Who Pays For Music Distribution?
There are no free lunches in this world and paying for music distribution is no exception to this rule. One of the burning questions that could be plaguing your band is who pays for music distribution? While taking help from legal professionals is the best option in many cases, here are some fundamental facts you might like to know about music distribution and the money involved in doing this job.
In this industry you would come across several distribution companies who would distribute your album to a pre-set number of stores within a specified time limit, at a fee. While this is a perfectly legal way to go about music distribution, there are several options also available which you might like to look at.
How does a music distributor make money? He puts your album in stores and gets a commission from sale. Now the album may need special efforts to get sold and this includes, in-shop displays, vantage placements for getting noticed, and other steps for in-shop promotion. The distributor, as part of his service and in return for the money he is getting from you, may like to do this job at the stores. However, if you do not pay him any fee upfront, the in-shop promotion is your responsibility and the distributor simply finishes his job by ‘distributing’ and nothing else.
You have to remember that getting your album to the store is only half the job done. You also have to make sure that the album is accessible to the end-customer and people at large must come to know about its existence in the shops.
Therefore you have two options. One is to ask the distributor not to charge any upfront fees for ‘promoting’ your album at the stores but only ensure that the product reaches the shop shelves and the other is to pay the distributor an upfront fee so that he also ensures that the album moves out from the shop shelves into the hands of customers. When the distributor does not get any fees, he also cannot promise you that your album would get any prominent shelf space. This may not always be an attractive option, unless you already have an in-shop promotional plan ready to implement.
The ideal situation is to find a distribution company who likes your music and would also ensure that they are actively promoted in the stores. These companies not only make your product available but also promote them to generate demand. This is by far the best option rather than seeing your work of hard labor buried under heaps of CDS and albums which are actively promoted and are in hot demand.
If you are a musician and looking for band space to practice,
contact Empire Rehearsal Studios for more information.