You Are in Control

There are so many different options available for musicians and songwriters to get their music out to the public today.  You could go the traditional route and sign with a label.  This takes a lot of the control away from you as an artist.  It is the label that makes the marketing and promotions decisions.  They may also have the control over what music gets to reach a recording studio, let alone what makes the cut.  This seems to be true for many of the artists that are just starting out.  Those that are well established are able to retain so much more power over the decisions involved in their careers.

If you are an artist that wants to keep all of the control, you do have options.  Technology has come so far, that now almost anyone can create, publish, distribute and promote their own music.  You do not need to rely on the labels and distribution companies anymore.

Whether you are an individual artist or a band, there are choices out there for you.  The best thing that you could do is to create and setup a label.  By doing so, you will be able to approach digital distribution companies.  If you want someone to be in charge of distribution your music, be it directly to stores or through other aggregation options, this choice allows you to have human interaction.  You will be able to get advice and immediate support.  Unfortunately, this option still costs a lot of money.

Signing up with aggregators and other digital distribution platforms directly is a great option for those  that want almost total control.  Here, they allow you to upload your music.  You can decide what information is available and design your own artwork should you choose.  With this option, you get to choose which stores your music is distributed to.

There are many choices in companies for you to pick from.  Tunecore, CD Baby, DistroKid, Ditto, MondoTunes, and Symphonic are all platforms that that offer a variety of prices, services and features for you to choose from.

When deciding on which platform you want to grow with, if this is the direction that you decide to take, you have to weigh some very important aspects of each site.

• Know how creative you are, or plan to be.  Having a platform that allows you to upload an unlimited amount of content may be best for someone that is constantly creating material.  On the other hand, having a site that collects and distributes your royalties may be more important to you.
• Decide how much of the ales profit you want to retain.  While some sites offer you to keep 100% of the profit, they may find some other way to get your money by being charged for its various services.
• Research the fees involved.  Some may charge you a one-time fee, while others will charge you for each upload.  They can also have hidden charges.  You may find that you are being charged to have your music in more stores outside of the primary store offerings, charged for pre-orders, and even to have UPC codes (which are only needed for physical products or to be registered wth Soundscan).
• Know what stores are available to you.  If you have one specific store that you are looking for, you will more than likely have to ask the platforms specifically.  Most sites offer that same primary stores, so make sure you do your research if you have one that you really want.
• Research payment schedules.  If it is important to you that you get paid right away, then find that platform that offers this option.  Knowing when you get paid can be extremely important for those that are just starting off.

Bottom line, decide what is most important to you and/or you band.  This will help to narrow your options down.  The best thing for you is to get your music out there.  How you choose to do this is entirely up to you.  But before you do, do your research.  You can be in total control of your career, if you decide you want to.  Have faith and take the leap, you never know what can happen.