Founded in 2013 by German-French music industry expert Raphaël Beck, darkTunes Music Group was created with one clear mission: to give alternative artists the tools, exposure, and support they need to grow without compromising their identity.

More than just a record label, darkTunes is a creative powerhouse for the darker side of music — from gothic, modern metal, nu metal, metalcore, darkpop, synthpop, rock, electro, darkwave, postpunk, EBM, alternative and industrial to all the hybrid sounds in between. We believe in authenticity, artistic freedom, and long-term development. Every artist has their own universe, and our goal is to help that universe reach the right audience.

At darkTunes, we don’t just upload music and wait for something to happen. We actively work on every release with a full professional infrastructure built for the modern music industry.

Our artists benefit from free and secure digital distribution through the world’s leading digital distributor, giving their music global reach on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, TikTok, Instagram, and all major platforms. We also offer worldwide physical distribution and can handle the production of CDs, vinyl, tapes, or special editions whenever it makes sense for the project.

We support every release with targeted digital marketing campaigns across Meta, Google, Spotify, TikTok, banner networks, and other platforms. On Spotify, we work with premium partner tools designed to increase visibility and streaming growth, with the goal of giving each release a strong boost and helping artists reach new listeners.

Promotion is one of our strongest weapons. darkTunes runs one of the biggest alternative music YouTube channels, with around 270,000 subscribers, giving our artists access to a massive audience of gothic, metal, electro, industrial, and dark music fans. Our darkTunes newsletter reaches around 25,000 organically subscribed metal and gothic music fans built over the last 15 years. These are not random contacts — they are people who actively chose to follow our world.

We also promote releases through our international DJ, radio, and press pool, which includes around 3,000 contacts worldwide, including metal and goth DJs, radio stations, web radios, journalists, magazines, blogs, and scene-related media partners.

For every new release, we actively pitch the music directly to the editorial teams of Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, Bandcamp, and other key platforms. In addition to official editorial pitching, we also submit releases to hundreds of independent playlists, curators, and genre-specific channels, depending on the style and target audience of each artist.

Our Spotify playlist network is also actively growing. When an artist releases a new single, we place the track in top positions on selected darkTunes Spotify playlists. Together, our playlists currently reach around 40,000 subscribers, and we run ads throughout the year to keep growing this audience.

Bandcamp is another important part of our strategy. Through the darkTunes Bandcamp Pro page, artists benefit from all professional features, as well as the reach of the darkTunes Bandcamp followers. These followers are active fans who have already bought at least one song from one of our artists. Every time we release new music, they can receive a notification — which means your music reaches a loyal, real, and already engaged audience.

We also run our own mailorder store, DarkMerch, which allows us to sell CDs, vinyl, shirts, and exclusive merchandise directly to customers. This gives our artists an additional sales channel, direct access to dedicated fans, and the possibility to create special physical editions, bundles, and collector items beyond standard distribution.

In addition to regular releases, our artists can also receive slots on our yearly digital and physical compilations, giving them extra visibility inside the alternative scene and among dedicated collectors.

We also work actively to create new opportunities beyond streaming and sales. Whenever possible, we try to secure sync and licensing deals for our artists in TV shows, series productions, movies, trailers, games, and other audiovisual projects.

darkTunes does not act as a booking agency, but thanks to our partnerships with several festivals across Europe, we regularly try to place our bands on suitable line-ups and create new live opportunities whenever possible.

Another major strength of darkTunes is our self-developed suite of tools created specifically for musicians and labels. This includes our own tour planning app, a chart system with premium promotion tools, ultra-detailed statement of sales reports, and a dedicated artist login on our label website. Through this artist portal, artists can generate invoices and EPKs, submit new music and videos, and follow the marketing and promotional activities we have carried out for their releases.

We also provide serious protection and support behind the scenes. Our legal department helps manage fraudulent streams, illegal use of your music, third-party claims, and issues related to your Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, YouTube, and other artist pages. We make sure your music, your rights, and your profiles are protected.

This means our artists don’t just get a label — they get a full professional ecosystem. Distribution, promotion, marketing, legal support, release strategy, analytics, playlist pitching, video promotion, sales reporting, artist tools, and personal guidance all work together to help every project move forward.

darkTunes is more than a label. It is a community of passionate artists, fans, and music lovers united by a love for dark, emotional, powerful, and alternative sounds. We don’t believe in forcing artists into trends. We believe in helping them become stronger, louder, and more visible while staying true to who they are.

Fernweh