Music Distribution

In a time not so long ago an artist had to basically get signed to a record label before they could get their music distributed. Technology has evolved so quickly that independent artists can do for themselves what they used to need music labels to do for them instead. Most of the assistance comes from something called a music aggregator.  An aggregator helps artists get their work distributed using mainstream platforms though digital content distribution.

The music industry had to find a way to recoup the slump in CD, record and album sales. It will continue to change because the industry as a whole has started figuring out ways to fix the problem of lost sales. Some retail sites like iTunes and Tunecore require their customers to go though one of these channels before making a purchase.

Digital distribution is becoming the new normal in the music industry. This is great for new artist; it allows them more control over their work then ever before. The times of waiting to get picked up from a label in order to get an artists career started is no longer standard. An artist only needs to develop a fan base in order to get their music purchased.

Some of the aggregator sites like Taxi.com, ReverbNation.com and Sound Cloud.com provide things like virtual showcases. A showcase is used to introduce a new artist to influential individuals in the music industry.

Digital warehouses like Nokia Music, MediaNet and RedDotNet are just some of the distribution centers for Media and retail. These warehouses are so huge they service 

a large portion of the music industry. Some of the ways they are able to do this is by selling music to the public by virtual means. Every time a customer purchases a ringtone or download they are accessing what is called a digital jukebox.

References:

Craft, Kimberly M.M J.D, Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution second edition

Publishing your Own

The traditional ways of music or literary publishing are quickly fading. Artists who may have attempted to publish their work in the past took the risk of their material appearing homemade or unprofessional. The Internet access available today has changed the publishing industry forever and sent new artists in a another direction.

Publishing was and is probably the furthest thing from any artist’s mind initially. For the most part, it would have been considered lucky for an artist to be allowed to focus on just their talent. Since most artists are not that fortunate, most of them learn something about publishing when it is time to get their work displayed for an audience to view. Times have changed, most artist today, understand they will have to research the industry in order to be a successful independent artist. These artists do not have the resources to even consider looking for someone to help them publish their work.

For any artist who intends to attain a publisher or for an artist who is seeking resources in order to publish work on their own. The first thing an artist needs to do when seeking assistance from a company is to get a publishing agent in the artists area of interest. In order to get an agent you need to submit a query letter expressing information about the artist and a sample of the artists work. Doing this will hopefully peak the interest of the agent and encourage the agent to represent the artist. Once the artist acquires an agent successfully, the agent will guide them the rest of the way.

Self-publishing is the other way an artist can get their work published. Being an independent artist is a challenging and humble experience. The advantages for artists who choose to publish their work are achieved by cutting out the middleman. When an artist uses a POD (Print on Demand) it allows the artist to keep most of the royalties and own their copyrights.

References:

Craft, Kimberly M.M J.D, Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution second edition