This article was written in collaboration with DistroKid, a company that Ari’s Take is proud to be partnering with.
DistroKid, the world’s largest distributor of music, today announced the launch of Direct — a new direct-to-fan platform that expands the company’s offerings beyond audio and video distribution. Direct gives independent artists an easy, integrated way to create an online store and start selling merch in minutes, with no extra setup or overhead, all within the DistroKid experience.
At launch, Direct makes it effortless to turn album or single artwork into custom t-shirts, tote bags and mugs, produced on demand and shipped automatically to fans around the world. Artists can open their store in minutes, set their own prices, and keep 100% of their earnings. The feature is currently rolling out in beta to select artists, with a wider release in the upcoming weeks.
“Direct is one more way DistroKid helps artists at every step — before, during, and after they release music,” said Matthew Ogle, Chief Product Officer. “We’re building simple tools that let artists share what they create, from music to merch and beyond, and connect directly with the people who care about them most.”
“DistroKid’s new Direct store makes that process seamless,” said Devin Gray, jazz musician and DistroKid member. “It takes the stress out of designing, setting up, and shipping merch, so I can focus on creating music.”
Singer/songwriter Raye Zaragoza commented, “DistroKid just gave indie artists the freedom to run a full-scale merch store without needing to personally front the money or the space for the inventory. It’s also more sustainable since you are only printing what is ordered. Not to mention DistroKid giving artists 100% of the earnings.”
Los Angeles–based singer/songwriter Jeddy Knox said, “I’d always wanted to launch merch, but it all felt too complicated to manage. DistroKid made it easy, though – I chose my artwork, picked the products, and my store was live within minutes. It made the whole process fast and painless.”
Direct is available to DistroKid artists for less than $6 per month, with artists keeping 100% of every sale. Built on the technology infrastructure developed by Bandzoogle, the industry leading direct-to-fan platform DistroKid acquired in 2023, Direct will expand over the coming months with more merch options plus new ways for artists to interact directly with their audience. To learn more, visit distrokid.com/direct.
