Comparison
ARS vs DistroKid
DistroKid is a music distributor — it puts your songs on Spotify and Apple Music, and that's where it stops. ARS is the business behind the music: the place where the fans, the money, the store, and the merch actually live. If Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube shut down tomorrow, where do your fans go?
The short answer
Pick DistroKid if all you need is music delivered to streaming platforms. Pick ARS if you want to own the fans, run your own store, keep the merch revenue, and track every dollar an independent artist earns — from every source, not just streams.
| Feature | ARS | DistroKid |
|---|---|---|
| Own your fan list (name, email, phone) | Yes | No |
| Direct-to-fan store with your own checkout | Yes | No |
| Print-on-demand merch fulfillment built in | Yes | No |
| Revenue tracking across every source | Streaming, merch, live, tips, sponsorship, licensing | Streaming only |
| Two-way fan wall (post + fan replies) | Yes | No |
| QR ticketing for shows | Yes | No |
| Music distribution to DSPs | Coming — bring your own distributor today | Yes |
| Cross-post to Instagram / TikTok / YouTube | Yes | No |
| Tip jar / direct fan support | Yes | No |
| Sponsorship deal tracking | Yes | No |
Own the fans
A distributor delivers your music to someone else's platform — the listener belongs to Spotify, not you. On ARS every signup gives you the fan's name, email, and phone, so you can reach the people who care with no algorithm in the way.
Own the revenue
Streaming royalties are a small slice of an independent artist's income. ARS tracks merch, live shows, sponsorship, tips, licensing, and streaming in one ledger — and your store checkout runs through your own Stripe, so ARS never touches your money.
Use both
This isn't either/or. Keep DistroKid for distribution and let ARS be your command center: the store, the fan list, the tickets, the tips, and the ledger that shows you the whole picture. Distribution gets you heard. ARS makes sure being heard turns into a business.
Ready to run your own show?
Free to set up. No cut of your fan revenue.
Also see: ARS vs UnitedMasters