Distributing to 50+ DSPs manually with no unified metadata layer?
Revenue reports from each store in a different format that takes days to reconcile?
Music Distribution Software Development
Distributing music to 50 or more DSPs manually -- preparing metadata packages for each store, chasing delivery confirmations, reconciling revenue reports in different formats -- is operational work that scales badly. Every new release adds to the burden. Every new store adds a new format to reconcile.
RaftLabs builds custom digital music distribution platforms that automate DSP delivery, manage metadata at scale, schedule releases with territory controls, and aggregate revenue from every store into one report. Built for labels and distributors who have outgrown manual processes.
DSP delivery pipeline to Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and more
Metadata management and ISRC/UPC handling across your full catalog
Release scheduling with territory and date controls per store
Revenue aggregation from all stores into one normalised report
RaftLabs builds custom digital music distribution software for labels and distributors. This includes DSP delivery pipelines to Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and 40+ stores, metadata management with ISRC and UPC handling, release scheduling with territory and date controls, and revenue aggregation from all stores into one normalised report. A focused distribution dashboard typically costs $20,000 to $50,000. A full distribution platform costs $40,000 to $100,000.
100+Software products shipped
·FixedCost delivery
·10-14Week delivery cycles
·24+Industries served
Distribution software built for the scale and complexity of modern music delivery
Music distribution is a data problem. Each DSP has its own metadata requirements, delivery format, and ingestion timeline. A release that is correctly delivered to Spotify may be rejected by Apple Music because a field is formatted differently. Revenue reports come back weeks later in formats that are incompatible with each other. Reconciling what you earned against what each store claims you earned is manual work that takes days.
A custom distribution platform solves this by creating one standardised internal representation of a release -- the metadata, the audio files, the rights information, the release schedule -- and handling the translation to each DSP's requirements as an automated step. Revenue data comes back from each store and is normalised into one format before it reaches your reporting layer. The operational burden of managing 50 DSP relationships is reduced to reviewing exceptions, not processing every delivery manually.
We build distribution platforms for independent labels, multi-label distributors, and rights management companies. The architecture is designed for your catalog volume, your deal structure, and the number of DSPs you need to reach.
What we build
DSP delivery pipeline
We build automated delivery pipelines that package your releases in the format each DSP requires and deliver them via DDEX, FTP, API, or the store's preferred ingestion method. Delivery status is tracked per store -- confirmed, processing, live -- so you know where each release stands without checking each store's portal. Failed deliveries are flagged with the specific rejection reason so they can be corrected and redelivered quickly. New DSP integrations can be added without rebuilding the core pipeline.
Music metadata management
We build metadata management tools that store track and release metadata in a normalised internal format and translate it into each DSP's required schema at delivery time. ISRC codes are assigned and tracked per recording. UPC barcodes are assigned per release. Metadata fields that differ between stores -- genre taxonomies, parental advisory formats, contributor credit structures -- are mapped automatically. Metadata corrections made in the platform propagate to stores that accept updates without a full redelivery.
Release scheduling and territory control
We build release scheduling tools where you set the release date per territory and per store, with embargo controls so a release goes live at midnight in each territory rather than at one global time. Pre-save and pre-order links are generated before the release date. Territory exclusions and store exclusions are set per release. Schedule changes made after submission are tracked and sent as amendments to stores that accept them. The scheduling layer gives your team control over the global release window without managing each store separately.
Revenue reporting aggregation
We build the aggregation layer that pulls revenue reports from each DSP -- Spotify for Artists, Apple Music for Artists, Amazon Music, and others -- normalises the data into one consistent format, and loads it into your reporting database. Currency conversion, streaming rate calculations, and territory-level breakdowns are handled in the aggregation step. The output is one revenue dataset your finance and royalty teams work from, not 40 separate spreadsheets in different formats.
Label and artist dashboard
We build dashboards where labels see release status, delivery confirmations, and revenue performance across their full roster. Artists see their own releases, their streaming numbers by territory, and their revenue statements. Access is role-based -- labels see everything, artists see their own catalog only, sub-labels see their own roster within the parent structure. The dashboard is the single interface for release management, not a supplement to manual store portals.
Content ID and rights registration
We build integrations with YouTube Content ID and rights registration systems so your sound recordings are claimed across user-uploaded content on the day of release, not weeks later. Rights registration data -- ISRC, rights holder splits, territory availability -- flows from the same metadata record used for DSP delivery so there is no separate data entry step. Content ID claim reports are pulled into the same revenue aggregation layer as DSP revenue so your YouTube earnings are visible alongside streaming revenue.
Frequently asked questions
Each DSP has its own ingestion method and required format. Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon use variations of the DDEX standard -- an XML-based format for music metadata and asset delivery. Some stores accept delivery via secure FTP, others via API. The delivery pipeline packages the audio file and the metadata XML, delivers them to the store's ingestion endpoint, and then polls for a status response. Some stores confirm delivery within hours, others take days. We build a delivery tracking layer that monitors each submission and surfaces exceptions -- rejections, delayed confirmations, or missing stores -- so your operations team sees the status without logging into each store's portal.
Yes to all three. ISRC is the International Standard Recording Code -- a unique identifier for each sound recording. UPC is the barcode for a release. DDEX is the data exchange standard used by most major DSPs for metadata and asset delivery. We store ISRC and UPC in the platform's metadata layer and use them as the primary identifiers when building DDEX packages for delivery. If you have existing ISRC codes from a previous distributor, we import them. If you need new codes, we handle assignment. DDEX version support -- ERN 3.8 and ERN 4.1 are the current standards -- is configured per store based on what each store accepts.
Yes. Multi-label architecture is a standard requirement for distributors. The platform's data model supports a parent distributor account with multiple label accounts beneath it, each with their own catalog, their own roster, and their own revenue reporting. Sub-labels can have their own user accounts with access restricted to their catalog only. Revenue and royalty reporting can be generated at the label level or consolidated at the distributor level. Royalty splits between the distributor and each label are applied at the reporting stage based on your deal terms.
A focused distribution dashboard -- DSP delivery to the major stores, metadata management, and revenue aggregation into one report -- typically costs $20,000 to $50,000 and delivers in 10 to 14 weeks. A full distribution platform with multi-label support, territory scheduling controls, Content ID integration, and a label and artist dashboard typically costs $40,000 to $100,000. The range depends on the number of DSP integrations, the complexity of your metadata requirements, and whether you need multi-label support from the start. We scope the project before pricing it.
Talk to us about your music distribution platform.
Tell us how many DSPs you are delivering to, where the manual work is piling up, and what your catalog volume looks like. We will scope a distribution platform built around your operation.
