The music industry is undergoing rapid change, with the advent of digital platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, TikTok, and iTunes offering unheard-of opportunities for aspiring musicians to sell their music online and make money from their efforts. This article provides step-by-step guidance on how to get your music on these platforms and get your digital music distribution adventure started on the right foot.
Step 1: Crafting Your Masterpiece
The first step for getting your music on Spotify, Apple Music, or any other platform, is to create music that resonates with your intended audience. Invest time in songwriting, production, and post-production to ensure you have a polished product. Remember, in an increasingly competitive digital music landscape, quality stands out.
Step 2: Acquiring ISRC And UPCs
Before you sell your music on iTunes or any other platform, you will need International Standard Recording Codes (ISRCs) for each track and a Universal Product Code (UPC) for the album. These codes are crucial for sales tracking and chart eligibility.
Step 3: Choosing A Digital Music Distributor
To get your music on iTunes, Amazon, TikTok, and other online stores, you will need to utilize a digital music distribution service. Distributors act as a bridge between you (the artist) and the digital music platforms. They handle the delivery of your music to these platforms, ensuring the correct formatting and metadata are included.
An excellent choice for this role is MusicDigi. With a simple, straightforward process and affordable pricing, MusicDigi makes it easy for artists to distribute their music across a wide range of platforms. In addition, MusicDigi also handles royalty collection, ensuring you earn money for every stream and download of your songs.
Step 4: Preparing For Distribution
Once you’ve chosen your distributor, you need to prepare your music for distribution. This involves ensuring the audio files are high quality (usually a WAV or FLAC file), the album artwork is professional, and all the metadata (like song titles, artist names, album titles, and genres) is accurate. Incomplete or incorrect metadata can cause distribution delays or issues with royalties.
Step 5: Planning Your Release
Just distributing your music isn’t enough. To effectively sell music online, you need a release plan. Coordinate your release across all platforms on the same day to maximize your reach. Utilize social media to generate hype before the release and continuously engage your audience post-release to maintain momentum.
Step 6: Monetizing Your Music
After when you Get your music on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and other platforms, it’s time to reap the fruits of your labor. Keep track of your streams and downloads through your distributor’s dashboard. Be sure to claim your profile on each platform and use their analytics to understand your audience better. In addition to streaming revenue, you can also earn from synchronization licensing (when your music is used in TV, films, commercials, etc.) and public performance royalties (when your music is played in a public setting).
Step 7: Networking And Promotion
Once you get your music on TikTok and Spotify, or get your music on Apple Music, continuous networking and promotion are necessary. Engage with fans, collaborate with other artists, perform live shows (if possible), and keep your audience engaged with consistent new content.
Conclusion
Breaking into the music industry and earning money from your craft is no easy task. It requires dedication, strategy, and persistence. However, with digital music distribution services like MusicDigi, getting your music on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, TikTok, and beyond is more accessible than ever. So, craft your masterpiece, plan your release, and take the leap. The world is ready to hear your music.