What is a DSP?
DSP stands for Digital Service Provider — the umbrella term for every platform that streams or sells music digitally: Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, Deezer, but also TikTok, Instagram and regional services like Boomplay or JioSaavn. When a distributor talks about its “DSP network”, it means the list of platforms it delivers to directly.
Why the size of the DSP network matters
Spotify usually accounts for the lion’s share of streams in a typical catalog — but far from the whole picture. Apple Music pays roughly double per stream, Tidal even more, and markets like Latin America, Africa or India run on their own platforms. A broad DSP network means your music earns everywhere, not just where you happen to look. OGRECORDS™ delivers to 38+ DSPs in over 240 territories — the full list is on /network.
DSP vs. store vs. social platform
Classic DSPs are streaming services with subscription or ad models (Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer). Download stores like iTunes or Beatport sell files. On top come UGC platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, which pay for music through licensing pools and systems like Content ID. A modern distributor covers all three categories with one upload.
How does my music get to the DSPs?
No DSP accepts music directly from individual artists — the path always goes through a distributor delivering via DDEX. You upload once; your distributor delivers to all selected DSPs, collects the earnings and pays out. At OGRECORDS™ you choose per release which platforms to deliver to — opt-out instead of a forced bundle.
Frequently asked questions
Is Spotify a DSP?
Yes — Spotify is the best-known DSP (Digital Service Provider). The term covers every platform offering music digitally: streaming services, download stores and social/UGC platforms with music licensing.
How many DSPs should my distributor deliver to?
The relevant global platforms (Spotify, Apple, Amazon, YouTube, Deezer, Tidal) plus the important regional services. OGRECORDS™ delivers to 38+ DSPs in 240+ territories — enough to cover practically every streaming market in the world.
Can I upload my music to Spotify directly?
No. Spotify shut down its own upload program in 2019 — the path goes through a distributor, which delivers your release to Spotify and all other DSPs at once via DDEX.
Do all DSPs pay the same per stream?
No, the ranges are wide: Spotify averages around $0.003–0.004 per stream, Apple Music around $0.008, Tidal around $0.01. The full overview with calculator is on /spotify-pro-stream.
Enough theory — get going.
You now know what happens between upload and stream. The release wizard handles the rest.
Release now →