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How It Works

Stem’s software takes the guesswork out of music distribution and payments so you can own your business and create more freely.

Apply for a Stem Direct membership.

We power artists and teams who have vision, traction, and experience releasing music.

  • Submit your application for review within 1 week.
  • Stem Direct is right for you if want a personal relationship with your distribution partner and need splits.
  • Our software allows you to fully customize your release, platforms, and territories.
  • Selectivity allows us to provide premium services to each artist.

Connect with a dedicated Stem Rep.

Each artist gets the full support of a dedicated, well-connected Stem Direct Rep with expertise in distribution and strategy.

  • Receive personalized guidance on your music pitching strategy, help with Metadata updates, live date or split changes, and answers to questions about your rollout strategy.
  • Create customized smart links and pre-saves created for each music release.
  • Be the first to know about community events.
  • Make connections — should you need creative services, your Stem Direct Rep can point you to the right people for your project.

Upload and distribute music.

Release your music onto major streaming platforms in as few as 5 business days — because that’s how it should be.

  • Set different live dates for different platforms.
  • Customize your release for each album or single.
  • Choose your distribution territories and platforms.

Set up master royalty splits.

Make sure everyone gets their piece of the pie, each month. Just tell us who gets what and we’ll take it from there.

  • Add each collaborator, their share percentage, and contact info to your upload.
  • Once everyone approves their share, we issue payment on the 15th of each month.
  • Split earnings with anyone — producers, songwriters, vocalists, promotional partners, etc.
  • Check out our publishing guide for a breakdown of key terms, types of licenses, and publishing deals.

Track revenue and data.

Make sure everybody knows what’s up. Give each collaborator access to their own individualized dashboard.

  • See personalized performance and revenue data.
  • Visualize data from each platform. Forget third parties.
  • Check out refreshed data on the 5th of each month.

Get paid each month.

You’ve done the work, now it’s time to get yours. Stem securely pays you and your team every month, like a paycheck.

  • There is a 60 day lag from when we gather finalized payments across all platforms. After that, payments are processed on the 15th of each month.
  • Choose between direct deposit or PayPal.
  • Expect payment to hit your account 3-4 days after processing, depending on your bank.

Sound good?

Fill out a membership application to get started.

Apply now