Publishing and Distribution

The hardest part about starting a new company, or a project within an existing company for that matter, is simply getting started.  It’s not for a lack of knowledge because frankly, you shouldn’t just wade into this business with no idea of what you are doing.  It might not even be for a lack of trying.  In the music business, hard work does not always equate success.  This is because there still is that pesky thing called “talent”.  However talent still means nothing if you don’t have a handle on what to do about publishing and distribution. 

After it’s all said and done.  You have picked out the perfect sound for your record.  Your lyrics are on point. To cap it all off, your fans are drooling for the project.  Now the question is asked, “how to get your record from the studio to the masses?” In this day and age, distribution is a well open market.  It’s not like the old days when the major powers held an iron grip on the industry.  With the birth of the information age, more directly the Internet, opened up a world of possibilities for would be artists. 

Navigating the waters of direct to consumer publishing and distribution companies can be a daunting task.  When investigating potential services, it is important to know what you want and need out of the deal.  You have to understand the reach of the service that you are using.  If it is an Internet based service, make sure that the method to purchase your product is simple enough that the consumer will not be discerned with all of the twists and turns that some sites have in order to place an order. If you are dealing with a service like CD Baby, make sure you have a plan in place to get the hard copies out to the consumers.  No matter what you do, promotion is key. Without promotion even the best efforts will be lost in the clutter.