DIY music distributor TuneCore and parent company, Paris-based Believe, have revealed that over 340 artists have been upstreamed to Believe and its labels as part of the ongoing Signed By program between the two companies.

Artists who release their music through TuneCore, and are identified as rising stars, are eligible to be upstreamed.

Elsewhere in the DIY distribution market, Universal Music Group-owned TuneCore rival Spinnup has upstreamed over 80 artists to UMG labels.

DistroKid launched its own Upstream service in January but is yet to reveal any stats for the service, which was described at the time as the “world’s first matchmaking service connecting unsigned artists and record labels”.

In the media release formally announcing the program, Believe states that, through its Label and Artist Solutions (L&AS) and Artist Services, it can provide global support for TuneCore artists whose careers have reached a level where additional “services and solutions will propel their growth forward”.

Those services include digital distribution, marketing, “data-driven technology”, artist development and release planning.

The 340-plus artists cited as having been upstreamed from TuneCore to Believe, have also been signed by Believe brands including Nuclear Blast, Naïve, All Points, Groove Attack, PIVTL Projects and more. 

Artists who have been signed by Believe include Trillary Banks, a UK rapper joined TuneCore in 2017, with the single Come Over Mi Yard.  Banks was subsequently moved up to Believe in 2020.

Believe says that her monthly listeners on Spotify have doubled since then, with similar numbers across other digital streaming and download platforms. 

Another case study of an upstreamed independent act cited by Believe is French artist Landy, who began releasing music through TuneCore in 2017.

He reached a “critical mass” two years later, and was then signed by Believe, where he released his album ASSA BAING in March 2019, which reached Gold in two months.

Landy’s latest album A ONE was released by Believe in December 2020, went gold in 10 weeks and Believe says that it is

His online following has also since grown to 1.5 million Spotify monthly listeners, 576,000 YouTube subscribers and 270m cumulative views on his YouTube channel.

“The acceleration of artists’ careers through our multi-faceted solution speaks to the success of this program.”

Denis Ladegaillerie, Believe

Denis Ladegaillerie, Believe CEO, said: “Believe and TuneCore are artist-first, solution-driven digital music companies whose central tenet is to serve artists at all stages of their careers and development.

“Because of the symbiotic nature of our businesses, we are able to identify emerging talent early on through TuneCore and then further develop and support the artists journey with Believe L&AS and Artist Services.

“The acceleration of artists’ careers through our multi-faceted solution speaks to the success of this program.”

“As artists are building their careers, TuneCore provides tools and solutions for artists at scale, including our ground-breaking TuneCore Rewards program.”

Andreea Gleeson, TuneCore

Andreea Gleeson, Co-head and Chief Revenue Officer of TuneCore, said: “As artists are building their careers, TuneCore provides tools and solutions for artists at scale, including our ground-breaking TuneCore Rewards program.

“When they start to gain traction, TuneCore is able to move the artist to the appropriate support system, whether that’s Believe L&AS, Artist Services or its house of brands.

“We’re the only digital music company who has a system like this in place, where artists work within one transparent ecosystem and maintain their masters and creative control throughout.”

Trillary Banks said:  “At the start, I just wanted to make my music available on streaming platforms and TuneCore allowed me to do this.

“Believe added further structure and aided my release strategy whilst helping increase my listenership. Believe are the most responsive and supportive team I know… really good people.”

TuneCore parent Believe officially went public on Thursday, June 10, debuting on the Paris Euronext that morning.

The company floated 14.35% of its equity via its IPO, raising €300 million in the process.Music Business Worldwide