Most frontline artists will initially self-release their recordings. Anyone can get their music onto all the key digital music platforms by using a DIY distributor.

These are companies that will deliver an artist’s music to all the digital music platforms, including download stores like the iTunes Store and Beatport, streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, and social media and user-generated content platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.

Most DIY distributors charge an upfront fee for this service and then, if and when an artist’s recordings generate money on the digital music platforms, they pass 100% of that money back to the artist.

There are numerous DIY distributors to choose from. They all provide more or less the same service, although some might provide extra data and marketing tools, or better customer support if and when things go wrong.

The Ari’s Take website publishes a good guide to DIY distribution – outlining the pros and cons of most (though not all) DIY distributors – at aristake.com/digital-distribution-comparison

Many of the DIY distributors also provide useful educational resources on releasing and marketing music and on pursuing a career in music more generally.

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METADATA + DATABASES
Whenever an artist releases music through a DIY distributor they will be asked to provide lots of metadata – information about each track and the people involved in creating it. It’s really important to provide as much metadata as possible.

Artists should also log any new recordings they release and songs they write with the music industry’s collecting societies – PPL for recordings, PRS for songs. That first means joining the societies and then logging onto their respective websites to log each new recording and song.

The distributors and collecting societies use a number of codes to identify works and creators. These are really important for making sure people get credited and paid. The key codes are as follows:

ISRC identifies each unique recording.
ISWC identifies each unique song.
IPN identifies each performer.
IPI identifies each songwriter.

There is more information on these codes and how artists can access them in the Get Paid Guide, put together by PPL, PRS and various industry organisations, and available at getpaidguide.co.uk

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RELEASE CAMPAIGNS
Getting music into the digital platforms is easy. Getting people to listen is much harder. Whenever an artist releases new music they should plan and implement a release marketing campaign.

This will usually involve stepping up ongoing fanbase building activity – including live activity, digital activity and collaborations – plus this is the best time to reach out to media, playlisters, influencers and other possible supporters in the music industry to try to get coverage and support.

There are various platforms that can help with release marketing campaigns, including those that allow artists to pitch their music to key people, and the smartlink platforms that simplify linking to releases.

PITCHING PLATFORMS including Groover | Musosoup | Playlist Push | Submithub | UnHurd

SMARTLINK PLATFORMS  including Amplify.link | ARTISTHUB | Feature FM | Linkfire | MusicJet

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Pathways Into Music asked a team of music industry experts for practical advice on releasing music. Here is a selection of their responses…

“Pick the right DIY distributor. Many of the streaming platforms have public lists of their preferred distribution partners – make sure you consult them when picking a distributor”.

“Work out a year-long release plan – so you have a basic idea of what music you are going to release when, allowing you to plan your social media and gigging activity accordingly”.

“It’s always worth pitching your releases to relevant media. Work out who the right contacts are – eg are they championing new artists and do they focus on the right genre – and send them personalised emails. To help with that, learn how to write great press releases and artist biogs”.

“Networking is key – when you are releasing music and starting to play live, try to connect with people in the industry and media. Maybe start with a polite personalised email. Maybe ask for advice and feedback first time. And make sure you properly target any messages”.

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BUSINESS PARTNERS
During the DIY Phase, artists releasing music will work with a DIY distributor. They should also join the collecting societies: PPL for recordings, PRS for songs. These three business partners will together allow artists to collect money when their music is streamed, downloaded, broadcast or played in public.

As an artist’s career progresses they might look to work with a higher-level distributor which will provide more support, including marketing, in return for charging a higher commission. Or they might sign a record deal with a record label, which would then handle all the distribution and marketing, plus provide other support and investment.

As a songwriter, they might look to work with a rights administrator to help them manage their data and ensure they are collecting all their royalties. Or they might sign a publishing deal with a music publisher which will handle all the rights administraiton, plus provide other support and investment.

For those looking for a career in the music industry, distributors, collecting societies, record labels, rights administrators and music publishers are all possible employers.

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