank in your own currency.
- What happens if I cancel my ORB subscription or it expires?
- When a paid subscription ends, you lose access to ORB's distribution services and catalog management tools. Once-paid artists retain the existing catalog-only behavior. For never-paid Free artists, a release's 30-day takedown countdown begins when it is first approved, regardless of its scheduled release date.