What is Napster and how to upload your music free

From popularizing online file sharing, to transforming the music industry, here is everything you as an artist need to know about Napster.

Perhaps one of the most interesting back stories in the music streaming game, Napster has its roots in piracy and changed the shape of the industry to what it is today. Today, although fewer users than the big players, Napster has the features and catalog to keep up with the likes of Spotify and Apple Music. For independent artists and label managers, it’s important to ensure your music is live wherever your audience is. Reach more listeners by uploading to Napster today.

Click below to jump to one of the following:

• How to upload to Napster
• What is Napster?
  • How did Napster start?
  • The basic features of Napster
  • How many tracks are on Napster?
  • Napster subscription types
    • All Napster tiers compared
  • How to stream Napster
  • How does Napster compare with the competition?
• Artists
  • How to customize your Napster artist profile
  • How much does Napster pay-per-stream?
  • How to market your music with PUSH.fm
    • Smart Links
    • Statistics

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How to upload to Napster

Since 2020, 99Media has been partnered with Napster. Since then, we have seen the platform shift, grow and continue to support artists around the world. Many other distributors still don’t distribute to Napster, including DistroKid and Amuse.

Getting your music on to Napster and all of the other top stores and streaming services is free and easy when you distribute with RouteNote!

• Sign up to RouteNote.com
• Head to Distribution – Create New Release
• Fill out all of the required metadata, then upload your music and artwork
• In the Manage Stores page, tick Napster and any other stores you wish to distribute to
• Pick between Free or Premium Distribution

RouteNote Free has no upfront fees or recurring subscription cost. Artists keep 85% of the revenue. With RouteNote Premium, you keep 100% of the revenue generated. Premium has a small upfront fee and $9.99 annual cost. Labels and artists with an established audience should check out our All Access tier.

Unlike other distributors, features and stores remain the same regardless of the tier you choose. Whether distributing with our Free or Premium model, RouteNote artists always retain 100% of the rights to their music. You are free to switch any release to any tier and any time, or you can edit or remove a release entirely. It’s always your choice.

Once you’ve finalized your release, it will be sent to our moderation team. Each release is checked by a human for formatting and copyright errors. They aim to get to your release within 72 hours of it being sent in, however times can extend during busy periods.

After approval, your release will be promptly sent to Napster, who usually gets music live within 7 days. If after 14 days you still can’t see your music on Napster, drop us a message with your release UPC.

Statistics and earnings are reported from most stores 45 days after the close of each month. This means, if your music is streamed in January, you will see the statistics and earnings appear on your RouteNote account from the 15th of March. However for Napster, this is extended to 75 days after the close of each month. Meaning this data and money will appear in the following month’s (April in this example) report.

Napster’s technology powers various other services. When you distribute to Napster, your music will also be sent to the following partners:

Statistics for these stores will be included under Napster’s earnings.