What is Music Distribution?
Digital distribution is the ultimate link between your finished album and your fans. Digital music distribution has become a rule of thumb. Music labels and independent artists have always had to go through essential music distributors to make their music accessible to fans.
But thanks to online distribution, the power is now in the hands of independent artists looking to expand. Digital music sales have been steadily increasing for years and the increase will continue. Part of this growth is due to a sharp increase in streaming subscriptions.
That’s why it’s important to know how to sell on Spotify, Deezer and iTunes.
As an artist, digital distribution has become an essential step in reaching all your potential fans. Clever distribution increases your visibility. It makes your music accessible to all listeners. It also allows you to get paid for all the effort you put into promoting your music.
What is a free music distribution ?
Music delivery is the entire journey between your music and your listeners. Traditionally, distributors have made deals with music labels to sell music in stores.
However, distribution has changed the game by bypassing the middleman, allowing artists to distribute their music directly to online buying platforms while keeping 100% of their royalties. Today, the advantage is that distribution can be free
Types of music distribution services :
One must distinguish between direct distribution and digital aggregation. In direct distribution we will find open platforms like Soundcloud, Youtube, Bandcamp… which allow the artist to control the direct distribution (e.g. rename the track, download a new version of the song…).
But they also allow to see statistics on the listening public of the artist. They are simple platforms, free and without intermediaries. On the other hand, they are not the most profitable but for example Youtube remains the most used service by the public to listen to music.
Otherwise, there are digital aggregator companies that play a role of mediator between artists and closed platforms like Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music… It’s a completely new distribution model, simple and accessible for artists of all kinds. Here, no more negotiation with labels.
The purpose of adopting an aggregator is to be able to distribute the artist’s music on the platforms on which he works. There are several dozens of them on the market, but it is better to choose a historical player with a certain financial stability to reduce the risk of its disappearance.
How music distribution companies works today?
The goal of digital distribution is to make your music available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play and other online platforms, as well as digital music stores. We’re talking about all the online platforms right here.
Think of them as digital record stores. Once your music is out there, people can listen to it, buy it and download it online. In return, you get royalties based on where and how you listen to your music.
Like physical record stores, online music platforms get their catalogs directly from digital distribution companies. But instead of shipping boxes of vinyl every week, digital distributors deliver content directly to the major online music stores mentioned above.
What used to take weeks or even months to ship and produce, not to mention all the other costs, is now just a few clicks away.
The benefits of best music distribution
The most consumed type of music today is digital music. This makes it a must for any album release. The revenue trends of the music industry clearly show that digital has overtaken everything else.
Saves you the cost and hassle of physical delivery, especially for the first release. Start by establishing an audience and a name with digital releases and smart self-promotion.
It takes some ingenuity to sell your music well online. Choose a distribution that will pay you all your royalties with no hidden flaws or strings attached. This will ensure that you get paid what you are owed without giving up the rights to your music.
This is not insignificant. Because if your next album is better distributed by another company, you will be free to terminate your non-exclusive agreement at any time.
Digital distribution also has some advantages, such as recommendation algorithms. These are suggestions given to people based on their listening habits. This is how new sounds are discovered in the digital age!
Think of them as rewards, but they’re not what will get your music heard by millions.In short, if you want to distribute your first song on all platforms, it’s right: here