NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) – DistroKid, the world’s largest distributor of independent music, has announced that its founder, Philip Kaplan, will be stepping down as CEO and taking on the role of Chairman. Phil Bauer, who previously served as the company’s Chief Operating Officer, will take over as President with immediate effect.
According to DistroKid, its platform is used by over 2 million artists, and it distributes an estimated 30-40% of all new music in the world. The company also claims to be “the easiest way for musicians to get music into Spotify,” having distributed over 45 million songs.
The leadership change at DistroKid comes at a time when indie distro services are facing potential challenges from new “artist-centric” royalty policies at music streaming platforms. Spotify, for instance, is introducing a suite of new policies aimed at tackling streaming fraud and introducing a minimum payment threshold, which could impact DIY distro services disproportionately.
While DistroKid has diversified its offerings outside of music distribution in recent years, its core business model remains rooted in unlimited music distribution for a monthly fee.
Commenting on the news, Kaplan said, “I’m excited about this next era and to help support Phil and continue contributing toward DistroKid’s innovation, culture, and progress.” Bauer added that he was “honored to become DistroKid’s President and humbled by the trust and confidence Philip is showing in me and our talented team.”
Over the last year, DistroKid introduced a number of updates to its platform, including mobile apps for iOS and Android, Mixea, an AI-powered mastering tool, and DistroVid, a service that lets users upload music videos to Apple Music, Tidal, and Vevo.
