DISTRIBUTION RESOURCES
What Is Music Distribution?
Music distribution is the process of getting music from the artist into the hands of listeners.Before the digital age, this primarily meant physical sales through Vinyl Records, Cassettes and CDs distributed to stores.
With the advent of the Internet and streaming services however, music distribution has largely moved online.
There are two main types of music distribution: PHYSICAL and DIGITAL.
PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTION
Physical distribution refers to the distribution of music in physical formats such as Vinyl Records, CDs and Cassettes.This process involves manufacturing physical copies of music albums and distributing them to retail stores where consumers can purchase them.
While physical distribution has declined with the rise of digital media, it remains an essential aspect of the music industry, especially for collectors and fans of tangible media and certain musical genres.
Whilst you can set up your own "store" online through companies such as Bandcamp, Discogs, CDandLP or even eBay there are specialist companies who will take your (pre-manufactured) physical products and get them into stores (and some may also help you through the manufacturing process).
These companies include:-
AMPED PROPER AMPLIFIED CARGO
DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION
If you wish to get your music out through major outlets such as iTunes, Spotify or Amazon etc., then you will need to arrange additional distribution through an "Aggregator" such as:-CD BABY TUNECORE DISTROKID OD MEDIA
ROUTENOTE LANDR DITTO AWAL
You'll have to provide suitable AUDIO of the tracks (usually WAV or MP3 files), as well as appropriate ARTWORK and ideally LYRICS (in MS-Word or plain .TXT formats) to your chosen Aggregator - they will not be able to simply "adopt" or "assimilate" an existing release.
Service Commissions will run at around 33% for most Aggregators.
"COVER" VERSIONS
If you wish to release a "cover" version, then this needs a special licence, whether it's on CD, Vinyl or Digital format.Your chosen aggregator should be able to advise you on this and help obtain the licence for you, otherwise, there are specialist licencing companies that can assist you:-
SONGFILE EASYSONG
SAMPLE CLEARANCE
Don't even think about releasing a track that contains uncleared samples - you're setting yourself up for a world of hurt!If you plan to use samples of other artists' work in your musical compositions, you may well need to get permission in order to avoid legal trouble.
Specialist sample clearance companies that can assist you:-
SAMPLE CLEARANCE SERVICES DMG CLEARANCES INC
THE HARRY FOX AGENCY EMG THE HARRY FOX AGENCY
NOTE : We have no business connection to any of the above companies and you should ensure that their services, processes and charges meet your specific requirements.
Aggregators based in the USA will probably require you to complete a W-8 BEN (US TAX) Form as part of their administrative requirements.
For independent releases we can offer the following label resources:-
MCPS LICENCING BARCODES / ISRC CODES
PPL REGISTRATION UK CHART REGISTRATION
PUBLISHING ADMINISTRATION
These changes to digital distribution services do not affect any existing publishing arrangements that you may already have with Maori Music Publishing, in any way.It should be noted that whilst a number of aggregators also offer "publishing" arrangements, it is strongly recommended that you do not opt for these as Maori Music Publishing already offers you an excellent range of PUBLISHING SERVICES.
If you have any specific queries regarding these arrangements, by all means Contact Us.