Audio engineer marketplace EngineEars has launched a new distribution service, EngineEars Direct, which enables artists to upload music directly to all major digital service providers through its platform.
The feature is powered by EMPIRE‘s white label distribution platform, Supply Chain.
The new offering marks a significant expansion for EngineEars, which its founder, multiple Grammy-winning audio engineer Derek “MixedByAli” Ali, says represents the company entering “phase two” of its development.
In a video introducing the new feature, EngineEars CEO Derek Ali said that when he launched the company, its “mission was simple: to build the music industry’s first true operating system for music creators”.
EngineEars raised $7.5 million in seed funding in February 2024, led by VC firm Drive Capital, with participation from 645 Ventures, as well as existing investors Slauson & Co. and FLÜS Investment Group (the venture arm of SALxCO).
Other investors in the startup include Kendrick Lamar, EMPIRE founder and CEO Ghazi, Alex da Kid, Roddy Ricch, Mustard, and more.
The platform initially focused on what Ali describes as “phase one” – providing audio engineers and studio owners with tools for instant booking, file sharing, transparent payments, and project management.
EngineEars positions itself as a comprehensive browser-based platform enabling artists to hire engineers, schedule recording sessions, run promotional campaigns via SymphonyOS integration, and now handle music distribution.
EngineEars Direct, accessible through the EngineEars platform, uses Supply Chain’s white label technology to let artists release music to over 350 streaming platforms while retaining 100% of their earnings.
Artists can now “book recording sessions, get your songs mixed and mastered, sell direct to your fans right on your engineer’s profile, and now distribute unlimited releases,” Ali said in the video.
The new distro service includes real-time analytics showing how music performs across platforms, tools to launch advertising campaigns, built-in CRM functionality for managing fan relationships, and detailed “artist playbooks” offering step-by-step guidance on release strategies.
“This is more than a product launch. It’s a continuation of our mission to give music creators the power, control, and transparency they’ve always deserved.”
Derek ‘MixedByAli’ Ali
“Derek and the EngineEars team have built an incredible platform for engineers, artists and consumers to collaborate and promote their music worldwide,” Ghazi Shami told Billboard. “We are happy to provide a robust white label distribution platform in Supply Chain for all creativity to thrive.”
EngineEars enters a competitive independent distribution space dominated by the likes of TuneCore, DistroKid, UnitedMasters, and more, betting that its end-to-end approach, from booking studio time to digital distribution, will appeal to artists seeking a unified workflow within one platform.
“This is more than a product launch. It’s a continuation of our mission to give music creators the power, control, and transparency they’ve always deserved,” Ali said in the video, adding that his team remains committed to “building the tools that make [the] music industry more equitable, connected, and creative first.”
MixedByAli (aka Derek Ali), is a multiple Grammy-winning audio engineer who has worked with Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Killer Mike, Childish Gambino, Nipsey Hussle and others.
EngineEars raised its first $1 million in 2021.Music Business Worldwide
