Best music distributors for Beatport releases (my picks)

If you make electronic music like me, getting your music distributed to Beatport is a really important step. Beatport is one of the world’s largest electronic music stores and is used by a huge number of DJs worldwide. Indeed, Beatport describes itself as the “world’s largest electronic music platform for DJs”.

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Beatport differs from other streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, as it’s primarily geared towards DJs and offers the option for customers to actually download your tracks with a view to using them in sets.

Getting your music onto Beatport is slightly different from distributing to other platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, and usually requires some extra steps depending on the distributor you use. In this article, I’m going to break down how Beatport distribution actually works and also cover my top two picks when it comes to distributors for getting your music onto the platform.

How Beatport distribution actually works

There are a few things to bear in mind when it comes to Beatport distribution, because it differs from some of the other major digital music stores out there.

The first thing to know is that Beatport only accepts electronic dance music. This means that if you make music in a different genre, it won’t be eligible for submission to Beatport.

Secondly, you can’t upload your own music directly to Beatport. You’ll have to either go through a record label or use a music distributor as an independent artist.

If you’re going down the distributor route, you’ll need to follow the instructions set out by your distributor for getting your music on Beatport, as the process can vary depending on the distributor you use.

How I chose these distributors

I’ve based my selection of the two distributors below on my personal experience and research. There are only a handful of distributors that provide distribution to Beatport, so the options are somewhat limited.

I personally use DistroKid — I’ve released more than 20 tracks on Beatport through DistroKid, so I have hands-on experience of the process and how it works. I haven’t personally released music through Ditto Music, but I have done plenty of research into it and have signed up for an account to get a feel for their onboarding process and dashboard.

DistroKid (best overall)

DistroKid is the music distributor I personally use as an independent artist and producer. One of the main reasons I decided to choose DistroKid is because it offers distribution to Beatport, which I feel is really important if you’re aiming to grow your presence as an electronic music artist.

Getting your music onto Beatport through DistroKid is very straightforward, but it does cost an additional monthly fee (at the time of writing, $8.99 per month), on top of your yearly DistroKid plan fee, so it’s important to be aware of this before signing up.

I’ve used DistroKid to get all of my releases onto Beatport, and I’ve made a few sales on there, which has been really cool to see. You can check out my Beatport artist profile page here.

If you’ve read any of my articles about music distributors before, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of DistroKid and continue to use it for all of my releases after making the decision to switch back in 2024. If you’re new to DistroKid, you can get a discount on your first year of the plan by signing up through the button below.

Ditto Music (best alternative)

Ditto Music is another solid option if you’re looking for a music distributor as an independent artist. Although I have not personally released music through Ditto, I have researched the platform and have signed up for an account to get a feel for the onboarding process and the dashboard.

Ditto offers Beatport distribution, but it works slightly differently from the DistroKid setup. Firstly, you’ll need a Ditto Music account with an active plan. You’ll then need to set up your own Beatport label through the Ditto website — and you’ll use this label to release your music on Beatport going forward (this is different to the DistroKid setup, where all releases are added to Beatport under the “DistroKid” label).

It’s my understanding that you’ll have to pay a one-off fee to set up Beatport distribution via Ditto, but you should check with their support team before committing, as I’m not fully certain of the current details.

I should point out that I don’t personally have any experience setting up a Beatport label through Ditto, but I do know that Ditto is a well-established distributor that’s been around since the mid-2000s.

What about other options?

The independent artists FAQ page on the official Beatport website offers more information and guidance on getting your music onto Beatport if you’re self-releasing your music. At the time of writing this article, that page lists DistroKid, MusicHub and TuneCore as three leading distributors that offer Beatport distribution at present, so there are some other options to consider.

Final thoughts and recommendation

If you make electronic dance music as an independent artist, then getting your music onto Beatport is a really important step when it comes to growing your presence.

As a melodic house music producer and artist, I use DistroKid for all of my releases, including Beatport distribution, and my experience with the whole process has been very positive overall — I’ve had no issues and have made a handful of sales on Beatport.

One drawback of using DistroKid is the fact that you’ll need to pay an additional monthly fee for Beatport distribution — this fee is charged as an add-on to your existing yearly DistroKid plan.

If you’re looking to learn how to actually get your music on Beatport through DistroKid, you can check out my separate article on exactly that topic.

Overall, I recommend DistroKid as the best option based on my experience, although Ditto also looks to be another solid choice.