Tuesday, January 17th, 2023.
Hey, it’s TJ Miller, “you want some game?” Let's #tipundathehat!
For the best indie music from indie artists, click, and follow Indie Artist Of The Week Unda The Hat. This week, Gio Franklin. Be sure to hit the like button and follow this amazing group of indie artists. They will be major soon!
How to select a distribution company - Let’s go -
Ok so you want your music on Spotify, Apple music and the rest of the DSPs (Digital Service Providers), you even know that you need a digital distributor to do that, but how do you select which one is best for you? Well to start, music distribution is as old as the music game itself. Even when the sheet music publishing companies ran the business, they needed someone to print out the scores and deliver them to the stores. That was (and still is) the role of the distributors: getting the music into the stores. Simple as that. The game of distribution is so much easier now, when I started in distribution with PolyGram Group Distribution or PGD, there was the big six Warner Music Group, EMI, Sony Music (Known as CBS Records until January 1991), BMG (Formed in 1984 as RCA/Ariola International), Universal Music Group (Known as MCA Music until 1996) and PolyGram. Back then you would have had to have been signed to one of their labels to get world wide distribution. This included physical goods like cassettes, CDs, Vinyl, Blue Ray etc. This also included label services, radio promo, marketing, sales, publishing, manufacturing, merchandise and all of that good stuff.
All you needed was talent and a relationship; well sometimes just a relationship, but you get the picture. Being independent meant you went through what was called a onestop. Without going too far into music history, a onestop is where “mom and pop independent record stores bought their product. If you were big enough locally you could put product there and stores like Serious Sounds in Houston bought it from Southwest Wholesale, one of the largest Onestops in Texas. The other ways were to get a consignment from the store or sell out of the trunk of your car. That’s how Cash Money Records and a lot of other indie labels got started. Anyway, I digress, this is now and that was then. Now, you decide on your indie distributor based on your own needs, goals and circumstances. A side note, this does not take away from needing your own website and domain. You own your domain name, and all of the content on your site and get 100% of the profits. That is NOT your Facebook or Instagram page, but your own website.
But back to digital distribution, when looking for distribution, the biggest thing you want to consider is cost. Here’s what to know: Different distributors have different business models; there’s either a royalty fee cut, or you are charged a monthly or yearly fee. The price might also depend on how many releases you have and how many digital stores you want to get your music on, some have one-off fees, and some recurring fees. Then there are some that give 100% royalties, but trust and believe you will be charged somewhere along the line. And like everything else, some will nickel and dime you on the “additional services” they do offer, ain’t nothing free. Look at what’s important to you and see if they align with your values. Don’t do it “just because.” In other words, know what you want, how you want to do it, do your homework and find the one that is in concert with your goals. Make sure you look at the list of digital stores that they service. Don’t take the “we service Spotify, Apple Music and the rest of them,” answer. You need the actual list. You want to make sure there are some stores on their list that are in other parts of the country. Depending on your genre, Europe or Asia might be a great market for you, don’t let them make you leave money and opportunity on the table. Lastly, and this is a big one for me; make sure you are comfortable with their level of customer service. As a novice, you want to make sure you can get an answer to your question live-time if it’s during regular business hours. If it’s late night, you want an answer by the time you wake up the next day. This includes metrics and reports. You want to know how your record is doing out there and where you should spend your social media boosting money. We will take some time and look at some of the individual distribution companies in the weeks to come, but know this; look for what you want, not just what you can get. Hire a team like Unda The Hat Media to work with you and get a good entertainment attorney. That will be some of the best money you can spend.
Johnnie Walker, Robert N. Johnson, and I are back live on Clubhouse tomorrow Jan 18th in the NABFEME (NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLACK FEMALE EXECUTIVES IN MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT) room. Click the following link, add us to your calendar and let’s talk about it. How powerful is Social Media?
This week's #IAOTW - Independent Artists Of The Week is - Gio Franklin, the self taught hit making musician from Kansas City Mo., who has the number one single on the European charts called “Still Here (Stranger Thang).” He is managed by the legendary Qadree El-Amin of Southpaw Entertainment in Los Angeles. Click on his name link, scroll down to his picture, then click and support. You will truly dig this talented young man.
For more information on this or to hire Unda The Hat as your brand or label consultant send a message via undathehat.com. See you next week.