One of the fundamentals for music artists to get discovered and thrive digitally is through Music Distribution. It is the entry point into the digital earning space for artists. It affords artists opportunities that can be instrumental to achieving success with their music. In this article, we will be discussing all there is to know about Music Distribution.
Music distribution is the act of making music content available for public consumption. Our emphasis here is on digital. Music distribution affords listeners buy/listen/download music online. Although some platforms allow direct uploads from artists, the most lucrative way yet is to upload/distribute through a content aggregator/distributor.
A distributor/aggregator is an industry term for companies that help artists put their music on digital stores like Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, etc. The ultimate goal for digital distribution is to earn money from your music. There are a ton of distribution companies around the world and Freeme Music is at the forefront of Music Distribution and Label Services in Africa.
Most Music Streaming platforms don’t interact with artists directly, hence the need for a distributor.
There are certain benefits artists can enjoy from their distributor, apart from just the distribution of their songs. The distributor can help with editorial pitching to get marketing support from the DSPs. Some distributors also partner with specific artists on specific projects. Some even offer marketing support and cash advances. All of these largely depend on the deal on the table.
For artists to earn money from distribution, the song(s) have to be streamed or bought. The more the streams, the more the money. With playlisting services, artists have higher levels of exposure. Playlisting is a digital curation of music based on mood and quality. It aids content discovery. The competition is high and playlisting is incredibly important to have a better chance of thriving.
To get playlisted, artists have to pitch for considerations. A safe period is 14 days before the song’s release. Playlist pitch can only be submitted by music distributors, except for services like Spotify and Audiomack that allows artists to pitch directly through platform apps.
It’s also important to know that most platforms provide data for every artiste. These data show fan interaction with their music (location, age groups, genders, and time, etc). The analytics are made available to either the distributor or through the platforms’ artiste app. These insights should inform the artist’s decision when making and marketing a new release. Analytics also help artists to track, measure their growth and the impact their music is making.
You can also learn more on Music Distribution on our Freeme Academy Series here: Content Distribution, Pitching, and Analytics – Freeme Academy