CH4 Guide 04 Independent explainer
Music distribution for independent labels
Distribution gets finished music into the places where people buy and stream it. Digital and physical distribution work differently, and a small label usually needs to choose both on purpose.
What a distributor does
A distributor is a company that delivers your release to stores and services, collects the income and passes it on after taking a fee or a share. The word covers two quite different businesses. Digital distributors send audio files and metadata to streaming services and download stores. Physical distributors sell records and discs to shops and online retailers, often with the label keeping the stock until it sells.
Digital versus physical distribution
Digital delivery is fast and cheap per release, so most labels start there. Streaming services do not usually accept files from labels directly, so music goes through a distributor that has a delivery agreement. At least one major streaming service publishes a directory of such providers, which is a useful place to see who is approved.
Physical distribution is slower. A shop orders a handful of copies, the label ships them, and payment may follow when copies sell, a model called consignment or sale or return. The label has to make the stock first, so physical distribution is tied to the pressing plant timeline described in our vinyl guide.
Aggregators, label services and direct sales
Three routes are common. Aggregators are low-cost services that deliver releases to many stores for a flat fee or a share. Label services and larger distributors offer more help, such as promotion and playlist pitching, and often want a catalogue before they accept a label. Direct sales through your own site or a marketplace for independent music let you keep more of each sale but leave all the marketing to you.
Many small labels combine them: digital through a distributor, a few records through a distributor or a shop, and the rest sold directly at shows and online.
What to compare before you sign
Searches for the best distributor for independent labels return long lists, but the right choice depends on your plans, not on a ranking. Compare the following points for each service: what it charges and how, whether the label account supports many artists, how income is reported and paid, whether it asks for exclusive rights, how releases are taken down if you leave, and what support it gives if a release is rejected. Read the terms yourself, and do not rely on a review written for a different kind of label.
Free options exist, but check what is free. It may be a limited plan, a share of income or a service that adds fees later.
Metadata and release timing
Most delivery problems come from metadata. Prepare the release title, artist and label names spelled the same way everywhere, the track titles and credits, ISRC codes for each recording, a barcode for the release, the release date, the cover image at the size the stores ask for, and the audio in the format the distributor accepts, commonly WAV.
Allow time before the release date. Stores check deliveries, and a late fix can move the date. A schedule that leaves several weeks between delivery and release gives room for mistakes and for the label to tell people about the music. Before you sign, it is worth reading the cost side of the picture in how to start an independent record label.