Bridging the Gap between artists and audiences: How music gets on Spotify and Apple Music

The arrival of digital music platforms like Spotify and Apple Music has completely transformed how we listen to music. But have you ever wondered how music ends up on these platforms? In this post, we'll dive into the fascinating journey of music distribution in this face paced era.

Music distribution has evolved significantly over the years. In the days of vinyl records, CDs, and cassettes, artists needed to get their music physically distributed to brick-and-mortar stores. As you already know, the rise of the internet changed this, with music files first being sold through platforms like iTunes and now streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, and other similar platforms.

In this digital age, music distribution essentially involves delivering songs from artists to various online music platforms sometimes referred to as DSPs (Digital Service Providers). Allocation is done through a digital music distribution service or aggregator (I'll write a separate blog on the differences in due course). These companies are intermediaries, the digital link between artists (or record labels) and streaming platforms.

Artists submit their music to the distribution service, which sends it to various platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and others. This process is not just about file transfer. It also involves metadata management to ensure the music is appropriately categorised and searchable and rights management to ensure royalties are accurately calculated and paid.

The process starts with the artist or their label providing the distributor with high-quality audio files, album artwork, and metadata. This includes track names, artist names, album names, genres, release dates, and more. The distributor then sends this package of music and data to the streaming platforms. For more on this read our blog on Empowering independent artists: An Introduction to music distribution and publishing your music.

Once the music is live on platforms, the distributor collects the royalties generated from streams and downloads and passes them onto the artists or labels, often for a fee or a percentage of the revenue.

Artists need to understand this process because effective distribution is critical to an artist's success. It's about getting your music heard and ensuring you're adequately compensated for your work through royalties earned.

Understanding your music's journey to get onto listeners' playlists can help you make informed decisions about managing your work and, ultimately, your career. The digital age has democratised music distribution, giving artists more control over their music than ever before. As the industry evolves, artists knowledgeable about distribution will be better positioned to take full advantage of the opportunities.

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