In short
- "Music distribution" means two different things in Israel: media distribution (radio, press, music sites) and digital distribution (Spotify, Apple Music). Most artists need both.
- Distributing a single to Israeli media costs anywhere from free to 1,320 ILS before VAT, depending on the service. See the comparison table.
- Almost every service asks for the same materials: a WAV file, cover art, a press release, credits and photos.
- No service can guarantee airplay. The decision always belongs to the editors, which is why knowing what happened after the send matters.
- With Plugger, distributing a song costs 199 ILS, every send goes through a human check, and you see in real time who opened and who downloaded.
In this guide
What does music distribution actually mean?
In Israel, the term "music distribution" (hafatzat muzika) is used for two completely different things, and most of the confusion in this field starts here. Someone searching for "single distribution" usually means radio and press. Someone searching for "digital music distribution" means Spotify. These are two separate tracks, with different providers and different prices.
Media distribution
Also called: single distribution, radio distribution
The song is sent to the people who decide what gets played and covered: music editors, radio presenters, culture reporters, music sites and blogs.
- The goal
- Radio airplay, coverage, interviews.
- Who does it
- Distribution services such as Linktone, Patiphon, MySong and Plugger, PR agencies, or you yourself.
Digital distribution
Also called: streaming distribution, store distribution
The song goes up on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and the other streaming services, through a digital distributor.
- The goal
- So the audience can listen to the song, and so you collect royalties on the streams.
- Who does it
- International digital distributors such as DistroKid, TuneCore and CD Baby, or a paid add-on at some of the Israeli distribution services.
The two tracks do not replace each other. A song that reached radio but is not on Spotify misses the audience, and a song that is on Spotify but never reached an editor misses the media. This guide focuses on media distribution, with a separate chapter on digital distribution.
How to distribute a single to radio and press, step by step
The process is similar at almost every service, and also if you do everything yourself.
Finish the song and the materials
Final master, cover art, press release and credits. A song sent with missing materials looks unfinished, even when it is excellent. The full list is below.
Set a release date and upload to digital distribution
So the song is available on streaming the day the media hears about it, upload it to your digital distributor in advance. Spotify asks to receive a song at least seven days before release, so its editors have time to listen.
Choose a route to the media
A distribution service, a PR agency, or sending it yourself. The differences are the price, the size and quality of the contact list, and what you get to see after the send.
The song goes out to media contacts
Usually as a single song page that holds everything: listening, downloading the broadcast file, cover art, photos, press release and credits. Media people receive materials digitally today, and no physical disc is needed.
Check what happened
Who opened, who listened, who downloaded. Not every service shows the same data, and that is one of the important differences between them.
Keep working the song
Distribution is a starting point, not a finish line. Share the song page on social media, reach out personally to the people you know, and plan the next single.
What to prepare before distributing a single
Almost every distribution service will ask you for the same materials. Tick off what is ready, the list is saved in your browser.
How much does distributing a single cost in Israel? A price comparison
We collected the published prices of the media distribution services operating in Israel. Some services publish prices before VAT and some including it, so the VAT status is noted next to every price. All prices are in Israeli shekels (ILS).
| Service | Price per single | EP, album and bundles | Notable | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linktone | Price per single 1,320 ILS Before VAT (about 1,558 ILS incl. VAT) | EP, album and bundlesEP up to 6 tracks: 1,950 ILS. Album up to 12 tracks: 2,250 ILS. Bundles of 3 to 5 singles: 910 to 950 ILS each. | NotableSong page, a weekly newsletter to the industry, listening and download data. | SourceIndependent comparison, April 2026 |
| Patiphon | Price per single 1,050 ILS Before VAT (about 1,239 ILS incl. VAT) | EP, album and bundlesTwo singles: 1,800 ILS. Three singles: 2,400 ILS. | NotableOperating since 2008, personal assistance, a weekly roundup to the media. | SourceIndependent comparison, April 2026 |
| MySong | Price per single about 750 ILS Including VAT | EP, album and bundlesAlbum: about 1,399 ILS including VAT. | NotablePart of the Media Forest group, real-time exposure tracking, airplay monitoring as a paid add-on. | SourceThe service's own site |
| Promee | Price per single 550 ILS Including VAT | EP, album and bundlesEP: 850 ILS. Album: 1,290 ILS. Streaming distribution add-on: 79 ILS per release. | NotableAirplay monitoring, genre-based distribution, optional streaming distribution. | SourceIndependent comparison, April 2026 |
| DropBoss | Price per single 499 to 699 ILS VAT not stated | EP, album and bundlesDropLite at 499 ILS, PremiumDrop at 699 ILS. | NotableA feed for media professionals, a 15-second highlight, direct feedback from media. | SourceThe service's own site |
| Geminair | Price per single 350 ILS VAT not stated | EP, album and bundlesAlbum up to 20 songs: 799 ILS. | NotableRecords and documents radio plays, real-time analytics. | SourceThe service's own site |
| PluggerThat's us | Price per single 199 ILS VAT not stated | EP, album and bundlesA one-time payment per send, no subscription. | NotableA human check on every send, real-time open and download tracking, a smart link for every song. | SourceOur pricing page |
| OZEN.RUN | Price per single Free No charge | EP, album and bundlesFree for every release type. | NotableAn artist site, a send-to-radio button, an analytics page. | SourceIndependent comparison, April 2026 |
- Linktone, Patiphon, Promee and OZEN.RUN prices are taken from an independent comparison published by Shir Aloni in April 2026 (in Hebrew). MySong, DropBoss and Geminair prices are taken from their own websites, as checked on 17 September 2026. Plugger's price is from our pricing page.
- Amounts shown in brackets as "incl. VAT" were calculated by us at the 18% Israeli VAT rate.
- Prices in this field change. Confirm with each provider before you pay.
The gap between the most expensive service and the cheapest paid one is more than a factor of 6 for the same basic job: getting the song in front of media people. A high price usually reflects years in the market, the reach of the list and relationships. A low price does not mean a lesser service, but it is worth checking exactly what is included.
Linktone or Patiphon?
These are the two veteran services in the market. Patiphon has operated since 2008, and Linktone describes itself as the leading platform in Israel. Both are priced above 1,000 ILS per single before VAT, and both benefit from long familiarity with media people. If the budget allows, they are established choices. If you are just starting out, there are now alternatives at a far lower price.
How to choose a distribution service: six questions to ask
Price is only one of the questions. These are the ones worth asking any service before you pay.
Who is on the list?
Music editors, presenters, journalists, music sites. Also ask when the list was last updated, because media people change roles and addresses.
What will you see after the send?
Opens, listens, downloads, or just a confirmation that the song went out. Without data you have no way of knowing whether the distribution worked.
Does anyone check the send before it goes out?
A mistake in the file, a credit or a link reaches the whole list at once. A human check before sending prevents that.
Will the song reach the people it fits?
A religious song, a Mediterranean pop song and an indie song do not belong on the same stations. Check whether sends are matched by genre and by station character.
What are you left with?
A song page you can keep sharing after the distribution is worth more than a file that was sent and disappeared.
What is the final price?
Including VAT, and including extras such as airplay monitoring or streaming distribution, which some services price separately.
You can also do it yourself: DIY distribution and PR
You can distribute a song without any service. Find the music editor's email address at each station, write a short personal note, and attach a link to a page or folder with all the materials (not heavy files inside the email). It is free, and a good personal approach still works: in the independent comparison mentioned above, the author reports from her own experience that a personal email is the most effective way to get plays and responses.
The price is time. Building a contact list is long work, the list goes stale quickly, and you have no way of knowing whether the email was opened. At the other end are PR agencies, which handle both the outreach and the follow-up for you. According to the same comparison, prices there range from 1,500 to 10,000 ILS.
A distribution service sits in the middle: a ready list and a single send, at a fraction of a PR agency's price. See how Plugger does it.
Digital distribution: Spotify, Apple Music and the rest of streaming
For a song to appear on Spotify or Apple Music you need a digital distributor. You cannot upload a song to those services directly. The well-known international distributors, such as DistroKid, TuneCore and CD Baby, also work with artists from Israel, and some Israeli distribution services offer digital distribution as an add-on: at Promee, for example, the add-on costs 79 ILS per release according to the April 2026 comparison.
Timing matters: Spotify asks for the song to reach it at least seven days before release so its editors have time to listen, and a song pitched to the editors by then is also added to your followers' Release Radar. In practice, upload the song to the digital distributor as early as you can, and time the media distribution for a day when it is already available.
Plugger does not upload songs to streaming services. What it does do: once the song is up, Plugger's smart link gathers the buttons for every platform on one page, with the cover art, credits and press release. It is a page you can share with both your audience and the media.
Where Plugger fits in
Plugger is a media distribution service built for independent artists: a price that lets you distribute every song and not only the one you bet the budget on, and full transparency about what happened after the send.
What Plugger does
- Sends your song to real contacts in radio, press and music sites.
- Every send goes through a human check before it goes out, not blind automation.
- A live radar in your personal dashboard: you see who opened and who downloaded, the moment it happens.
- A smart link for every song: a full song page with cover art, a press release, credits and buttons for every platform.
- A religious-song flag, so a non-religious song is not sent to religious stations.
- 199 ILS to send a single, a one-time payment with no subscription.
What Plugger does not do
- It does not upload the song to Spotify and the other streaming services. That takes a digital distributor.
- It does not guarantee airplay. No distribution service can, because the decision always belongs to the editors.
- It does not replace years of personal familiarity with editors, the kind the veteran services and PR agencies have.
Common mistakes when distributing a single
Distributing before the materials are ready
Temporary cover art, a missing press release or a wrong credit reach the whole list at once, and a first impression is hard to fix.
Attaching heavy files to the email
A WAV file inside an email gets stuck on the way or blocked. Send a link to a song page or a tidy folder.
Writing a press release that is too long
Nobody reads three pages. One page, with a first paragraph that says it all.
Mixing up the two kinds of distribution
And finding out on release day that the song went to radio but is not on Spotify yet.
Sending to everyone
A song that lands at a station it does not fit will not be played there, and only burdens whoever received it.
Not checking what happened
Without data on opens and downloads, every single starts from zero. With data, you know who is interested in your music.
Frequently asked questions about music distribution in Israel
How much does it cost to distribute a single in Israel?
Published prices range from free to 1,320 ILS before VAT per single. Linktone is 1,320 ILS and Patiphon 1,050 ILS (both before VAT), MySong about 750 ILS and Promee 550 ILS (both including VAT), DropBoss from 499 ILS, Geminair 350 ILS, and Plugger 199 ILS per song. Sources and dates are listed in the comparison table on this page.
What is the difference between media distribution and digital distribution?
Media distribution sends the song to music editors, radio presenters, journalists and music sites, in order to get airplay and coverage. Digital distribution puts the song on Spotify, Apple Music and the other streaming services, so the audience can listen. They are two separate services, and most artists need both.
Linktone or Patiphon, which is better?
Both are veteran services with long familiarity with media people, and both are priced above 1,000 ILS per single before VAT. The differences are in price, bundles and interface. If the budget is limited, there are now far cheaper alternatives, including Plugger at 199 ILS per song.
Can I send a song to Israeli radio myself, without a distribution service?
Yes. Find the music editors' email addresses, write a personal note and attach a link to the materials. It is free and sometimes works well, but it takes a lot of time and the list goes stale quickly. Without a tracking system there is also no way of knowing whether the email was opened.
What do I need to prepare before distributing a single?
A broadcast-quality WAV file, high-resolution square cover art, a one-page press release, full credits, the lyrics, press photos, links and a press contact.
When should I distribute the song?
Digital distribution goes up in advance: Spotify asks to receive the song at least seven days before release. Media distribution is timed around the release date, once all the materials are ready and the song is already available to listen to.
Does distributing a single guarantee radio airplay?
No. A distribution service gets the song to the right people in an organized way, but the decision about what to play always belongs to the editors. Be wary of anyone who promises airplay in advance.
Does Plugger also upload the song to Spotify?
No. Plugger is a media distribution service: radio, press and music sites. Uploading to streaming services takes a digital distributor. Once the song is up, Plugger's smart link gathers every platform on one page.
Do I also need to send stations a physical CD?
No. Media people receive songs digitally today: a link to a song page with listening and a broadcast-quality file to download.
What do I see after my song is sent through Plugger?
In your personal dashboard you see in real time who opened and who downloaded the song. Every song also has a smart link with its own click stats.