DistroKid artists gained the ability to upload as many music videos as they want to Spotify using the DistroVid tool, the distributor announced on Wednesday (June 25).
“We’re excited to now include Spotify as a destination,” Phil Bauer, president of DistroKid, said in a statement. “I’m so impressed by how seamlessly video has been integrated — listeners can instantly switch between the music video and audio track with a single tap, making it feel like a native, fluid part of the Spotify experience.”
Spotify has been testing music videos for premium listeners in close to 100 markets — but not in the U.S. yet.
DistroKid began testing DistroVid in 2022, launching it officially that June with an initial list of partners that included Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal and Vevo. The feature costs artists $99 a year; they keep 100% of any earnings.
“Many streaming services have begun playing music videos, in addition to audio, which has been great for listeners and major label artists,” DistroKid founder/CEO Philip Kaplan said at the time of DistroVid’s launch. “But up until now there hasn’t been a great way for independent artists to get their music videos into these services.” The new tool aimed to make it “super easy and affordable for independent artists to get their music videos everywhere.”
Spotify has been testing its own music video experience since March 2024, starting in markets like the U.K., Germany, Brazil, Colombia, the Philippines and Indonesia.
“So many times in my own experience and for countless others, music videos play a key role in hooking you: taking you from being a listener to leaning in and becoming a fan,” Charlie Hellman, vice president and head of music product at Spotify, said in a blog post announcing the beta testing.
“They’re an important part of so many artists’ tool kits,” he added, “and it’s a natural fit for them to live in the same place that more than half a billion people choose to listen to music.”
