Some artists choose to handle every aspect of their music career, from creation to distribution, without relying on big industry players. The purpose of this post is not to weigh in on whether this is a good or bad idea; it is only to provide resources for consideration for any artist who wishes to distribute their music independently. What basic points should an independent artist consider when distributing music directly?
Pros Of Direct Distribution
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Maintaining Control:
Independent artists control all creative, administrative, and promotional decisions. Artists can ensure their vision is fully realized without external influence.
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Monopoly on Royalty Shares:
Retaining nearly 100% of the proceeds from the music allows independent artists to maximize their earnings from royalties. This financial autonomy is a significant benefit of direct distribution.
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Complete Ownership of Copyrights:
The copyrights in the master recordings or compositions belong solely to the independent artist, who has autonomy over their music license. This ownership ensures long-term control and the ability to exploit their music rights fully.
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Leveraging Social Media:
Instead of waiting for record deals that might never come, independent artists leverage the power of the internet, particularly social media, to get their music to their audience and grow a fanbase—something almost impossible two and a half decades ago. However, building a fanbase is not the only effort required. An independent artist must understand how to leverage this fan growth and harness that potential into actual revenue.
Understanding Music Distribution
There are a lot of digital distribution platforms whose service offerings are targeted at independent artists. These platforms often promise support and guidance to alleviate administrative hurdles and ensure effective royalty tracking. Some provide white-label services, offering a hassle-free opportunity for independent artists to upload their music to their digital streaming platform (DSP) partners. Pricing models for these platforms vary, including subscription fees, annual payments, and royalty share arrangements.
Physical Distribution:
Although CD and vinyl sales are not what they used to be, it is still an option to explore. Vinyl, in particular, has seen a resurgence in popularity and can be a valuable revenue stream for independent artists.
Copyrights and Royalties
Every artist must understand copyrights, not just as rights bestowed on the tangible form of their music but also as intellectual property capable of being sold or licensed. There is so much revenue made from music: performance bookings, merchandising for artists and albums, licensing, and sponsorship opportunities. Music is truly the gift that keeps on giving.
However, all that potential income remains just that—potential—unless you have the knowledge and resources to exploit the endless possibilities of music royalties.
Understanding Royalties:
Royalties are income generated from creative work and must be distributed to all who contributed to the work, also known as rights holders. Royalties are usually shared based on pre-agreed terms contained in a document known as a split sheet. Check out these articles on royalties and split sheets to learn more.
In the world of digital streaming, royalties have been distilled into a game of numbers, with the size of the fanbase and social media popularity translating to the number of streams and, ultimately, the amount of royalties received. For the most part, independent artists enjoy sole ownership of accruing royalties. Although royalty tracking and analyzing metadata pulled from different sources could pose a challenge, tools like Royalti.io offer a way to simplify this process.
Marketing Promotions
To promote is to increase visibility, it is taking the music to the audience. A successful marketing strategy translates to high streams and royalties. Therefore, it is the essence of music distribution. Music promotion takes skill, effort, time and most importantly, it takes money.
Social Media Strategies and Digital Marketing Tools:
The internet has made music promotion slightly more accessible especially for independent artists. Social media provides a means to get in the faces of the target audience and an opportunity to connect with fans on a personal level. However, even that requires effort, strategy, and intentionality to yield long-term benefits. Some artists use digital marketing tools like; SEO, email marketing, and content creation to enhance their online presence.
Financial Management
“Making music ain’t cheap”. There is a reason why signing to record labels is considered a win and the obvious choice for some. However, it is not as if record deals are just handed out. Those opportunities are rare and far between. Some artists start small and scale their efforts with time and success. The priority is usually getting the music out into the world, to as many ears, while spending as little as possible. There are a lot of free resources focused on increasing content visibility and promoting engagement that an independent artist could use to introduce their music to the world. Budgeting and planning effectively can help in sustaining an independent music career
Legal Consideration
The music industry is largely directed by understandings and partnerships reduced to physical form as a contract. Whether you are recording, collaborating, or distributing, the importance of understanding terms and clauses in the contract cannot be over-emphasized. The best approach is to get legal representation; navigating the industry as an independent artist is no joke, so stay smart and keep learning.
The list of considerations is not exhaustive, but this is our top 5, guaranteed to cover the basics. Whether this is your first rodeo in independent music distribution or you are just looking for ways to improve, it won’t hurt to keep these in mind.
Check out our previous posts, for more tips and resources on navigating the music industry as a record label, distribution company, or independent artist. They’re packed with valuable insights to help you succeed in your music career.
