Free Music Distribution in Ireland 2027: The Complete Guide

2026-11-15 · 7 min de lectura

Irish artists can still release music free in 2027 through commission plans like RouteNote Free, which keeps 15%. It is worth doing right: IRMA counted 13.2 billion audio streams in Ireland in 2025. Join IMRO, which has no joining fee, and RAAP, which is free, because distributors do not collect those royalties.

Irish music is having a moment at home. Homegrown artists are taking a bigger slice of what people stream, and the organisations that collect royalties for writers and performers are growing. If you are releasing your own music from Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick or anywhere else in Ireland in 2027, you can still get it onto the big streaming services without paying upfront. This guide covers the free routes, how euros reach your account, and the Irish organisations you register with yourself.

Ireland's market in numbers

According to IRMA's annual figures, published on 9 January 2026, Ireland racked up 13.2 billion audio streams in 2025, up 6% on 2024. Irish artists accounted for 22 of the 100 most-streamed songs of the year, just over a fifth. In other words, local listeners are actively choosing local acts, which makes getting your release and your registrations right worth the effort. Spotify and YouTube Music both list Ireland on their official availability pages.

Royalties in Ireland: IMRO, RAAP and PPI

A distributor collects what streaming stores pay for your recordings. It does not register your songs or your performances with Irish societies. Those are three separate doors.

IMRO (your songs)

IMRO represents songwriters, composers and music publishers. Its FAQ says "There is no joining fee", and to apply you need at least one original work that has been publicly performed, broadcast or released in a commercial recording, plus evidence such as release details or broadcast logs. IMRO is growing fast: it reported on 10 June 2026 a record €57.1 million in revenue for 2025, more than 30,000 members and 5,139 new members admitted during the year.

RAAP (your performances)

RAAP (Recorded Artists Actors Performers) is a not-for-profit that collects airplay royalties for performers. Membership is free, and both featured artists and session musicians should register if their recordings are broadcast or played in public. RAAP pays Irish royalties in May or June and foreign royalties in December, based on the previous year's airplay. Payments under €40 are held until you reach the minimum, and Irish airplay can be backdated three years.

PPI (the record company side)

RAAP describes PPI as the organisation owned by record companies that administers their public performance, broadcasting and reproduction rights, and it points members to PPI for ISRC codes. If you self-release and own your masters, you are effectively the record company, so look into PPI as well.

Writer, performer, label: as an independent Irish artist you might be all three, and each role has its own registration.

The free distribution options that work from Ireland

In 2026 the list of truly free distributors is short; most well-known services now charge a yearly fee. Below are the options we could confirm on official pages today, with press-reported terms marked as such.

Option	Model	What you keep	Where it goes	Payout
RouteNote Free	Free, commission on earnings	85% of net income	Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, YouTube Music, Deezer, TIDAL and more; YouTube Content ID at no charge where eligible	US$50 minimum; PayPal, bank transfer or Payoneer; paid between the 15th and 20th of each month
SoundOn (TikTok)	Free (press report, May 2026)	100% on TikTok and CapCut; 100% for 12 months on other stores, then 90%	TikTok, CapCut and other streaming stores	Not published in the source
Audiomack AMP	Free direct upload, Audiomack only	50% of revenue per stream, once your account is verified and your country is eligible	Audiomack only	Via Tipalti, 90 days in arrears
Bandcamp	Free store, direct sales to fans	85% of digital sales (90% after US$5,000 in 12 months), 90% of physical, minus payment-processor fees (usually 4-6%)	Your own Bandcamp page	Not stated in the fees article

With early releases, a 15% commission usually costs less than a subscription. Revisit the decision once your streams pick up.

For contrast, these are the cheapest paid tiers we could confirm on official pages today: Ditto Starter at US$19 a year (100% to the artist), Amuse Artist at US$23.99 a year, TuneCore Rising Artist at US$24.99 a year, SoundCloud Artist at US$39 a year (two distributed tracks a month), and RouteNote Premium, which charges US$10 per single and US$9.99 a year per release from year two in exchange for 100% of income. Amuse states that if a plan lapses your music stays live but it keeps 25%. ONErpm says its self-service Emerging tier has no registration, annual or upload fees, but in 2026 there are contradictory reports about whether sign-up is open to everyone, so check its site before you plan around it.

How to get paid in Ireland

PayPal's official Payouts country table, the system many distributors use, lists Ireland with "send, receive, and withdraw". RouteNote pays via PayPal, bank transfer or Payoneer once you reach US$50. Because distributors usually report in US dollars, the money is converted to euros at some point, so compare the rate each method gives you.

Royalties are generally taxable income. Your obligations depend on your situation, so check Revenue or an accountant. This guide is not tax advice.

Platforms that matter in Ireland

Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube Music: where the 13.2 billion streams happen.
Irish radio: the source of RAAP and IMRO airplay income, so register before you pitch stations.
Bandcamp: a good home for trad, folk and experimental releases sold directly to fans.
TikTok and Instagram: where many new Irish acts first find listeners at home and abroad.

Ireland's scenes run from traditional and folk music to singer-songwriters, indie, rap and electronic. The paperwork is the same for all of them, and it is all free to join.

Your first release in 2027, step by step

Prepare a streaming master with our guide to mastering a song for streaming.
Pick your distributor using the table and our distributor checklist.
Upload four weeks early and pitch to Spotify editorial.
Apply to IMRO once the song is released, performed or broadcast.
Register with RAAP as a performer, and look into PPI if you own the master.
Send the track to Irish radio with clean credits.

Common mistakes Irish artists make

Assuming the distributor handles IMRO or RAAP. It does not.
Not registering session players. RAAP says session musicians should register too.
Waiting too long: RAAP can backdate Irish airplay three years, not forever.
Uploading through two distributors, which creates duplicates and Content ID clashes.

When to move to a paid plan

When your yearly commission is bigger than the cheapest yearly plan, upgrade. Our distribution comparison and free distribution guide go deeper, and if you also release or gig across the water, read our UK guide on PRS and PPL.

When a release starts to gain traction, funding usually becomes the bottleneck. Be Fun, based in Medellín, Colombia, co-invests in artists with traction without taking their masters.

Tell us about your project in the Be Fun chat.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free to join IMRO?

Yes. IMRO's FAQ says there is no joining fee. You need at least one original work that has been publicly performed, broadcast or commercially released.

What does RAAP pay for?

Airplay of recordings you performed on, in Ireland and abroad. Membership is free; Irish payments go out in May or June and foreign payments in December.

Is there a minimum payment at RAAP?

Yes. RAAP holds payments under €40 until you reach the minimum, and Irish airplay can be backdated three years.

Can I get distributor payments in Ireland?

PayPal's Payouts table lists Ireland as able to send, receive and withdraw. RouteNote also pays by bank transfer and Payoneer from US$50.

Sources

Updated: November 2026. Written by Juan Álvarez, co-founder of Be Fun (Medellín, Colombia).