The music industry is a business exposed to constant mutations. It is a clear example that its concept can be completely disrupted with just a breath of innovation and that, until a few years ago, the influence generated by the industry was based mainly on the physical side; physical distribution made us miss out on world premiere’s, premiere’s that could take years to arrive if they were from another continent or that arrived edited.
With the boom of the technological era the arrival of digital platforms came, distribution and sales were automated, independent projects that did not have a major label began to come out of anonymity, finding tools in this new technology and resources to publicize their works, putting an end to hidden treasures on Bandcamp.
What’s digital distribution?
I'm not a fan of talking in terminology so, in my own words, I'll tell you that digital distribution is the delivery of musical content (singles or albums) into digital stores like Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Tidal, Youtube, for streaming, downloading or monetization; as well as the different social networks for content creation.
All this in a set called METADATA that includes the following:
Information of the single: Name, Release Date, Explicit tags
Copyright: Composers, Musicians, Lyricists.
Codes: UPC and ISRC
Archives: Audio and Cover art
It is important to note that all of these are subject to verification by stores, which will allow them to be either accepted or rejected for correction.
Where do I want to go with all of this? I'll tell you about the digital distribution process here at Indiefy and to make it much easier, I'll share with you the most frequent questions from musicians that contact us.
First of all, who are we?
We are the largest independent label in Latin America, providing service to more than 177,000 users, but the most important thing is that we are a platform dedicated to helping independent musicians through tools such as digital distribution and specialized attention, with the sole objective of guiding each artist in their project and that they have control over their career, being us that first step so that they can cover the globe through digital stores.
Indiefy's digital distribution has a presence in 38 stores in 164 countries, including Asia.
Now, how does Indiefy help the independent musician?
The digital distribution service is the baton of our day to day, but we also seek to add our artists to their stay with us, developing tools that help them in the process, making this a pleasant experience for everyone.
We also support the initial steps of the independent musician with a free music distribution plan, which helps to redirect their finances to other investment points.
In our work strategy, the artist will always be free to stay or withdraw when he deems it convenient, maintain his copyright and have a clear and updated report on his statistics, in addition, whoever seeks to distribute with us will find a plan appropriate to the stage where their career is currently standing.
How does the digital distribution process work at Indiefy?
The process we offer is 100% self-managed, it gives the artist the possibility of knowing and managing their releases on demand, our service is available to anyone who wants to contract it and the platform we use has the infrastructure to offer all the analytical and financial information that is needed, retaining only 15% of the total commission.
These 6 steps will guide the entire distribution process.
REGISTRATION TO THE PLATFORM.
The first thing will be to create an account, either through social networks or email, this data will help us to send them notifications and with which you can also claim artist profiles later (click here for more info).
SELECT THE PLAN.
Indiefy has two plans, here is the comparison:
BASIC:
Free digital music distribution.
Music released in 3 weeks.
Digital distribution in 11 basic stores.
Custom release date.
Basic customer service.
PRO:
Unlimited releases and projects.
Exclusive discounts.
Music released in 1-2 weeks.
Digital distribution in 38 stores, including Asia.
Distribution in social networks.
Youtube Content ID
Access to the Presave tool.
Access to Indiefy.me, an exclusive artist page.
Metadata changes.
VIP customer service (click here for more info)
ARTIST CREATION AND VERIFICATION.
Once the artist profile has been created, it will be possible to start distributing content, while the information entered is being verified.
RELEASE CREATION.
We will guide you through the entire release creation process, indicating what data must be filled in and what files must be uploaded, until the end of the delivery process (more info).
PAYMENT DATA.
Once the release has been sent, the most convenient method for depositing royalties must be selected, filling in the data and payment request (more info). The minimum withdrawal amount and payment process is as follows:
BASIC: Minimum withdrawal amount $100 usd. For users in this plan, the payment is processed between the 15th and last day of the 3rd month after receipt of the payment request.
PRO: Minimum withdrawal amount $50 usd. For users in this plan, the payment is processed between the 15th and last day of the month after receipt of the payment request.
PAYMENTS AND ANALYTICS.
The artist will be able to monitor sales and streams from the tools within the platform until the royalty payment arrives (more info).
Cool, but how does Indiefy monetize the music?
Our digital distribution connects with the most popular stores in the market, allowing artists to have greater exposure to their listeners, so once the music is published on digital channels, we’ll take care of obtaining monthly reports of streams and downloads claiming the corresponding royalties and sending them to the appropriate artists, accompanied by a detailed report for each month.
We also collect YouTube Content ID royalties, and you’ll keep 100% after the 15% commission, not 50% as most of the other distributors.
If you, who is reading this is about to start your music career independently and do not know where to start, join us; We’re sure that we can guide you and help you shape your project.
Contact us through indiefy.net and let us be part of your professional career. It will be a pleasure to welcome you and listen to your project.
See you in the future!
