Byta: A Service For Sharing Pre-Release Music

AAre you looking for an alternative to private SoundCloud links or WeTransfer files, whenever you need to share some tracks? Byta (Swedish for “exchange”) is a new service which allows you to privately send and receive digital audio.

We’ve had a chance to try the service and here’s how Byta works:

First, you upload audio in either AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, AAC, MP3 or WAV. The track information (such as song name and artwork) is pulled from the track’s metadata, but you can revise it if needed. Then, choose up to five contacts, add a short message (if you want to) and send it.

Afterwards, you can see the stats for the share that you sent, such as how many times it has been streamed and downloaded. The tracks that you share are available for seven days and your contacts can download them three times.

Here’s what Byta founder Marc Brown has to say about the app’s free tier:

Byta’s free tier is very important to us. Everyone working in music needs a quick and simple way to share their audio with collaborators, both inside and outside the studio. Think of it as a WeTransfer for music, or the superior alternative to poor quality private SoundCloud links.

Byta will also introduce a so-called Freelancer account on launch, which gives you the free account features, 5GB of upload storage and advanced sending options (such as attaching a press release, setting an expiry date and adding a watermark). However, you can try these features before the official launch by contacting the Byta team.

Ultimately, Byta is an easy and hassle-free way for musicians to swap mixes or share tracks with others. The service is expected to launch officially in June.

Have you tried Byta? What do you think of it?

Oscar Hjelmstedt, Editor of Dotted Music, is a writer from Sweden. Besides writing, he’s passionate about 90’s rock music and Tarantino movies.