Common Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Music Distribution Service

Uploading songs online seems easy, but most artists, especially newcomers, face difficulties, so they prefer to cooperate with music distributors. Therefore, when choosing a music distributor, it is essential for artists to follow certain guidelines, understand their objectives, and avoid the common mistakes mentioned by Freecords.

How to choose the right music distributor

Artists should choose a service of digital music distribution, such as MusicAlligator, SoundOn, Distrokid, CD Baby, ONErpm, LANDR, Indiefy, and Amuse, based on preferences, expected results, and the artist’s fame before collaborating. For choosing the right music distributor, artists can consider:

• special opportunities of each distributor: depending on the distributor, the artist may have access to unique opportunities and additional services, such as music marketing strategies, mastering services, online music production, samples, CD/vinyl production, etc;
• service fees and royalty terms: distributors may charge a flat fee for their services or a percentage of the final royalty amount, and may also charge additional fees, such as for automatically detecting music, distributing it to new platforms or social networks, possibility of saving music after unsubscribes, etc;
• possibility of digital and physical music distribution: distributors can focus exclusively on digital distribution or also on physical distribution, such as CD or vinyl releases.

When choosing a music distributor, artists should also pay attention to such nuances as the language in which services are provided, the need for a contract and transfer of exclusive rights, the ability to email fans and interact with them. When choosing a music distributor, artists should also consider reviews from other artists.

Mistakes that a wrongly chosen distributor service can make

The main problem with ineffective music promotion by a distributor is receiving an unclear request from the artist. In such a case, a music distributor may choose unsuitable strategies and promotion models that reduce the target audience and potential royalties. Other possible mistakes by a wrong choice of musical distributor:

• incomplete metadata entry: when filling out data, the distributor may incorrectly or inaccurately enter metadata related to information about the artist, songs or albums, tags and other data, which may reduce the number of listeners and the artist’s profits;
• choosing the wrong streaming platform: for new artists can be difficult to get ahead on popular platforms like Spotify or Apple Music, as opposed to Amazon Music, YouTube Music, or other streaming services with less competition;
• poor financial planning: small distributors may misallocate finances toward ongoing expenses such as inventory and licensing fees, commissions, and royalties.

The problem of music distribution services is also the inability to adapt to market changes, that is, working according to an established pattern that does not correspond to the individual characteristics and needs of the artist. In addition, the distributor may be inexperienced in regulatory issues, which can trigger fines and legal problems.

Conclusion

When choosing a music distribution service, artists should primarily consider their level and popularity. Beginning artists should choose services that allow them to compete with other artists without getting lost in the music flow. When choosing, artists should also consider their financial capabilities and expected profit, which depends on the distributor’s marketing strategy and experience in creating an individual promotion plan.