There’s a lot that goes into distro beyond just pushing audio files to streaming platforms.
But it’s easy to forget it all.
Here's a handy to-do list for your next release to keep you organised and on track.
Choosing your distributor
The DIY music distribution market has very much been emerging in the last decade or so.
And the increased competition has brought the price way down, making distro accessible on a consumer level.
Now 100,000 tracks get uploaded per day.
Finding the best service for you comes down to a handful of considerations including:
Price
Features
Support
Territories
Marketing tools
Reporting
…and more
So as always, read the fine print and comb through their terms of service.
Preparing your music for distribution
There’s a lot more to distribute than just audio files.
For every recording there is a stack of info that goes along with it.
Otherwise known as metadata.
These include, but are not limited to:
Audio masters
Artwork
Credits
Spilts
Metadata
ISRCs
ISWCs
This is why it’s good to catalogue your music using tools such as Excel and Google Sheets.
Publishing administration
Did you know that streams generate publishing royalties?
And that you’re not necessarily collecting those if you’re just using standard distribution?
Enter publishing administration.
Companies offering pub admin:
Songtrust
CDBaby
Tunecore
Sentric
Some distros offer pub admin services on top of standard distribution, but it’s worth doing your homework and due diligence.
SoundExchange
Did you know that non-interactive streaming platforms buy a licence from a company called SoundExchange?
Non-interactive refers to when the track isn’t selected by the user, giving a radio-like experience.
Examples of non-interactive streaming platforms include:
Pandora
Last.fm
iHeartRadio
So if you’re not sure if you’re collecting these royalties, make sure to check in with SoundExchange.
Shazam
A popular music discovery platform, the Apple-owned mobile app is not an opportunity you want to miss out on.
You’ll need to make sure your distro pushes to Shazam and to sign up for an Apple Music For Artists account to get insights.
YouTube Content ID
Ever uploaded something to YouTube and got a copyright strike?
That’s Content ID.
Getting your music into this system ensures you protect your music’s usage on YouTube, and help unlock additional income streams.
Marketing Assets
Whether it be social media posts, press kits, or your Spotify pitch, you need to arm yourself with all the assets you need to keep up the momentum.
Marketing materials include but are not limited to:
Website
Email landing pages
Email copy
Bio
HQ Press Shots
EPK / Press Kit
Lyrics
One Sheet
Organise these into a Trello board (image below) and/or into Google Drive so you always have them to hand.
TikTok and IG Reels
As you’ve gathered by now, short form video platforms can expose your music to a wide array of audiences.
Working with your distro, you can make sure fans can easily score their content with your music!
Project Management Software
Every release is a project.
And every project has a bunch of moving parts.
And sometimes it’s hard to keep on top of it all.
Enter project management software.
Tools includes:
Trello
Google Sheets
Asana
Monday.com
A good project management app helps you centralise all your assets and tasks into one system.
Distributing anytime soon?
Let us know in the comments. Happy to answer any questions!