Releasing music can be daunting if you need the right resources or know-how. With the help of distribution services, artists and labels can distribute their music on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and more. But what’s the best way to maximize your music’s reach? To help you get started, we’ve put together this buyers guide to distribution services.
What is Music Distribution?
Music distribution is the process of making an artist’s or label’s music available for purchase or streaming across various digital platforms. This allows listeners to access your music from various sources, increasing your potential audience reach. In addition, distribution services often provide helpful analytics that allow artists and labels to track their audiences’ listening habits as well as sales data.
Why Use a Distribution Service?
Using a distribution service gives you direct access to some of the world’s most popular digital stores and streaming platforms without having to jump through hoops trying to get your music heard by industry professionals. As an artist or label owner, using a dedicated service allows you to focus on creating content while someone else reaches out directly to those outlets that would most benefit from it. It also simplifies royalty tracking by collecting income from multiple sources into one central account—which makes it easier for you (or your accounting team) to keep tabs on payments owed from different sources.
Choosing The Right Service For You
Now that we’ve discussed why using a distribution service is beneficial, let’s look at how you can choose the right one for you:
1) Cost:
Many services charge different subscription fees based on how many songs are being distributed each month and any additional features needed. Consider how much money you’re willing to allocate towards distribution before signing up so that you aren’t paying too much for something unnecessary.
2) Ease of Use:
Look into which interface works best for you when choosing between different options; many will allow free trials, so take advantage if they do! Additionally, consider whether there are additional tools like marketing campaigns or playlist pitching included in their package, which may be worth investing in depending on who your target audience is and what type of promotion methods work best with them.
3) Quality Control:
Make sure that whatever service provider you choose has quality control measures in place; this could include noise reduction technologies, audio mastering capabilities, etc. so that all tracks uploaded are ensured optimal sound quality before being published online anywhere else (including YouTube).
Benefits Of Distribution Services Beyond Reaching Listeners
Beyond helping independent musicians reach new potential fans around the world, many other benefits come along with using a dedicated service for distributing music – here are just some examples:
1) Time Savings:
Using these services eliminates manual tasks associated with releasing an album such as sending out press kits manually via email/mailing lists etc., thus saving time overall which can then be spent focusing more on creative aspects rather than administrative ones.
2) Automated Processes & Reports:
Not only does it save time but also provides automated processes like generating royalty reports at regular intervals (eg quarterly), which helps manage financial matters efficiently without having to rely heavily on manual labor costs associated with generating them yourself or hiring someone else do it instead – this saves both money + energy long-term!
3) Integration with streaming platforms:
These services are usually integrated with major streaming platforms such as Spotify & Apple Music, making them instantly available once signed up – meaning no waiting for people to hear your songs!
4) Online & Offline Promotion Tools:
Some distributors offer additional tools such as social media integration & offline promotion packages that are specifically designed to increase your online/offline visibility so that listeners around the world can access your music even faster than usual when searching for new releases that are coming out as soon as possible – a great way to gain maximum exposure in the shortest amount of time given today’s technological constraints.
5) Easy access to statistics & analytics:
Finally, another key benefit of these services is that users can easily access statistics about their releases – including views/streams per song along with week-over-week comparisons charted over longer periods of time – giving valuable insight into performance metrics enabling better decision-making for future planning purposes.
6) Generate revenue from digital stores:
Last but not least, the digital stores connected through these distributors generate revenue for every song sold – which means more money in your pocket for every download sale made either through iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Prime, etc!
All in all, taking advantage of all the benefits provided by using a professional distributor should increase the chances of having a successful release no matter what size budget you have set aside – hopefully, the above tips will help you choose the perfect partner for the success journey ahead!