Welcome! It’s our first ever “Royalty Source of the Week” feature. In this new series, we’ll spotlight important players in the world of music monetization that independent catalogs need to know about.
We’re kicking off the series with Too Lost, a digital distributor that’s growing fast and turning heads. Got a favorite royalty source you want us to feature? Drop us a line!
The Basics: What is Too Lost
Too Lost is, first and foremost, a digital music distributor that lets artists and labels push their music out to streaming services and download platforms. Beyond digital distribution, Too Lost also offers:
- Publishing administration (via a partnership with BMG)
- In-depth analytics and insights
- Artist financing and royalty advances
- Copyright registration
- Social media usage tracking
Too Lost has one of the industry’s largest distribution networks, delivering to over 450 outlets (they claim it’s more than any other distributor). Their reach includes all the major streamers and stores you’d expect (like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, etc.) plus niche regional platforms across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.
What’s Their Story?
Too Lost was founded in 2019 by Gregory Hirschhorn (then just 21 years old) along with co-founders Alex Silverstein and Bjarki Lárusson. They spent their first year building the platform before publicly launching in 2020. As of mid-2024, Too Lost services over 300,000 artists and labels with a catalog exceeding 7 million songs, adding around 150,000 new tracks to its distribution network every month.
Too Lost’s approach emphasizes:
- Artist ownership (creators retain all rights)
- Transparency in analytics and payments
- Innovative tools that rival what labels offer
- Global reach for independent music
You can see this artist-first ethos in their independent ownership structure, too. They’ve never sold equity, so they answer to their users rather than external investors, major labels, or tech titans.
Who Should Consider Too Lost?
Too Lost serves independent artists looking to maintain ownership of their music and small to mid-sized independent labels. They work with artists at all stages, from new artists releasing their first tunes to established major acts.
Even though they’re on the newer side, Too Lost claims some impressive names on their roster, particularly in hip-hop and R&B, including Kanye West, Chief Keef, Teddy Swims, Tory Lanez, Pink Sweats, Lil Tjay, Surf Curse, and ILOVEMAKONNEN.
Unlike some competitors, Too Lost has no application process or exclusivity requirements. Anyone can sign up and use the service. However, they do implement a rigorous ID verification system during signup (you’ll need a government ID and a selfie) to prevent fraud.
- Prolific independent artists who benefit from the unlimited distribution model
- Artist-songwriters who want both recording and publishing royalty collection in one place
- Small labels and collectives that need tools for multiple artists
- Data-savvy creators who can leverage the extensive analytics to guide their strategy
- International artists who appreciate the global platform reach and local currency payments
How Much Does Too Lost Cost?
Too Lost operates on a subscription-based flat fee model:
- Approximately $20/year for unlimited releases from a single artist
- Around $35/year for unlimited releases from unlimited artists (ideal for labels or managers)
- Artists keep 100% of their royalties for basic distribution (no commission taken)
While the basic pricing is straightforward, there are some additional costs to be aware of:
- For publishing administration, they charge an industry-standard 15% commission
- Usage discovery feature (tracking music usage on social media): ~$1.50 per song per month
- Copyright registration service: $100 per registration
- $50 minimum payout threshold before withdrawals are possible
Too Lost’s pricing is competitive with DistroKid’s unlimited model but offers more comprehensive features. Compared to services that charge per release, like CD Baby or TuneCore, Too Lost can be much more economical for prolific artists.
What Sets Too Lost Apart?
Massive Reach, Speedy Distribution
Too Lost delivers music to over 450 digital stores and platforms worldwide, some with same-day delivery. That’s faster than many of their competitors that require days or weeks of advanced notice.
Publishing Administration
Too Lost offers publishing administration that registers compositions worldwide, collects songwriter royalties, and handles other publishing income streams for a 15% commission. This integration of master and publishing royalty collection in one platform is relatively unique among distributors.
Marketing Tools
Too Lost’s “Fan Blast” feature allows artists to send email campaigns to fan contacts they’ve collected. This tool helps artists build direct relationships with fans outside of social media’s algorithms. Artists can automatically email fans who have pre-saved their tracks or opted in via their links.
Analytics & Insights
Too Lost’s analytics dashboard really stands out from the competition. It aggregates data (from sources like Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, Instagram, etc.) and provides insights rarely seen on other platforms, such as skip rates, artificial stream detection, and the ability to monitor where music is being used across social media.
Artist Funding
For eligible artists based on streaming history, Too Lost offers automatic advance funding via their dashboard, high-limit advances (up to $1 million) via a partnership with beatBread, and custom label services deals for high-potential artists.
Does Infinite Catalog Work With Too Lost?
Getting Too Lost data into Infinite Catalog is a piece of cake, and you’d hardly be the first to do it! Lots of IC customers already do. It’s as easy as
- Export your sales reports from Too Lost’s dashboard
- Drag and drop into the Infinite Catalog data importer
IC automatically maps your Too Lost transactions to the tracks, albums, artists, and contracts to catalog (and makes it easy to identify new items that we haven’t seen before).
The Bottom Line
Too Lost has quickly established itself as a feature-rich, artist-friendly distribution platform with an impressive global reach. They’re still the new kids on the block compared to some of the industry heavyweights, but their combination of unlimited distribution, advanced analytics, integrated financing, and competitive pricing makes them an attractive pick for lots of independent artists and labels.