What is digital distribution?
Digital distribution is the service that places your track on streaming platforms. You deliver a master and metadata to a distributor, who passes them to Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and the rest, then pays your streaming revenue through.
What the distributor does
Platforms do not accept direct submissions from artists. The distributor acts as an approved intermediary: it checks that your files comply, sends them to the catalogues, then collects the royalties.
It also handles the coordinated release date, pre-saves, and the reporting of listening data. Some additionally offer editorial pitching, which submits your track to playlist teams.
The codes: ISRC and UPC
The ISRC identifies one specific recording. Each track gets one, and it follows the recording for life, even if you change distributor. It is what makes your plays countable.
The UPC identifies a complete release: a single, an EP, an album. Distributors usually generate them for you, but you can supply your own if you already hold them.
Pass these codes to your mastering engineer: they can be written into the delivered file's metadata.
Timing and metadata
Allow three to four weeks between delivery to the distributor and the release date. That delay is not administrative: it determines eligibility for platform editorial pitching, which generally requires at least four weeks' notice.
Take care with metadata: exact artist name spelling, credits, songwriters, genre. A typo at this stage spreads across every platform and is hard to correct.
We prepare masters in the formats distributors expect, metadata and codes included. See mastering.
Frequently asked
Do you need a label to be on Spotify?
No. A distributor is enough, and many artists release their records independently. A label brings something else: financial advance, network, promotional work.
Who keeps the rights to my music?
You do, with plain distribution. The distributor takes a commission or a subscription fee without acquiring your rights. Always read the term and exit clauses before signing.
Tell us about your project.
We take on a limited number of projects each season, and we read every application.