Audius vs Sound.xyz vs Royal — Blockchain Music Platforms Compared

Three approaches, three platforms

• Audius — a decentralised music streaming service. Web3-native, has its own $AUDIO token.
• Sound.xyz — a curated Web3 music platform. Limited drops, NFT-driven.
• Royal — fractional ownership via token sales of underlying streams.

Each takes a different angle on what blockchain can do for music.

What each does

Audius

• Streaming-first. A user can listen to a track on Audius like Spotify — but the catalog is community-driven.
• Decentralised. The platform runs on a network of nodes, not a central server.
• Token incentives. Artists and listeners earn $AUDIO tokens for contributing to the network.
• Rightsholder choice. You upload your tracks, set your token policy, manage your stream.

Sound.xyz

• Curated drops. A Sound.xyz release is a curated event. Limited release window, often 24 hours.
• NFT-driven. Each release is an NFT. Buyers gain access to the track plus additional perks.
• Fanbase-first. Sound.xyz is best for composers who already have an engaged Web3 fanbase.

Royal

• Fractional ownership. Royal sells a percentage of a song’s streaming royalties to buyers via tokens.
• Real-world revenue. Buyers receive fractional shares of actual streaming royalties (paid in stablecoin or fiat, depending on the token).
• High-quality curation. Royal focuses on higher-profile releases with strong distribution upside.

Which fits which composer?

Audius

• Web3-curious composer
• Doesn’t want to drop a full catalog on Spotify/Apple
• Wants a streaming platform with crypto-native economy
• Lower priority: revenue (Audius payouts are modest in absolute terms)

Sound.xyz

• Composer with an existing Web3 fanbase
• Wants scarcity-based pricing (limited drops, music NFTs)
• Is comfortable with the NFT market’s current dynamics

Royal

• Composer with a track that has significant upside (sync potential, broad streaming fit)
• Willing to share a fraction of future royalties for upfront capital
• Plans to fund production or marketing with the proceeds

Where these platforms complement traditional distribution

Most indie composers won’t replace traditional distribution. The best position is:

• Main distribution: Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, etc.
• A small Web3 presence: Audius, Sound.xyz, Royal.
• Monitoring: LicenseTrack watches all of them — the traditional platforms for infringement and the Web3 platforms for downstream use.

How LicenseTrack fits

LicenseTrack works across all platforms, Web3-native and traditional. A composer who’s on Audius and Royal and Spotify can use LicenseTrack to monitor all three for infringement.

Internal links

• See how LicenseTrack covers Spotify.
• Read about blockchain music rights /resources/blockchain-music-rights/blockchain-music-rights-explained.
• Catch every match on TikTok.