So after a long effort of writing a pile of songs, getting them produced and recorded, either by yourself or with help. It is likely that you are finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Congratulations… I have been there and I am fully aware of just how major a hurdle that can be to overcome. Now that you have a batch of songs nearing completion and ready to share, just what do you do next?!?. Its time to get up to speed on why you need a music distributor for success!
A Music Distributor is a required intermediary between the recording artist and Digital Streaming Platforms. These DSPs demand standardized meta-data uploads as well as a standardized payout system for royalties. A Music Distributor will see to the adherence of that standardization. This on behalf of the artist for both distribution and collection across multiple DSP platforms.
So that’s gist. For the artist it is a great benefit. You get major help in having your music sent and released on all of these major streamers. Then the Distributor will carry the burden of seeing to it that you are properly compensated for your earnings.
If you are still working on your album and you’re just reading ahead. We have another great article with eight steps for a great mix that will help you get your album finished and up online. Check It Out!
THE BIG DSP’S
Some of the Big DSPs would be Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Google Play, and YouTube Music. I’m sure you are are familiar with these names. I’m also sure that there are too many to deal with by yourself. That’s why its so important to select your own Music Distribution company. These distributors already have relationships and contracts with all of these DSPs and others… You can rely on them to take care of all everything that goes into releasing your music. They will see to it that your music is properly distributed across all of these platforms and others.
Social Giants
In addition to relationships with the DSPs your Music Distributor should also have some other offerings. They should have business relationships with important social media sites like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. They should also offer some specific services for these platforms that in addition to being sure that you have collected all of your just due royalties, should provide engaging opportunities and permissions for your fans on those platforms to interact and engage with your music.
For an in-depth guide on how to earn on Youtube with your music; Read this!
So How To Choose
There are a lot of choices when it comes to choosing a Music Distributor to use for your music success. Each one will have variations of similar offerings and occasionally one or two will have some unique additional service provided. So what is important is doing the correct research and finding which one will be best for you, your goals and your budget.
When it comes to the cost of employing a music distributor you should know that each one may have different pricing plans. The can charge in different manners but the most typical methods would be to charge in yearly fees, in a percentage of your overall music sales, or in a set fee per release of each album or single.
What is Important
What is important is to be sure that you are keeping 100% of your royalties. There is no reason that you should be lured by any service on this level that suggests exchanging a portion of your royalties for any service. Today there are just too many competitors who offer their services at a fee that does not include the infringement of the perpetual value of your intellectual property by demanding a percentage ownership of it.
Some people who are dealing with major labels may be compelled to do something like that in exchange for significant cash advance but sans a situation with the same advantages to you, It may be likely that you are staring down a scam…
Free to Mingle
Additionally you probably want to do your best to steer clear from any service asking for any kind of exclusivity when it comes to agreement. Music Distributors have too many competitors offering their services without exclusivity that it would just seem to make better sense to avoid anything otherwise.
Exclusivity leaves you free to move along if you find that you are unhappy about any of the services and attention you received or didn’t receive from whomever you had contracted to distribute your music. If you feel that you can have a better success with another service you will not be penalized or restricted from pursuing a better opportunity.
Getting to It
There are Millions and Millions of Millions of people out there right now listening and interacting with digital music and the sooner you have organized the next few steps the sooner you can start growing your listener base everywhere and anywhere.
To grow your base you need to get organized here is a link to a guide that details everything you need in your corner as an independent artist. Bookmark and Save!
One of the things you need is a distributor. So here is a list of some of the Music Distributor Services that you could potentially partner with inorder to ensure your music distribution success.
Now Its Up To You
On any given day as many as 60,000 new songs are uploaded to Spotify. Spotify requires that the artist process their songs through a distributor. That means that all of these songs are managed by one of these companies listed above. That said it is going to be on your shoulders to stand out.
You are going to have to do your best to devise clever promotions and maintain consistency with you interactions and engagement in order to build an audience for yourself. There are far too many players to expect additional promotion from one of these distributors. That is unless you are making them money.
So roll up those sleeves and dig in for some hard work because you finally finishing that record has only graduated you to “just getting started”.
If you need help increasing your views on YouTube as an independent artist; here is a guide. Check it out!
Lastly
That brings us to the end on our discussion about contracting with a music distributor for music distribution success. I hope you have gotten some preliminary insight into the topic and that you are focused on what steps you need to take next. I’m a big fan of the “DO-ER”; the person who goes out there and gets things done. I’m assuming you’re one of those people.
While you are doing everything else, be sure you get your email list up and running. For help doing so we have you covered. Read this guide. Here’s The Link!
In parting! I hope that in some very small way; you will be pleased to know that I am rooting for you!!! I am; Good Luck!
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