Why You Need A Music Distribution Company
Music distribution is the art of making recorded music available to the public. Music creators, amongst other things, create music for the public. Therefore, getting the music to the public (i.e distribution) is essential to the artist.
Traditionally, music used to be distributed physically to shops through music distributors. The record labels or artists usually enter into an agreement with the music distributors, who then act as middlemen and sell the music to shops.
This all changed with the advent of the internet and downloading, as music could then be distributed digitally through digital service providers (DSPs). Consumers could now purchase or stream music digitally without having a physical copy.
This led to a massive decline in physical sales worldwide, as digitalisation significantly reduced the need for a physical CD. In 2015, digital sales surpassed physical sales. This has been the going trend ever since, as digital platforms have become the new shops where consumers go.
Now, digital distribution companies get your music on digital platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify etc, and also ensure that the royalties accrued to such musical work are paid to the right holders. They also do much more than just uploading music for the artist.
This has made them relevant to date, despite the rise of Do It Yourself, and direct artist platforms, e.g. SoundCloud (which allow artists to upload their music directly). For starters, not all DSPs allow for direct music upload, and this means the artists have to go through the music distribution companies, which act as aggregators.
The main reason for this is best captured by a statement released by Spotify in 2019, where they stated that the best way to deliver music to Spotify is through music distribution companies. The music distribution companies are more familiar with the standards and demands that must be met to upload music on the DSPs.
They save all parties involved time and effort by handling this and the pay–out distributions to the right owners. This allows DSPs to focus on other features which will be beneficial to all. Although iTunes still allows for direct uploads, they suggest and refer artists to music distributors who help to ensure the metadata fits their requirements.
Also, music distribution companies have direct access to numerous DSPs, which have different standards for uploading music. By going through a distribution company, the artist has direct, one–time access to multiple DSPs.
This ensures that the music will be available to all listeners on all platforms immediately and on the proposed release date. This may be impossible without the distributor, as the artist will need to manually approach the DSPs (many of which require artists to go through distributors) and meet their standards. Without a distributor, your music would not get to many DSPs.
Music distribution companies do not only distribute the music to the DSPs but also distribute the royalties back to the right owners. In a system where artists earn when their music is streamed or downloaded, royalties computation is complicated.
Therefore, distribution companies ease the burden by taking on the administrative task of ensuring the banking details are correct and the royalties (for the master recording) are correctly distributed.
Although the above covers the primary function of distribution companies, most have evolved to add more value to the artist. This has led to an important feature of distribution companies…Marketing and Playlisting.
Some distribution companies ensure beneficial placements of their songs with the DSPs by liaising with the editorial team and the curators of the playlists and various categories on the DSP. The distribution companies are better equipped to push for this due to their extensive catalogue and leverage.
The DSPs cannot listen to the requests and pitches of numerous artists seeking to have their music featured on these curated playlists, but the distributors have their ears. Some distribution companies offer artists promotional tools, advice on how to pitch, and even assign representative(s) to consult and assist with their distribution strategy to ensure your music gets the best placements on all platforms.
Whilst the music industry is constantly evolving, the role of the distribution companies are still relevant and a necessity for artists.
Lastly, stay up to date with all you need to know about African music at SOA, right here.
