Spinnup offering free digital distribution in May

Spinnup, which is owned by Universal Music Group, shared the news with Music Business Worldwide yesterday.

The promotion will see music from independent artists distributed globally to streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and Tidal, among others.

All artists who use the service will get to keep 100% of their copyright and royalties, in accordance with the platform's usual business model. A one or two track single upload through Spinnup would usually cost users €9.99 (about $11) per year.

“It is more important than ever for us to support our artists,” Spinnup general manager Nina Usher said. “We know how isolating it can be as an independent artist, and that’s true without the added pressure of lockdown. From day one, we wanted to create a collaborative platform, fully supporting our artists as they channel their energy into creativity, into music. We are pleased that right now, we are able to help them do that free.”

In March, Spinnup launched Creators United, a campaign designed to inspire artists and maintain the momentum by providing advice, support and a sense of community.

As part of the campaign, a number of initiatives have been introduced around the world including Lockdown With Spinnup, a daily livestream series that provides Spinnup artists in the UK a platform to perform live and reach new audiences. A Spinnup Community Facebook group, among other initiatives, has also been created to support artists during the lockdown.

Spinnup, which was created to discover emerging talent, originally launched in Sweden in 2013. The platform has worked with more than 80 artists who have gone on to sign to Universal labels like Def Jam, Island, Virgin EMI and Interscope Geffen A&M, among others.

Interested artists can sign up on Spinnup’s official website.